Demonstrating their Caring Culture
Miri – 5 July 2021 – Some 80 students and academics, of five universities in five countries – Curtin University Malaysia (Malaysia), Universitas Sebelas Maret (Indonesia), Universiti Teknologi Brunei (Brunei), Changwon National University (South Korea) and Central Luzon State University (the Philippines) – got together for the first-ever Student Exchange Festival 2021 recently.
The virtual event aimed at promoting international cultural exchange between the students was the brainchild of lecturer Dr. Fethma M. Nor and organised by students of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science led by mechanical engineering student Danial Sharudin with support from the Curtin Malaysia Student Council.
For five hours, the participants engaged in sharing sessions and a variety of games and challenges to break the ice and generally get to know one another, as well as their respective universities and student experiences. As it was a virtual event, cash prizes for the winning teams were sent through online transfers.
“The activities were very engaging and a lot of fun for everyone, and certainly met our objectives of promoting cultural awareness and international relations. In addition, the exchange of experiences and ideas, establishment of long-lasting friendships and networks between the participants as well as the universities were successful,” said Danial.
“It was great educating each other about our various cultures and countries, and sharing our experiences dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in our respective countries. We also got interesting insights into the education and unique student experiences at our respective campuses.”
One of the participants from Curtin Malaysia, second-year finance and management student Nicole Eugenia remarked that the event was a great opportunity for her to interact and build global connections with students from five different parts of Asia. She said she had fun learning about the cultures of each university and found the students’ experiences at their universities were very insightful.
“The Student Exchange Festival allowed me to connect with numerous students from different countries all from the comfort of my home. I was really amazed by what the other students had to share about their universities, such as their courses, academic approaches, facilities and events. Overall, it was a fun and intriguing event. I hope there will be another event like it in the future,” said Nicole.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fethma, who acted as the main advisor for the event, said that what the student organisers achieved in staging the event was commendable.
“They did an excellent job organising the event and representing Curtin Malaysia, along with other students from our campus. It was a relatively large online event involving a large number of students and academics from five different universities and countries, who were of diverse backgrounds and located in different time zones,” said Dr. Fethma.
“It was no small feat putting it all together, so we are very proud of our students, and we are glad everyone managed to have a fun and enriching time. Hopefully, we can make this event an annual occurrence and preferably face-to-face, and perhaps involve more universities both local and international, including our main campus in Australia.”
The recorded livestream of the event can be viewed at
Online Education Fair 线上教育展
Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia)
科廷大学马来西亚分校
https://edufair.fsi.com.my/curtin
