The first joint hybrid learning format with universities in Indonesia was launched at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the summer semester of 2024. Students at the Faculty of Business Studies in Dortmund as well as in the Indonesian university cities of Pekanbaru and Surabaya will deal with legal and social issues relating to digitalization.
The intercontinental lecture has emerged from the project "University Dialogue with the Islamic World", in which Fachhochschule Dortmund, the Bundeswehr University in Munich and Universitas Islam Riau and Airlangga in Indonesia are jointly promoting teaching and research across borders. The German Academic Exchange Service is providing financial support for this academic dialog.
Despite a five-hour time difference and a distance of 10,000 kilometers, students from the participating universities will learn and exchange ideas together - both in lectures and in joint project work, the students are internationally networked. "With 274 million inhabitants, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and an increasingly important trading partner for us," says Prof. Dr. Michael Bohne, lecturer at the Faculty of Business Studies at Fachhochschule Dortmund. Germany is one of the most popular locations for Indonesian students. Nevertheless, such intensive cooperation as in the project with Fachhochschule Dortmund is unique, says the professor.
Summer school and exchange program
In the past three years, students from Indonesia have been in Fachhochschule Dortmund and Fachhochschule Dortmund students have spent a semester in Southeast Asia. The third summer school will take place in 2024, where students will work intensively on projects focusing on legal issues relating to digitalization - from data protection and copyright to cyber security. "In addition, there is an intensive exchange between the professors," reports Prof. Dr. Stefan Koos, business law expert at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, who, like Prof. Bohne, has already given several courses at the Indonesian partner universities. German universities also regularly receive guests from the Far East. "We can learn a lot from Indonesia, especially in the field of digitalization," says Prof. Bohne. This is why scientific exchange is to be further expanded.
In June, Fachhochschule Dortmund and the Indonesian ambassador to Germany are inviting representatives from science, business studies and politics to Berlin. The aim is to provide new impetus for cooperation. The conference is entitled "Challenges of digital globalization". The guests at the Indonesian embassy include students and researchers from all four participating universities.