ACICIS Virtual ILSC: Wrap-Up (June-July 2022)

The virtual program started with an opening ceremony where the participants met ACICIS staff, LTC UKSW staff, teachers, and student buddies. The program was officially opened by the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of UKSW, Dr Iwan Setyawan, and the ACICIS Resident Director, Dr Adrian Budiman followed by an orientation session from ACICIS and LTC UKSW staff covering introduction of staff, Indonesian culture, and academic matters. Students also had the chance to get to know each other and meet with their student buddies during the ice-breaking session at the end of the meeting.

The Language Training Centre (LTC) at UKSW facilitated immersive virtual learning for the students through intensive language class, providing opportunities for all students to practice their language skills by engaging with members of local communities, and discussing topics varied from daily life, Indonesian culture, to social issues.

The intensive language classes were held Monday to Friday between 08:30 and 13:30 Western Indonesia Time (GMT+7) through live and interactive classes. Students in each language level participated in virtual interviews with local people and workers on various topics during the three-week course. The topics varied depending on each student’s language level and academic background.

Students also joined a webinar about Bahasa Gaul or Slang Language: Switching and Mixing Languages to Socialise in Indonesian Context in order to get a deeper understanding about Indonesian culture. The seminar was delivered by Ibu Neny Isharyanti, Ph.D., AFHEA., one of the lecturers at the UKSW. Students also had the option to take extracurricular classes such as grammar class and cooking class. These were available for students to take outside of the regular program hours.

Moreover, ACICIS students got an opportunity to dive deeper into Indonesian culture through Language and Culture Exposure and Culture Sharing sessions. These sessions gave them the opportunity to interact with UKSW students. During the Language and Culture Exposure sessions, many LTC student volunteers shared information about Indonesian food as well as traditional music and dance. At the end of the session, students from UKSW introduced Sajojo dance, a traditional dance from Papua, Indonesia. A number of student volunteers from UKSW taught ACICIS Virtual ILSC Session 3 students how to dance Sajojo.

Another interesting part of the program was the Culture Sharing session. In this session, ILSC students were divided into several groups and delivered presentations about Australian accents to the UKSW students, LTC staff and ACICIS staff, followed by a presentation about Indonesian Slang Language by the UKSW students.

In the second week of the program, ACICIS held a checkpoint meeting to get the students’ feedback on the program thus far and what ACICIS could do to make sure students got a great and meaningful experience. The meetings were closed with another ice breaking session to refresh students connections and create stronger bonding between them.

At the end of the program, the students completed several tests, including a written test, an oral test, and a presentation. ACICIS students delivered a presentation in Indonesian on a topic of their own choosing. The presentation took place in front of their classmates and UKSW faculty members.

The program was officially closed with a closing ceremony, where they received QR codes to access their certificates. During the closing ceremony, we also enjoyed speeches from the student representatives who shared their personal experience and highlights during the program.

Finally, ACICIS would like to congratulate all the students on finishing the virtual ILSC! We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours and beyond. We look forward to welcoming them to Indonesia soon as our in-country programs resume!