Program Components (DSIP)

ACICIS’ DSIP program is composed of five key components, as outlined below. Students are required to satisfactorily complete all components in order to achieve an overall grade of ‘Satisfactory’ for the program:

All participants undertake six weeks of full-time language study at UGM prior to commencement of either their SCS or Development Placement. This intensive Indonesian language study is offered at three levels of language instruction: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Students enrol in five subjects – a total of 12 ‘SKS’ or credit points. A credit point is assumed to entail the following approximate time commitment from a student during the first six weeks of the program:

• 1 hour of class contact time per week;
• 1 hour of structured academic work (assignments and homework); and
• 2 hours of independent study (independent reading and conversation practice).

The intensive language program consists of the following subjects:

The seminar series consists of six seminars and/or fieldtrips. These seminars will focus on key issues in the Indonesian development sector and are designed to prepare students for their SCS or Development Placement experience.

Examples of seminar themes include:

1. Overview of Indonesian Development Issues
2. Urban Development
3. Gender
4. Renewable Energy
5. Disaster Risk Management & Disability
6. Public Health

ACICIS may also arrange fieldtrips to development and community-based organisations so that students can gain first-hand knowledge of the development sector in Yogyakarta. Students must demonstrate adequate preparation for each seminar and fieldtrip through informed contributions to discussions and activities in order to pass this component.

Before students depart for their SCS or Development Placement, they are required to complete a 2,000-word research essay on a contemporary theme in Indonesian development. The aim of the essay is to encourage students to think critically about contemporary development issues in Indonesia, drawing from a range of secondary sources (academic journal articles, research papers, books and online articles) prior to participating in development initiatives first-hand through their SCS projects or Development Placements.

SCS commences in week 8 of the 15-week semester. At orientation, students will be provided with a detailed handbook that outlines the structure of SCS activities and assessment.

Students will be assigned to a number of different projects at their SCS field site. A sample breakdown of projects and the time allocated to them is outlined below:

SCS Program (Minimum 360 hours)

• Main Program 70% (252 hours)
• Auxiliary Program 30% (108 hours)

The minimum amount of time for SCS is 360 hours. 70% of the total hours are allocated for the Main Program and 30% for the Auxiliary Program. This time is logged via activity attendance cards submitted to a student’s UGM supervisor. For a practical example of how this structure translates in the field, see the link to a DSIP Sample Project.

An academic from a relevant UGM faculty is assigned to serve as the supervisor of each SCS unit. This supervisor visits the site on a weekly basis and is responsible for all assessment. ACICIS staff also routinely visit SCS students in the field to assess student progress.

SCS Assessment
Students are assessed as follows:

• Project Proposal 10%
• Final Report 10%
• Field Evaluation 10%
• Participation 70%*

*Student participation and performance is assessed on four criteria: discipline, cooperation, comprehension, and implementation. LPPM places the heaviest weighting (60%) on implementation. LPPM will assess students’ problem-solving skills, project success, and skills in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the project(s).

The DSIP Development Placement stream also commences in week 8 of the 15-week semester. Students are required to attend their Development Placement from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (approximately 37.5 hours per week) depending on the Host Organisation. The Development Placement entails an approximate total time commitment of 300 hours from the student during the last eight weeks of the 15-week semester.

Throughout the eight-week Development Placement, students undertake a supervised placement at a participating Host Organisation. Required tasks will vary depending on a student’s placement Host Organisation, but generally may include: report writing, content editing, website editing, translation, data entry, monitoring and evaluation, and other tasks as required by individual Host Organisations.

DSIP Development Placement Assessment
Students are assessed as follows:

• Work plan design 10%
• Reflective journal 20%
• Participation 70%*

*Student participation and performance is assessed by the student’s Host Organisation mentor and ACICIS’ Resident Director. On completion of the Development Placement, the Host Organisation mentor will be asked to comment on criteria related to both generic skills (e.g., interpersonal, communication, professionalism, initiative) and discipline-specific knowledge. This feedback will inform a student’s end-of-semester Student Outcome Evaluation (SOE) report prepared by ACICIS’ Resident Director.

At the end of the program, students will give a brief (20 minute) presentation regarding their SCS or Development Placement experience to their fellow DSIP students and ACICIS staff, followed by a brief question and answer session.