Filling the odd semester break time, IndoMS School launched a program managed by the committees of Universitas Airlangga and Universitas Brawijaya, a short course delving into the materials of algebra, graph, and their relations. IndoMS is a mathematical association across Indonesia with a vision in the development of mathematics and mathematics education. The IndoMS School activity is carried out in support of the Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program and has been prepared since March.
This fully online event is open to all Indonesian higher education institutions and has been enlivened by the participation of 32 students and alumni from different universities. Participants with different semester backgrounds are taught by 6 lecturers tasked with delivering their respective materials. The short course is held from July 12 to 23 with a packed schedule of lectures from the lecturers. This activity is like a regular lecture, with material presentations, tutorials, quizzes, and assignments. What sets this program apart from regular lecture methods is that participants can experience learning together with students and lecturers from other institutions.
The event began with welcoming remarks from the Deputy Governor II of IndoMS East Java, Prof. Dr. Manuharawati, M.Sc., and the Vice Dean I of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Dr. Eridani, M.Sc.. Lecture materials were delivered by lecturers from several different universities. Dr. Liliek Susilowati, Dr. Yayuk Wahyuni, and Dr. Inna Kuswandari from Universitas Airlangga were entrusted to provide algebra and graph materials. Dr. Vira Hari K. from Universitas Brawijaya, Dr. Intan Muchtadi from Bandung Institute of Technology, and Prof. Dr. Nor Haniza Sarmin from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia also took the time to help students and alumni acquire knowledge. Ms. Siti Zahidah, as the chairperson of the IndoMS School committee and a Mathematics lecturer at Universitas Airlangga, stated that the materials provided by the lecturers are relatively abundant and diverse. This is aimed at making these topics a reference for those who wish to conduct thesis or dissertation research.
The scores obtained from this short course are based on the participants’ activity, both in terms of attendance and activity during the teaching and learning process, assignments, and quizzes. After the activity ends, participants can convert the final scores to fill the course grades in accordance with the MBKM program regulations. Considering the number of universities present at this event, the chairperson of the organizing committee stated that the implementation of this activity has met its target. This is reinforced by the satisfactory evaluation scores from the participants.
Behind the success of this event, there were several challenges felt by the organizers. One of them is the perceived lack of participant attendance. Some participants were unable to fully participate in the activities due to other commitments or illness, thus disrupting the teaching process. From the distributed questionnaires, the organizers finally learned that the participants actually have a high enthusiasm for participating in this event, but there are circumstances beyond their control that require them to be absent from some sessions. Quoting an interview with the chairperson of the organizing committee, she expressed that for the future, activities like this can be better prepared to avoid the aforementioned challenges, and it is hoped that participants will be willing to attend the entire event. She also added, “Actually, it would be more fun if it were offline,” she continued, “If it remains online, the lecturers will be informed to be more interactive. It was interactive yesterday, but maybe because it was the first time, it wasn’t optimal. Maybe next time the lecturers will be asked to have ice breaking, and the assignments can be reduced or made into group assignments.” For the upcoming IndoMS School plan, which will be held during the next semester break, it has been discussed. The committee plans to take a topic on analysis, but feedback from the questionnaire where many participants want to continue with algebra and graph materials will also be considered.
