From September 15 to October 9, 2026, Oracle Academy Southeast Asia delivered 10 APEX@University workshops across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, engaging 170 educators and 700 students in collaboration with nine host universities. The initiative connected database fundamentals with AI-powered application development, providing educators and students with practical opportunities to explore Oracle APEX and build functional applications.
Four guest speakers from Oracle’s Database Developer Tools team supported the series: Santhosh Kumar, Senior Manager; Ankita Beri, Senior Product Manager; Roopesh Thokala, Principal Product Manager; and Sahaana Manavalan, Senior Product Manager.
From database fundamentals to AI-powered development
The workshops combined Oracle APEX architecture, live demonstrations, and hands-on exercises. Participants explored how AI-assisted development supports data modeling, SQL generation, debugging, and application design. Sessions also introduced Oracle APEX 26.1 capabilities, including APEXlang, AI agents and AI tools, and AI interactive reports, demonstrating how natural language can simplify application development and data exploration.
Through practical exercises, participants transformed spreadsheet data into cloud-based applications using Oracle APEX on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), creating database tables and interactive pages for searching, reporting, and editing data.
Overcoming event challenges through collaboration
Delivering workshops across four countries required flexibility and close coordination with host institutions. Weather-related disruptions in Thailand and travel restrictions in Malaysia prompted adjustments to workshop arrangements, including online and hybrid delivery. Despite these challenges, the team worked closely with university partners to maintain learning continuity and engagement.
Dr. Shabana Anjum Shaik of Taylor’s University, a longstanding Oracle Academy member institution in Malaysia, expressed her appreciation:
“On behalf of the School of Computer Science, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Oracle Academy team for delivering such an insightful and enriching workshop.”
Preparing students for hands-on success
University collaboration played an important role in supporting practical learning. In Indonesia and Malaysia, Oracle Academy partnered with six universities: Universitas Tarumanagara, Universitas Mercu Buana, and BINUS University in Indonesia; and HELP University, Taylor’s University, and Sunway University in Malaysia. Faculty members helped prepare Oracle APEX environments, enabling students to participate effectively in hands-on development activities.
At Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) in Thailand, students built on earlier learning in database fundamentals, Oracle Cloud, Oracle Autonomous Database, and Oracle APEX.
All participating students accessed Oracle APEX on OCI, and more than 70% completed the final assignment during the Oracle LiveLabs hands-on sessions, demonstrating their ability to apply database concepts through practical development.
Building on the momentum
Oracle Academy will continue supporting educators and students through its established curriculum, Oracle Academy Education Bytes, and workshops introducing evolving Oracle APEX capabilities.
The Southeast Asia team also plans to promote Database Foundations, Database Programming with SQL, Programming with PL/SQL, and Application Development Foundations, connecting foundational knowledge with modern application development.
Building on this initiative, future APEX@University workshops will continue to emphasize collaboration with educational institutions and Oracle experts, expanding opportunities for practical technology learning across Southeast Asia.
Through hands-on experiences and strong university partnerships, Oracle Academy continues to equip educators and students with relevant digital skills for an AI-driven future.