Abstract

This paper reports preliminary findings of a larger study investigating Internet access and usage by Indonesian students in Australian universities. Questionnaires were administered to 94 undergraduate and postgraduate students in Victorian-based universities to construct an overview of the level of their online access and usage. In addition, ten in-depth interviews were carried out with targeted participants who had previously resided in various cities and suburbs in Indonesia.The interviews were a tool to examine their online experiences and the extent to which the Internet has contributed to their learning activities. The quantitative findings revealed that before coming to Australia, most of the participants had connected online from Internet kiosks, home or work places, while in Australia the majority accessed the Internet at home. During their university studies in Australia, nearly 40% of the participants used the Internet for academic purposes between three to five hours during a weekday and less than one hour during a weekend day. Although half of the survey participants chose the Internet as the most useful study resource, some claimed that books and lecturers have also played important roles in supporting their learning. The study concludes that the majority of the participants have increased as well as improved their online usage during their studies in Australia and planned to maintain the level of their Internet access after returning to Indonesia. This paper may assist academics to get a better understanding of Indonesian students’ learning activities in Australia.