The Faculty of Applied Communication (FAC) successfully completed its Academic Outbound Mobility Programme which was hosted by University of South Bohemia (USB), České Budějovice in the Czech Republic from 28 October to 10 November 2019. 19 students of FAC participated in this programme. They were accompanied by Dr. Ong Sue Lyn, Dean of FAC, Ms Suhana Mohamed Salleh, Programme Coordinator for Bachelor of Communication (Strategic Communication) and Ms. Gabriela Ooi, German Language Lecturer of FAC Melaka.
Right from the beginning of the programme, the students and lecturers received a warm welcome by the International Office of University of South Bohemia, namely doc. PaedDr. Radka Závodská, Ph.D. who is the Vice-Rector for International Relations, Mgr. Eva Fichtnerová who is the Institutional Erasmus Coordinator, and Mgr. Diana Kocábková who is a Lecturer in Faculty of Economics.
During the two-week programme, the students were introduced to a short course on the Czech language, culture, and heritage. Students also had an opportunity to discover the various programmes offered by the university such as Faculty of Education, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Theology and Faculty of Science. Because USB has an existing research collaboration programme with Johannes Keppler University (JKU) at Linz, Austria, our students were treated to a study trip to the university as well.
Apart from in-house classes, the students also had the opportunity to experience external educational excursions. Among the highlights were day trips and guided tours to the beautiful historical city of Český Krumlov, the Baroque Castle Theatre, the Hluboká castle, and the spa city of Třeboň. In Český Krumlov, the students were treated to a special photo session at Museum Fotoatelier Seidel which was indeed awe-inspiring.
As part of FAC’s commitment to provide a holistic learning journey to its students, an exhibition about Multimedia University and Malaysia was organised by our students. The students worked hard to put together a showcase of the colourful Malaysian culture, as in food, attire, handicraft, songs, dances, and games. With plenty of promotional items from Tourism Malaysia, we distributed flyers and booklets for Visit Malaysia 2020.
Overall, this programme has provided a platform for the students of both universities to initiate network and establish relationships. The bridge of academic collaboration has opened up new doors in all aspects for future mobility programmes.
