The course was structured around approximately 140 hours of academic engagement, carrying up to 6 ECTS, with learning divided between classroom lectures, field lectures, workshops, assignments, reflection, assessment, and final presentations.

The first weeks established the conceptual foundations. Students examined the Sustainable Development Goals and their application within Indonesia, the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, principles and practices of ecotourism, environmental management, waste and recycling, climate change, biodiversity, sustainable tourism, and community-based tourism.

Rather than approaching sustainability as one isolated environmental subject, lecturers introduced students to its relationship with governance, culture, tourism, economics, biodiversity, community participation, and everyday life. Some topics were entirely new to the students. A student, Cleo, from England, for example, later chose Tri Hita Karana for her final project after arriving in Bali with no previous knowledge of the philosophy. She also identified the mangrove and waste-management lectures among the classroom sessions she found particularly engaging. Cardiff's university student, Blanche, similarly reflected on waste and recycling, bamboo and coral restoration, while another highlighted the enthusiasm and expertise she encountered in sessions led by lecturers including Dr. Yanti, Prof. Suryani, Prof. Astarini, and Ni Luh Arpiwi.  The intention, however, was never for those conversations to remain inside the classroom.

As the weeks progressed, concepts introduced at Udayana University moved into the environments where they could be observed more critically. Students visited the Tri Hita Karana Center in Ubud, examining how a Balinese philosophy centred on relationships between people, nature, and spirituality can influence approaches to sustainability. The students travelled to where cultural heritage, tourism, agriculture, and local livelihoods coexist, allowing discussions about community-based tourism to move from academic terminology into lived practice. Mangrove ecology became something students could walk through, observe, discuss with experts, and contribute to through planting. Marine conservation moved underwater in Pemuteran, where students learned about coral degradation and restoration initiatives and encountered the work being undertaken to protect damaged reef ecosystems.

Some students' remarks, the opportunity to speak directly with people working at conservation sites was particularly valuable. Gabrielle, from UTS Australia, described coral restoration, turtle conservation, and mangrove field lectures as among the strongest experiences because they were learning directly from people engaged with those environments every day. Cleo noticed the same connection during the community-based tourism component, recalling how students first learned about the initiative in class before visiting the community and seeing what they had discussed put into practice. “We learned all about it and then the next day we actually got to do the things that we learned about the day before.” That movement between learning, observing, questioning, and participating became one of the defining characteristics of the four weeks. 

By the latter half of the program, the scope had widened, students examined sustainable hotel management and participated in an environmental audit, explored mangrove conservation and coastal environments, learned about sea turtle conservation, observed biodiversity through birdwatching, and considered the relationship between tourism development and the habitats surrounding major tourism areas.

Agriculture and food systems became another important component. In Jatiluwih, students encountered the relationship between landscape, agriculture, cultural heritage, tourism, and the traditional Subak irrigation system, while walking through one of Bali's most significant agricultural landscapes. Visits to organic and community-based agricultural initiatives provided another perspective on sustainability through food production, local knowledge, biodiversity, and responsible consumption.

These experiences also demonstrated why field-based education matters, tourism affects communities and ecosystems; agriculture intersects with water management and cultural heritage; conservation depends on education, funding, governance, and participation; and environmental decisions ultimately influence people's livelihoods. Bali gave students the opportunity to encounter those relationships within a small geographical area, while learning from people actively navigating them.

One of the most significant dimensions of the course developed beyond conventional sustainability lectures. Through Bahasa Indonesia classes, interaction with Indonesian students and staff, community visits, Balinese traditions, and everyday life on the island, students gradually became more confident navigating an unfamiliar cultural environment and engaging with perspectives different from their own.

The students' reflections showed that the experience extended well beyond the subjects formally taught. They spoke about meaningful local connections, greater independence, a deeper understanding of locally led sustainability and ecotourism, and a growing curiosity to continue exploring Indonesia and other parts of the world. Their favorite experiences varied from Tri Hita Karana and community-based tourism to mangrove conservation, coral restoration, turtle conservation, agriculture, and biodiversity but the common thread was the value of learning directly from the places, people, and practitioners connected to each subject.

Outside the scheduled program, students also explored Bali independently, navigating transportation, food, language, unfamiliar routines, and cultural differences along the way. Together, these experiences reinforced an important principle behind international education: its value lies not simply in studying in another country, but in allowing that country to meaningfully shape what, how, and from whom students learn.

The final stage brought the students back to Udayana University to connect what they had encountered across Bali with the academic questions introduced at the beginning of the program. Students prepared and delivered their final presentations, reflected on their field experiences, and considered how their understanding of sustainable development had evolved through the combination of theory and direct observation.

The closing ceremony at Udayana University's Postgraduate Program brought together university representatives, lecturers, students, Upskill Buddies, the Upskill Study Program team, Environmental Science students, and others who had contributed to the four-week journey.  Professor Astarini opened the closing with words of appreciation and gratitude, followed by reflections from Dr. Raka Dalem, the Upskill Study Program team, and the students themselves. Certificates marked the formal completion of the academic program, but the conversations around them captured something less easily measured: gratitude for the people who had shared their knowledge, welcomed the students into different environments, answered their questions, accompanied them through the course, and made four weeks in Bali feel remarkably full.

The students’ final reflections combined genuine appreciation with thoughtful suggestions for improvement, particularly regarding the academic level of selected lectures and the connection between classroom briefings and field activities. Their observations provide valuable direction as we prepare and refine future intakes. What remained consistent across all three interviews, however, was the value they placed on the people they met, the environments they experienced, and the opportunities they had to learn beyond their familiar academic and cultural settings. 

For the Upskill Study Program team, the conclusion of the Sustainable Development & Ecotourism Summer Course 2026 therefore brings both celebration and responsibility: appreciation for everyone who made the program possible, gratitude for the trust placed in us by our students and partners, and valuable lessons that will help us continue strengthening the experience for those who come next. Perhaps Cleo offered the simplest advice for them: “Make the most of every single day because it goes by so, so, so quickly.” 

For this year’s students, their time in Bali may have come to an end. What they learned here travels home with them.