(Reference: http://www.acicis.edu.au)
The Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies (ACICIS – pronounced Ah-chee-chis, as an Indonesian would say it) is an innovative, non-profit, national educational consortium that was established in 1994 to overcome the substantial academic, bureaucratic, and immigration impediments that had prevented Australian students from undertaking credited semester study at Indonesian universities. Today ACICIS runs the Study Indonesia Program (SIP) which consists of a variety of study options in Indonesia and is also open to non-Australians and private individuals. ACICIS currently has 25 Australian member universities (including nearly all of Australia’s leading institutions in the field of Indonesian studies), and two international members in the UK and the Netherlands. It is coordinated by a small secretariat (7 staff) in Western Australia and governed by a National Reference Group consisting of senior Indonesian Studies academics representing all Australian states.
ACICIS also has offices in Indonesia, namely in the cities of Yogyakarta (10 staff) and Jakarta/Bandung (7 staff). It provides students with the best possible educational experience in Indonesia, in a safe, secure and supportive environment. ACICIS’ Indonesia-based staff provide academic and pastoral advice to students, an orientation program for new students prior to each program, assistance liaising with Indonesian authorities and universities, and oversee all aspects of in-country operations, including security and risk assessment.
- Read about current ACICIS staff in Australia and Indonesia.
Since 1995, almost 2,000 students have undertaken in-country Study Indonesia programs with ACICIS. Today the ACICIS Study Indonesia program is the primary mechanism through which Australian students study for credit in Indonesian universities. ACICIS was specifically identified in the Australian Government’s Australia in the Asian Century White Paper (2012) as a ‘successful model for in-country learning’. So successful is the ACICIS model that the Asian Studies Association of Australia has proposed that similar consortia be established to provide in-country study for learners of Arabic, Hindi and Vietnamese. ACICIS internationalises the student’s educational experience by taking part in a challenging, academically tailored study abroad program offering high levels of pastoral care. Alumni satisfaction with SIP programs is routinely high. Our last student survey conducted (of participants from the August 2012 intake) showed some 94% of respondents would recommend the ACICIS Study Indonesia program to other students at their university.
In 2008 the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) presented ACICIS with its prestigious national award for ‘Programs that Enhance Student Learning’. In 2009, ACICIS founder and Consortium Director Professor David T. Hill AM was awarded an ALTC National Teaching Fellowship to develop a national strategic plan for the rejuvenation of Indonesian language teaching at Australian universities. Professor Hill was also inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Australia Day Honours.
- Download ACICIS one-pager (PDF) (English)
- Download ACICIS one-pager (PDF) (Bahasa Indonesia)
- Download ACICIS organsiational chart 2018-2019
In 2006, ACICIS Study Indonesia logo was redesigned. Read about the current logo here.
Host Universities
ACICIS’ Agriculture Semester Program (ASP) allows students to take units in a number of internationally accredited study programs at Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), including subjects in agribusiness, agronomy and horticulture, plant protection, forestry, food science and technology, and animal production technology.
With classes taught in English, from an Indonesian perspective, students undertaking the ASP will be well-placed to become leaders in international agricultural development equipped with a solid understanding of the food security and resource management challenges facing Indonesia and the Indo-Pacific region.
Students also undertake a supervised professional placement at an Indonesian host organisation to complement their academic studies. Host organisations include international research organisations such as World Resources Institute (WRI), international non-government organisations such as World Agroforestry Centre and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), as well as Indonesian and international agribusiness companies.
Students will be well-placed to become leaders in international agricultural development.
Structure
The ASP runs in two intakes each year: from August to February, and from February to August. The structure of the semester-long program is as follows:
- A semester of academic classes and coursework (approximately 504 hours in total) at Bogor Agricultural University. Classes can be scheduled anytime between 07:00 to 18:00 Monday-Friday, and 07:00 to 12:00 on Saturdays;
Concurrent with; - One to one-and-a-half day/s per week professional placement – provided the placement Host Organisation is located in Bogor or surrounds (approximately 160 hours).
OR
- A semester of academic classes and coursework (approximately 504 hours in total) at Bogor Agricultural University. Classes can be scheduled anytime between 07:00 to 18:00 Monday-Friday, and 07:00 to 12:00 of Saturdays;
Followed by - A four-week ‘block’ professional placement at a Host Organisation outside of Bogor (approximately 160 hours).