Case Study #4: Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra: Implementation of Student-Centered Learning Strategies to Improve Soft Skills and Employability for Graduates

• In Event: How Indonesian Higher Education Institutions Use Action Research to Lead Change

Abstract

UNAND’s project aimed to provide graduates with the skills needed to be successful in the workplace, aligned with the needs that alumni and employers had articulated.

The ARP team posited that the top-down lecture style and rote learning methods typical in many Indonesian universities do not produce the needed soft skills –critical/analytical/innovative thinking, discipline, integrity, and teamwork— to be successful in the local workforce. The team identified core barriers to attaining these skills and outlined a pedagogical strategy for addressing those barriers, including student-centered learning involving team-based projects.

The team conducted its research and pilot program within four study programs, collecting data from alumni currently in the workforce, and from UNAND lecturers, as well as reviewing international and Indonesian literature. They then designed a research-based training program incorporating soft skills and student-centered learning into the existing curriculum. Finally, the team developed and implemented an assessment to ensure the effective incorporation of the methods into subject matter curricula. The new pedagogy and assessment were then fully implemented in two of the departments.

Data revealed that while most lecturers knew of the need for soft skills, they did not know how to incorporate them into their courses or assess them. Phase 2 of the pilot saw the revision of 41 courses to accommodate these strategies. For each course, UNAND established quality standards and an institutionalized procedure of curriculum integration and evaluation. This process will be implemented for all study programs in 2015.

Author

• Professor Mansyurdin, Andalas University, Padang, Sumatra