UNAIR NEWS – The Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program allows students to gain learning experiences abroad for a semester. Therefore, being an IISMA awardee brings an exceptional pleasure. Yovensa Angie, a Faculty of Social and Political Sciences student of Universitas Airlangga shared the same thought. She got the opportunity for outbound study at the Australian National University (ANU) Australia.
The ANU is one of Australia’s leading universities and is a member of the Group of Eight. The university also provides Asia-related courses, that are relevant to Angie’s major at Universitas Airlangga. She started her classes in July and will continue until November.
Fresh learning environment
The lectures at ANU were quite similar to universities in Indonesia. However, attendance at lectures is optional because students will receive recordings and materials through the learning platform.
Besides, ANU also has mandatory tutorial class sessions. Students discuss the required reading for the week. In the initial stage, students will be divided into several discussion groups. Then, the results of the discussion are presented in class.
“During the tutorial session, we are required to read and understand the weekly material to participate in the class. Attendance and student participation are taken into account. There is a separate load for the final grade. As for assignments, it is similar to Indonesia, such as presentations and papers,” Angie said.
Join the challenge
Apart from lectures, the IISMA awardees also joined several challenges. For instance, the Batik Challenge to celebrate Batik Day and the Heroes Challenge to commemorate Indonesia’s Independence Day. The challenges are held in the form of an exhibition, which showcases Indonesian art and culture.
“For the batik challenge, we volunteered in one of the gardens at the Australian National University. The weather was quite warm. It was really fun,” she said.
In addition to new experiences, Angie gained many new skills while participating in the IISMA program.
“After studying for two years at UNAIR, this semester I got a whole new learning experience, which is very different from the ones in Indonesia. The learning environment feels different due to the extensive use of English. I feel like many learning skills are honed even more while I’m here,” she said.
Through the IISMA program, Angie has gained a fresh perspective on her field of study. This has expanded her understanding as she has seen to various opinions from new people.
Besides, she has been learning about the new culture in Australia, which has pushed her to balance working and learning. This experience can serve as a crucial foundation for her future career. Angie hopes that the knowledge she’s gaining will support her final assignment.
Author: Aidatul Fitriyah
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
