UMM Communication Lecturer is the First Asian Lecturer in Bydgoszcz Poland

Author : Humas | Wednesday, October 30, 2024 09:27 WIB

Widiya Yutanti, UMM lecturer from Indonesia and even Asia, was the first to win a rare opportunity to teach at a campus in the city of Bydgoszcz, Poland.

The Erasmus Plus scholarship won by a lecturer in the Communication Studies program at the Muhammadiyah University of Malang (UMM) left a deep impression. Of course, Widiya Yutanti, the winner of the Erasmus + Teaching Mobility Program scholarship, was warmly welcomed at the University of Kazimierz Wielki (Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego / UKW). Widiya is the first Indonesian or even Asian lecturer to win the rare opportunity to teach at the campus in the city of Bydgoszcz, Poland.

For Widiya, teaching at UKW was also her first experience of traveling to Europe. The Master of Art graduate from Griffith University, Australia, was excited because usually those who receive scholarship opportunities are from programs in the Faculty of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Health Sciences, Engineering, Psychology, International Relations, or Economics and Business. "This is the first time there is an opportunity for communication faculty, so I tried to apply. Alhamdulillah, I passed," said Widiya.

Widiya, who is also the Head of the UMM Communication Laboratory, taught at UKW for a week last semester. Interestingly, she joined the Journalism and Social Communication class at the Institute of Social Communication and Media. "This is a major that is very much align with my specialization," she said.

In class, Widiya presented an interesting topic, "An Overview of Mass Media and Journalism Practices in Indonesia". Unexpectedly, the students were also enthusiastic to explore media and journalism practices in Indonesia. For them, Indonesia is a country with a large population, which certainly has different characteristics, dynamics and uniqueness from Poland.

“That is why, I was also asked to fill the Sociology class and international class which was attended by dozens of Erasmus scholarship awardees from various countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Of course, I gladly accepted the offer because my goal is not only to teach about communication and journalism but also to introduce UMM and Indonesia,” said Widiya.

The next topics were 'Media, Society and Pandemic in Indonesia' and 'Journalism and Gender in Indonesia'. She admitted that these two topics became interesting discussions for students and lecturers there. “They are interested in continuing this cooperation to the next level, not only teaching mobility but also collaboration in the form of joint research or publications in the field of journalism and communication.”

Joanna Janiszewska, PhD, person in charge of international cooperation at WKU's Institute for Social Communication and Media, expressed her excitement about welcoming Widiya. "Our students were also very enthusiastic about Widiya's lecture. The topics presented can certainly give our students insight and new perspectives, especially on media practices in Indonesia. I hope UMM can continue to collaborate with UKW in the future," said Joanna.

Widiya also expressed her gratitude to UMM for opening its cooperation with Erasmus to get the opportunity to teach in Europe. This opportunity was not wasted to invite academics at WKU to work together further. In addition to joint research, other possible partnerships are publications, guest lecturers and other student exchange programs.

While in Poland, Widiya also visited Warsaw to meet with UMM Communication alumni who were studying there. Iwa Gandiwa, an alumna of the Class of 2005, is currently taking a master's degree in Social Media Management. “Mrs. Widiya is my idol lecturer, it's great to meet in Europe. Since graduating and working at the NTB Provincial Government, I have never met her. Thank you Mrs. Widiya,” said Iwa. (*/wil/Ind)

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