Bangkok, 21 March 2025

In an attempt to strengthen the higher education quality assurance system in Southeast Asia and surrounding regions, various international institutions continue to establish strategic cross-border cooperation. One example is the implementation of internal quality improvement training through the TrainIQA ASEAN-QA program.

This activity is the result of collaboration between DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) and HRK (German Rector’s Conference) within the framework of the DIES (Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies) program. The training program is being organized by the Centre for Quality Development at the University of Potsdam, which is responsible for designing and facilitating the entire series of activities. In its implementation, they have partnered with nine trainers from the ASEAN region and Austria, four of whom are from ASEAN.

As part of its contribution to the development of higher education quality at the regional level, Ciputra University participated in the TrainIQA ASEAN-QA Workshop I, held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 17 to 21, 2025. This event marked the initial phase of a series of training programs, which will continue with Workshop II in Germany and conclude with Workshop III, to be conducted online at the end of the year.

The nine trainers for this activity are as follows:

1. Berit Stoppa – Senior Desk Officer, DIES team, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Jerman
2. Benjamin Jung – TrainIQA Projcet Coordinator, Departement of Higher Education Studies, Centre for Quality Development (ZfQ), University of Potsdam, Jerman
3. Dr. Duu Sheng Ong – Multimedia University, Malaysia
4. Frank Niedermeier – Head and TrainIQA Projcet Leader, Departement of Higher Education Studies, Centre for Quality Development (ZfQ), University of Potsdam, Jerman
5. Lenny Rosita, S.T., M.MT. – Head, Institutional Development and Quality Enhancement – Executive Board Office, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya
6. Lucila R. Calairo – Quality Assurance Director, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas, Filipina
7. Prof. Dr. Rajkumar Durairaj – Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
8. Oliver Vettori – Dean Accreditation & Quality Management / Director for Program Management and Teaching & Learning Affairs, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Austria
9. Peter Zervakis – Head of Section, Higher Education in Germany and Europe, the German Rector’s Conference (HRK), Germany.

One of the ASEAN trainers involved in this activity is Lenny Rosita, S.T., M.MT., from Universitas Ciputra Surabaya. Her participation in this program marks a new milestone in ASEAN-QA, as she is the first trainer from Indonesia to be directly involved in TrainIQA ASEAN-QA. The following are the names of the nine trainers involved in this activity:

The training was attended by 29 participants from various countries in the ASEAN region. The participants were divided into three groups, each accompanied by a team of trainers. The involvement of the trainers was a key element in maintaining the quality of the learning process and supporting the success of the participants' institutional projects.

In this activity, Mrs. Lenny Rosita and Prof. Dr. Ir. Rajkumar Durairaj from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia were given the responsibility of assisting Group 3, which consisted of 10 participants. In their role as mentors, they guided the participants in designing quality improvement projects at their respective institutions. These projects will be developed and assisted throughout the period from March to November 2025.

In addition to being a mentor, Ms. Lenny and Prof. Dr. Ir. Rajkumar were parallel speakers at the session “Stakeholders and Roles in QA”. This session was designed as an interactive role-play simulation aimed at illustrating the real challenges in designing a learning evaluation system that is responsive to student feedback. Additionally, participants were guided to understand how the organizational structure in higher education institutions, as well as the involvement of various stakeholders, influences and shapes their roles within the quality assurance (QA) system.

One of the inspiring quotes from this session was:

“Quality is a symphony, where every instrument (role) plays a vital part.”

This quote serves as a reminder that the quality of education is not the responsibility of individuals or a single unit alone, but rather the result of the synergistic work of all elements of the institution.

Ms. Lenny's involvement in this activity not only brought prestige to Universitas Ciputra, but also reflected Indonesia's active role in international forums on higher education quality assurance.

Authors: Kezia Elice Yulianto (ISB Student, Class of 2022), Vincentia Jennifer Evelyn Tjioe (ISB Student, Class of 2022)

Editor: Yuliana Indah (Student of the MEM, Class of 2024)