Kelly White
22 January 2025: The University of Canberra’s partnership with Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) continues to foster rich learning exchanges between the two countries. Most recently, this partnership delivered a new program that upskilled local educators in personalised learning.
The University officially partnered with MORA through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) back in June 2024, and since then, has developed and delivered specialised, targeted professional learning for Indonesian educators, known as Widyaiswara.
The most recent program of learning, Transcontinental Personalised Learning (PL) Training for Widyaiswara, was successfully delivered last month in Denpasar Bali by University academics, Associate Professor Dr Maya Gunawardena, Assistant Professor Dr Emily Hills and Associate Professor Dr Sitti Patahuddin.
Personalised learning offers many benefits, allowing educators to customise lessons and resources to suit varying learner profiles, and optimising learning efficiency and engagement.
Based on research conducted in Canberra through an Affiliated Schools Partnership research project, the training program centred around the six principles of personalised learning and how these could be embedded into the pedagogical framework of Indonesian religious schools.
The two-week course addressed challenges faced by Indonesian educators, such as integrating technology with the learning process and managing multiple responsibilities.
Dr Gunawardena, an expert in personalised learning at the University of Canberra, said the program was specially designed by the academics to account for the unique context of madrasah (educational institutions in Indonesia) education.
“Our approach focuses on blending contemporary educational strategies in personalised learning with cultural and contextual awareness,” Dr Gunawardena said.
“This approach has proven benefits when we tested in an Australian context, and now, has been instrumental in improving the leadership capabilities of Indonesian educators.”
The program participants included 15 Indonesian educators, who hail from various regions across the country, including Jakarta, Aceh, Padang, Palembang, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Banjarmasin, and Ambon.
Now armed with a thorough understanding of personalised learning pedagogy and its application, the educators will deliver these principles to school principals, teachers and administrative staff in their respective organisations, which span the civil service and private sectors.
Additionally, on 7 January 2025, MORA hosted an educational webcast on personalised learning, which attracted over 8,000 attendees.
Dr Patahuddin noted that this was just one of the far-reaching outcomes of the program, which is now also helping to shape education policy and practice at both local and national levels.
“As the Director of Indonesian Partnerships at the University, I have witnessed firsthand the power of cross-border collaborations in shaping the future of education,” Dr Patahuddin said.
“By empowering these educational leaders with modern pedagogical tools, we have not only enhanced their professional growth, but also impacted the broader educational landscape in Indonesia.”
The program advocates for lifelong learning among educators, encouraging the development of a mindset oriented towards innovation and adaptability in teaching. By adopting personalised learning practices, educators are encouraged to continually seek new knowledge and skills.
Dr Mastuki, Head of MORA’s Centre for Education and Training of Educational and Religious Technical Staff, emphasised the importance of this initiative.
“This competency development short course should serve as a trigger and motivation for continual learning and improvement,” Dr Mastuki said.
Professor Barney Dalgarno, Executive Dean at the University’s Faculty of Education, credited his team for their work on the project.
“This is a great example of research that has commenced in a local context and due to its success, expanded internationally,” Professor Dalgarno said.
Dr Emily Hills, who was a co-investigator for the initial Australian-based research into personalised learning, and who visited Indonesia for the first time as part of the new partnership, was impressed by the enthusiasm of participants.
“Coming to Indonesia to work with 15 highly skilled and knowledgeable Widyaiswara was a real privilege and honour,” Dr Hills said.
“Having the opportunity to apply research that has been conducted in the Australian context to an international audience and seeing the real impact of this learning for the participants has highlighted the power of educational research to impact on a global scale.”
