Bandung Institute of Technology Global Problem-Based Learning (SITxITB)

The dream of learning with a driving internationalization was the Japan Top Global University Project’s primary intention, which includes the Shibaura Institute of Technology. This program was the embodiment of the vision. In a world where connectivity knows no bounds, collaboration emerges as the cornerstone of innovation and challenges. A balanced amount of students from Japan and Indonesia, seemingly distant geographically and culturally, coming together to pool their resources and expertise to solve real-world problems.

This time, the 9-day PBL occurred in Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia. Participants were given the opportunity to indulge in selected startup companies in Bandung, Indonesia. The landscape of entrepreneurship or sociopreneurship is witnessing a paradigm shift where they are not just local endeavors but global ventures too. Challenging circumstances must always come in every successful business. The main task was to propose and devise innovative solutions to enhance the startups into a better company.

All teams made online contact beforehand with several brainstorming and initial icebreaking on the PBL topic. With a specialty in systems engineering from Japan and business from Indonesia, both combine into one united teamwork to tackle every task and assignment along the 9-day PBL. Both sides have their own struggles and a lot of miscommunications along the journey. Depending on their own initiative to pursue the sweet spot in achieving the feasible solution with all team members is one of the highlighted growth in the students.

All and all, both sides of participants also can improve their English conversation and understanding skills while not being the mother language for either of them. Aside from multicultural exchange between Indonesians, while being the host to their Japanese teammates, many things can be learned genuinely by involving and experiencing first-hand while being abroad. This international involvement was the mark of an intangible benefit of cross-cultural collaboration – the perspective gained, the friendship forged and the boundaries transcended.