"With the presence of practitioners who teach on campus, practitioners' involvement in the planning and process of learning can be more optimal," he noted at the launch of the Praktisi Mengajar (Teaching Practitioners) program here on Friday.
Through the program, lecturers will get the latest knowledge related to the industrial world, and students can meet in person with practitioners, he added.
He expressed optimism that the program would strengthen the ministry’s efforts to transform Indonesia’s higher education system.
In an effort to accelerate the improvement of education quality, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is encouraging universities to refer to the eight Main Performance Indexes (IKU). IKU is a new performance measure for universities to create adaptive learning environments based on more concrete outcomes.
“Through the Teaching Practitioners program, we hope the learning climate in universities will also be upgraded, in accordance with the universities’ performance indicators that we are targeting,” Makarim said.
In particular, the Teaching Practitioners program focuses on achieving IKU number four and number seven. To fulfill IKU number four, practitioners will be involved in course planning, and later, Indonesian lecturers will gain the latest knowledge about the industrial world. In addition, students would also be able to interact directly with practitioners with experience in their respective fields.
Meanwhile, to achieve IKU number seven, students will learn through case studies of real problems. They will also apply the knowledge and theory they have acquired by using problem-solving models as well as develop non-technical skills (soft skills) in collaborative groups.
"The involvement of practitioners or professionals who encourage discussions on case studies in groups will accelerate the achievement of the IKU, which means accelerating the improvement of the quality of higher education," Minister Makarim said.
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Translator: Indriani, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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