Supporting PNB’s Vision, Tourism Department Held Student Internationalization Program
Politeknik Negeri Bali has a vision of becoming a higher education institution producing professional and internationally competitive graduates by 2025. In achieving this vision, PNB is committed to organizing vocational education and applied sciences with national and regional quality standards in Asia-Pacific, organizing collaboration in the ASPAC region and building the excellence of tourism-oriented institutions. To support this vision, every element of the institution must move forward, collaborate and synergize with internal and external elements so that what is aspired to can be achieved. Departing from this development pattern, the Tourism Department of Politeknik Negeri Bali, which currently has all its study programs accredited internationally by AQAS (Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programs, headquartered in Germany) was holding Student Internationalization activities from April 30 to May 5, 2023 with took place at the CBT Center, Pohsanten Village, Jembrana, Bali.
The Student Internationalization activity which was opened by the Head of the Tourism Department Prof. Ni Made Ernawati, MATM, PhD, is an international program workshop with the output in the form of a package program which is attended by nine PNB students where 4 of them are students from France who are carrying out a double- degree in the Tourism Business Management Study Program (bachelor program) and the Tourism Business Planning Study Program (master program). Through this activity the participants were directed to be actively involved, discuss, and work together to design an Indonesian cultural immersion program for international (foreign) students. Apart from being able to directly facilitate foreign students to learn and experience the culture and life of the local Balinese in Pohsanten Village, the designed immersion program is also expected to enhance PNB’s collaboration with universities abroad. This is an effort to get closer to the vision of going international, especially through the tourism sector.
The series of activities that lasted for six days began with a visit to Agrocacao on the first day. In this case the participants can witness directly the cocoa tree nursery and the process of processing cocoa beans so that they become products that have economic value.
On the second day, an international program workshop was held which presented three expert speakers namely Ni Putu Sri Harta Mimba, Ph.D., Dr. I Gede Mudana, M.Si., and Rieta Anggraheni, S.Pd., M.Hum. with material on the dynamics of Indonesian culture, the dynamics of Balinese culture, and program packages for international students. This workshop aims to equip participants with the information and knowledge needed in preparing program packages.
Day three to day six was filled with trekking activities to Pasatan Temple, FGD on green living, volunteering at SDN 1 Pohsanten, Balinese traditional cooking class, paddy field trekking, and a visit to the tourist village of Palasari. These activities aimed to provide inspiration and an overview of the types of activities that have the potential to be integrated into the program.
Every day the participants work and discuss in groups to design a program which will then be presented as the culmination of this Student Internationalization activity. The PIC of the program, Indah Utami Chaerunnisah, expressed her hopes regarding the internationalization of students, “Hopefully this activity can be a useful experience for participating students and in the future programs with international students can continue to be held.” (RA)
