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Interactive online lecture first for University
8 October, 2004
National online undergraduate seminar in Indonesian studies
Today, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) students studying Indonesian culture, politics and language will link up with students from eight universities around Australia via the Internet to hear four world authorities on Indonesia speak.
Yet none of the experts will actually be present in the room.
All of them will be beamed into Lecture Theatre Three via the Internet.
Students will be able to hear the speakers and see a presentation of images.
They will also have the opportunity to interact with the speakers and ask questions.
The online seminar is an initiative of Dr Phillip Mahnken, Coordinator of Languages at USC.
Dr Mahnken has completed a PhD in Computer Assisted Language learning and recently returned from a visit to Lombok, Indonesia.
He now plans to harness the Internet's capacity for audio stream, images and interactivity to allow real-time collaboration between universities.
"There has never been a time when Australians have more needed to understand and engage with Indonesia," Dr Mahnken said.
"It is an exciting time in Indonesia with a new president. Yet economic, political and social problems of enormous scale beset our closest Asian neighbour.
"We cannot help them - or ourselves - by turning our heads away," Dr Mahnken said.
The online seminar program consists of:
Professor Colin Brown of Curtin University of Technology who will speak from Perth, WA, on Why should Australians be positive about Indonesia?
Dr Megan Jennaway, Queensland University of Technology, will discuss The roles, the problems, the future of Indonesian women.
Dr Greg Fealy of the Australian National University in Canberra, will canvas Issues in Contemporary Indonesian Islam.
Finally, Professor Arief Budiman from the University of Melbourne will discuss The new president, capitalism and the prospects for democracy.
It is planned that the online seminar will become an annual collaboration between all the universities in Australia that teach Indonesian society, culture, politics and language and have links with Indonesia.
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