The ninth batch of the APIE Core Course officially kicked off on August 22, with more than 820 learners registered across 18 partner institutions in 11 economies — the largest cohort since the course was launched.
The journey began with “Meet the People!”, the first of six APIE e-Workshop sessions. More than 440 participants joined the live session, where they met fellow learners and the 14 teaching assistants (TAs) who will support them throughout the course.
Starting with a simple Internet speed test, participants compared their results before moving into TA-led breakout rooms to discuss a question closely connected to the course: What makes a good Internet connection?
The conversations quickly moved beyond speed. Participants discussed why a fast connection may still be unstable, what affects connection quality, why Internet speeds can decrease during peak hours, how Internet Service Providers ensure users receive the service they pay for, and even how AI might be changing the ISP industry.
Behind the start of APIE’s largest Core Course batch yet is another story: a growing group of former participants helping new learners begin their own APIE journeys.
Bringing APIE closer to local communities
In the weeks leading up to Batch 9, TAs organized information and sharing sessions at their home institutions across Asia. Drawing on their own experiences in the Core Course, APIE Camps, and other activities, they introduced the program, answered questions, guided students through enrollment, and shared what learners could expect from APIE.
Many TAs also invited APIE alumni to join their sessions. At BUET, UNSRAT, Universitas Brawijaya, USM, UNHAS, and ITB, former participants shared their experiences and offered advice to prospective learners. At NUOL and UNTL, participants who had recently returned from APIE Camp #10 in Viet Nam shared their camp experiences with students at their universities.
The approaches were adapted to each local community. At Tribhuvan University, for example, outreach expanded from college email and classroom announcements to Discord after recognizing that students were more active there. At ITB, students were reached through LINE and Instagram with support from local APIE alumni.
And the support did not stop once students registered. TAs established WhatsApp, LINE, Telegram, and other local groups where participants can receive updates, ask questions, and support one another throughout the course. Some also developed shared resources and dashboards to centralize information and help learners follow their progress.
In Viet Nam, TAs from VJU joined forces to organize an information session that also welcomed Vietnamese participants from other universities. A Zalo group was then created for Vietnamese students participating in Batch 9, providing a shared space to communicate and help one another during the course.
From learners to contributors
The first e-Workshop offered another glimpse of this cycle in action.
Managing an online session with hundreds of participants is no small task. The 14 TAs facilitated breakout rooms, encouraged everyone to contribute, guided discussions, responded to questions, and introduced concepts that helped participants explore the topics further.
Many of these TAs once joined APIE as learners themselves. Their experiences later took them to APIIE Camps and other activities, and today they are returning to support new participants and strengthen APIE within their own institutions and communities.
As its largest Core Course batch begins, APIE is reaching a new milestone. But its growth is about more than numbers. It can also be seen in the people who choose to come back — sharing what they have learned, creating connections for others, and helping the next group take its first steps. Many of today’s TAs started their own APIE journeys as learners. Now, they are helping the next group begin theirs.
For more than 820 learners, the journey has just started. The months ahead will bring new knowledge, challenges, connections, and opportunities — and perhaps, among this new batch, some of APIE’s future TAs and contributors.
