Flinders students will be doing eye tests in Nepal and physio in Malawi next year, thanks to the award of $332,000 funding in Endeavour Mobility grants to 84 students at the University.
The Federal Government grants, valued at $2,000 for a short-term visit or $5,000 for a full semester, will take undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of courses to countries that include the Philippines, Nepal, India, China, Germany, Malawi and the US.
They will undertake study, field work or practicums in courses ranging from medicine, optometry and physiotherapy to social work, languages and cultural studies.
Flinders Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Professor Nancy Cromar, said the grants make a substantial contribution towards the University’s target of increasing outbound mobility opportunities for students.
“The program also directly supports students in acquiring our stated graduate qualities, especially in terms of connection across boundaries, application of knowledge and collaboration,” Professor Cromar said.
“In addition to providing individual students with unforgettable educational experiences, initiatives such as the Endeavour Mobility grants are important in improving Australia’s links overseas, through increasing our understanding of, and engagement with, other societies and cultures.
“They are an example of so-called soft diplomacy at its best.”
One notable beneficiary is the Flinders Jembatan initiative, which has won funding to support five postgraduate student to undertake a semester abroad in Indonesia at Universitas Gadjah Mada and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. The project will allow students to undertake language training in conjunction with research into the use of social media platforms by Indonesia students as a way of building better diplomatic, trade and cultural ties between countries.
In addition to leading a project abroad, Jembatan offers cultural briefings for all outbound programs to Indonesia including projects through the School of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Education, and Flinders Law School.
A list of the University’s 2016 Endeavour Mobility projects is below:
Philippines
Tayo Na at Mag-aral sa Pilipinas (TaMaPi: Let’s Go and Study In the Philippines) (semester practicum)
Indonesia
Social Media and Language in Modern Indonesia (semester study with language)
Nutrition and Dietetics Research Project in Indonesia (short-term practicum)
India
Social Work Encounter: Field Education in India (semester practicum)
Medical Student Exchange Programs – Manipal University (short-term clinical placement)
China
Medical Student Exchange Programs – Central South University (short-term clinical placement)
India / Timor Leste
Occupational Therapy placement (short -term placement)
Nepal
Optometry clinical placement to Nepal (short-term placement)
Germany
Medical Student Exchange with Technical University Dresden (short-term clinical placement)
Malawi
Working Integrated Learning and experiencing physiotherapy services in an African context (short-term placement)
USA
Washington Internship Program (short-term study with internship)