XBOX
(Exploring the Benefit of Exchange)
SCOPE & SCORE MSCIA UB
Another year, another time. Again this year, the Department of Professional Exchange (DOPE) and the Department of Research Exchange (DORE) MSCIA UB held their annual event, Exploring the Benefit of Exchange (XBOX). Due to the unclear cessation of the pandemic, sadly, XBOX had to be held online again this year, through the 25th to the 26thof September 2021. However, the pandemic was yet to dim the spirit of the organizing committees of XBOX to bring out the best of XBOX.
XBOX was split into two series of events; Mini TOEFL and Webinar. The Mini TOEFL was held on the first day of September 25th, 2021. It was held as a collaboration with one of the most famous English courses in Malang, EF English First Malang. Prior to the test, the participants were given directions on how to do the Mini TOEFL by Robby Aditya, the representative of EF English First Malang. The participants then underwent the Mini TOEFL for about 60 minutes to fill in listening and structure questions.
Following the Mini TOEFL, on the second day, September 26th, 2021, we held a webinar. The webinar revolved around our theme: Adaptation of Medical Education Around the World in Response to Pandemic. Despite the hardships experienced due to the pandemic, we got some bright skies. Thanks to the pandemic, we got to invite extraordinary people to speak at XBOX 2021. We had Mian Zhang, B.Pharm. (Hons.), a pharmacist, a 2nd-year medical student, and the Vice-Chair for External Affairs of Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA-International), along with Lauren Vallely, a medical student and the National Exchange Officer of AMSA-International, to talk about Australia’s changes in medical education amidst the pandemic in the first of the series of a webinar entitled ‘COVID-19: World’s Obstacles and Innovation on Medical Education. We also had Muhammad Gilang Dwiputra, MD., the National Officer on Research Exchange of CIMSA in 2019-2020 and SCORE Project Development Director of IFMSA in 2020-2021, as the speaker for our second webinar called ‘IFMSA Exchange Policy in Responding to COVID-19’, where we talked about the adjustments made by IFMSA in handling medical students’ exchanges during the pandemic. Not only that, but we also had Nisrina Widari, MD., and Siti Shofiah S. as SCOPE and SCORE Outgoings to talk about their experiences in undergoing exchange during the pandemic in our talk show, ‘Exchange in Pandemic: How Was It?’.
The participants were very enthusiastic about participating in this event. We hope this event may benefit from providing a deeper understanding of exchange during the pandemic and so that medical students can learn new things and can further increase their potential.
