BIPA Unisma program has been established since 2005. The program is the result of cooperation with Ministry of Religious Affairs for Indonesian language learning program for students from Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam who will study religion in Indonesia. The next program is for the students from Somalia. The students from Somalia were sent in order to study at Islamic University of Malang. Furthermore, in May-June 2016, BIPA Unisma was also undertaken BIPA learning through education cooperation program with Princes of Songkla University Thailand. The program named 2016 Indonesian language learning and culture Summer Course Program.
BIPA learning in Unisma is conducted with a communicative, thematic, and fun learning approach. Learning activities are not only with lecturing method, but also using total immersion method. The immersion method opens the opportunity for students and teachers to use the full Indonesian language during classroom activities and outside the classroom. The teachers do not use a foreign language as much as possible, but they use the Indonesian in the process of teaching and learning activities.
The classroom activities at BIPA Unisma are very diverse because learners are engaged to practice linguistic materials related to daily communication. In addition, they are also engaged to practice the role play in accordance with the theme in each meeting.
BIPA Unisma is also has a cultural class for foreign learners. It facilitates the learners who want to learn traditional culture of Indonesia. There are several cultural classes provided by BIPA Unisma, namely traditional dance, gamelan music, batik, and masangan malangan. Language and cultural learning activities are conducted intensively depending on the type and duration of the BIPA program. The language class has a final project in the form of final essay writing project that will be presented during the final exam. Meanwhile, in the end of cultural class, the students will perform what they have been learned in cultural class during the program. The students are expected to present their cultural performances in the end of the program.
