Jakarta, December 2nd 2023. “At FKUI, 6th semester students (2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years) use PBL with HIV/AIDS cases and opportunistic infections as one of the triggers in the Tropical Infections module. Apart from that, in the 2021/2022 academic year, students will also be given triggers regarding malaria. This shows that the application of PBL has proven to be able to be used in discussing health issues in the SDGs,” said Prof. Mardiastuti, this morning in Salemba, at her inauguration as a professor at Universitas Indonesia (UI) from the Faculty of Medicine (FK).
The PBL approach, she said, began to be implemented in Indonesia when curriculum changes occurred. Since 2005, the Ministry of National Education has implemented a Competency Based Curriculum (KBK) with the SPICES approach (student centered, problem-based learning, integrated teaching, community-based, early clinical exposure, systematic). However, implementing PBL in Indonesia still has many challenges, one of which is the uneven availability of adequate facilities and infrastructure in several institutions. This has an impact on differences in PBL implementation and gaps in facilitator skills in supporting student learning.
Prof. Mardiastuti’s research regarding the application of PBL in achieving SDGs is one of the many studies she has conducted. Among the research are Burnout and Coping Strategies among Resident Physicians at an Indonesian Tertiary Referral Hospital during Covid-19 Pandemic (2023); Deconstructing the Professional Identity Formation of Basic Science Teachers in Medical Education (2023); and Exploring College Adjustment in First-Year Gen Z Medical Students and Its Contributing Factors (2022).
Prof. Dr. dr. Mardiastuti, M.Sc, Sp.MK, Subsp.Mik.(K) was inaugurated as a teacher by the Chair of the UI Board of Professors (DGB), Prof. Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, S.H., M.A., Ph.D., in the IMERI Hall of FKUI Salemba. Prof. Mardiastuti received the title of professor after delivering a scientific oration entitled “Application of the Problem-Based Learning Approach as an Effort to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals”. In her speech, she said that the health sector has an important role in efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 3 which guarantees healthy living and promotes well-being for all humans. To achieve the SDGs effectively and efficiently, competent health workers are needed. Therefore, medical educational institutions are obliged to strengthen their role and equip their graduates with various knowledge, both biomedical and clinical sciences, as well as professional skills and attitudes.
According to her, the medical education curriculum in universities should adapt to the SDGs. The learning approach in medical education must be able to trigger students to be able to think critically, be able to learn throughout life, and be competent in dealing with national and world health problems. One approach that can be utilized for this purpose is problem-based learning (PBL).
PBL is a pedagogical approach that focuses the learning process on solving real and applicable problems. Users are invited to think that medical education should not only convey knowledge, but also shape the thoughts and attitudes of prospective doctors. The aim is to help students develop flexible knowledge, effective problem solving skills, learning management skills, effective collaboration skills; and develop intrinsic motivation that supports lifelong learning.
PBL contains four learning principles, namely constructive, self-directed or self-regulated, collaborative, and contextual. Constructive means focusing on combining previous knowledge with new information to increase student understanding, retention, and motivation. Self-regulated learning refers to students’ ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate the learning process independently. Collaboration occurs when students interact, share responsibilities, and depend on each other to reach agreements through open communication. Meanwhile, contextual learning focuses on the importance of context in the knowledge transfer process.
In medical education, PBL has three important components, namely problems as learning triggers, tutors as facilitators, and small group discussions. By focusing on real cases and practical situations, PBL invites students to be actively involved in the search for sustainable and innovative solutions.
Prof. Mardiastuti studied as a doctor at FKUI in 1987; Master of Science at Western Illinois University, USA in 1991; Clinical Microbiology Specialist Doctor (2001) and Consultant Clinical Microbiology Specialist Doctor (2009) at the PAMKI Collegium; and Doctor of Medical Education, FKIK Gadjah Mada University in 2013. Currently, she is active as a member of the American Society for Microbiology; Research Coordinator, Department of Medical Education, FKUI; and Head of the FKUI Clinical Microbiology Specialist Doctoral Education Study Program.
At the inauguration procession, the UKRIDA Rector and Management Secretary of the Association of Indonesian Clinical Microbiology Specialist Doctors, Dr. dr. Wani Devita Gunardi, Sp.MK(K); Chair of the PAMKI Collegium and Professor of FKKMK UGM, Prof. dr. Tri Wibawa, Ph.D, Sp.MK(K); and General Chair of the LAM-PTKes Association and UI Rector for the 2002–2007 Period, Prof. dr. Usman Chatib Warsa, Ph.D, Sp.MK.
Author: Sasa
