Student exchange to Indonesia a success

In April 2016 four Masters Nutrition & Dietetic Year 2 students travelled to University Gajah Madah in Yogyakarta Indonesia to undertake an exchange program under the guidance of Dr Kacie Dickinson. The MND students undertook an elective on common nutrition issues in Indonesia for which they are provided credit for their capstone topic Independent Studies. During their month long stay the students participated in the Nutrition and Dietetics curriculum at UGM and had the opportunity to conduct field visits related to paediatric malnutrition, anaemia and iodine deficiency– both of which are common in the surrounding areas of Yogyakarta.

The experience was overwhelmingly positive with students having the chance to observe clinical cases of cretinism, goitre and malnutrition rarely seen here in Australia. The students made the most of immersing themselves in the rich cultural heritage of the central Java region – including homestays, shopping at local markets and sampling local food.

Students were funded by Asia Postgraduate Grants to undertake short term study overseas to gain credit for their program. These grants are of benefit to both students and staff by creating opportunities to engage with other countries in the South East Asian region, see nutrition problems from a different perspective and collaborate with other institutions. We would like to acknowledge the staff and students at UGM for being wonderful hosts and our colleagues at Jembatan (Flinders University) who provided pre-departure support.

You can read more about the students experiences on the Flinders Learning Without Borders blog.