November 24-26, 2023 – The Faculty of Biology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) organized an Academic, Research, Community Service, and Scientific Expertise Workshop. The event took place at Queen Garden Hotel, Baturraden, Purwokerto, Central Java, and was attended by all faculty members of the Faculty of Biology at UGM.
After a 5 to 6-hour journey from Yogyakarta, the group arrived in Baturraden, and the official activities were inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., the Dean of the Faculty of Biology at UGM. Prof. Budi expressed, “This workshop serves as a highly beneficial platform for the academic development and enhancement of the quality of the Faculty of Biology’s lecturers. We hope that this activity can contribute positively to the advancement of knowledge and teaching in the field of biology and will be filled with discussions related to academics, research, community service, and the scientific expertise of the Faculty of Biology.”
On Saturday morning (11/25), the workshop began with an explanation of the OBA Simaster portfolio presented by Dr. Bambang Retnoaji, M.Sc., the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Subsequently, Dr.rer.nat. Andhika Puspito Nugroho, M.Si., the Head of the Master’s Program at the Faculty of Biology, guided the completion of the OBA Simaster for faculty members in the Simaster system. OBA Simaster is an instrument prepared to measure Outcome-Based Learning (OBE) at UGM. The implementation of OBE is UGM’s effort to address the challenges of education in the era of Industry 4.0. OBA Simaster will serve as a facility for program managers and lecturers to process learning outcomes in accordance with the Semester Learning Program Plan (RPKPS). This workshop, organized by the Faculty of Biology, aims to assist faculty members in uploading and synchronizing portfolios in OBA Simaster.
The workshop continued with discussions on research and community service presented by Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App.Sc., the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation, and Alumni. Dr. Eko provided information about the research and publications of Faculty of Biology lecturers, including the number of research projects, external and internal grant funding sources, research partners, and the latest information on the scopus index for Faculty of Biology lecturers. Dr. Eko emphasized the importance of collaboration in efforts to increase the number of research projects and publications, both among faculty members and with external partners, both domestically and internationally. The workshop also discussed the initiation of research group formation and the selection of villages supported by the Faculty of Biology at UGM. These research groups are expected to serve as a collaborative platform for research publications to enhance the quality and quantity of faculty research and publications.
The faculty mapping of expertise was presented by Abdul Razaq Chasani, Ph.D., the Head of the Tropical Biology Department, along with the analysis of the expertise of faculty members in each laboratory at the Faculty of Biology at UGM. Mr. Razaq mentioned that there are many intersections of interests and research topics among faculty members from different laboratories. This clearly indicates the potential for collaboration among laboratories to enhance the capacity and quality of faculty members in each laboratory.
This workshop is expected to serve as a bridge for the improvement of Human Resources quality, especially for Faculty of Biology lecturers, in implementing the three pillars of higher education. In addition, the activity is also part of the Faculty of Biology’s commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly inclusive education (SDG 4) and collaboration among faculty members (SDG 17) to enhance the quality and quantity of teaching, research, publications, and community service.