In order to improve the quality of higher education, Universitas Indonesia (UI) periodically evaluates the learning methods implemented on campus, including the mixed methods that have been implemented in the last two years. The mixed method was implemented by UI after the government officially announced the start of the new normal when the Covid-19 pandemic began to subside. The application of this mixed method is based on the UI Rector’s Circular Letter Number 1512/UN2.R/PDP.00.001/2021 concerning Learning Guidelines for the 2021/2022 Academic Year.
To evaluate how the mixed learning method is implemented at UI, the UI Board of Proferssors (DGB) through Committee I (Committee for the Development of Academic Life and Moral Integrity) conducted a survey “Mixed Learning Ethics for Lecturers and Students 2022”. The survey via Google Form was carried out for three months, from December 2022 to February 2023 and was filled by 2,357 students from various levels, such as bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, professional and specialist degrees. The survey results were then disseminated via DGB UI’s Zoom Meeting and YouTube, on Saturday (9/9).
Chairman of DGB UI, Prof. Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, S.H., M.A., Ph.D., explained that this survey was important considering that ethics is one of the lifebloods of higher education. Therefore, this survey was built on nine UI values that are consistently championed by the UI academic community. “Students as reflective mirrors should be able to become ethical individuals when they integrate into society. Therefore, it is important for students to get used to applying ethics, especially in the educational environment.”
Regarding the implementation of the nine UI values, the Coordinator of Committee I DGB UI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Riri Fitri Sari, M.M., M.Sc., said that online, offline, and mixed learning systems still represent the nine UI values. The value of honesty is the main center in this survey by measuring the level of student integrity during the mixed learning process. Student academic integrity is the most basic value that must be upheld because honesty is the basis of good academic performance.
In the survey conducted, Prof. Yeni Rustina, S.Kp., M.App.Sc., Ph.D. as the speaker in the socialization said that data collection was carried out through a questionnaire which contained information about the characteristics of respondents, learning facilities, and student perceptions of the nine UI values in learning. The largest number of respondents came from the Faculty of Economics and Business, followed by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Humanities, and Faculty of Pharmacy, with a ratio of 2:3 between male and female respondents.
The data was then processed by classifying the informants’ answers into two groups, namely answers that strongly agree and agree were categorized as agree, while answers that strongly disagree and disagree were categorized as disagree. The result was that 26.2% of students stated that they had not received appropriate feedback; 33.7% of respondents thought that group assignments were at risk of academic dishonesty; and 33.2% of students stated that they did not dare to tell the lecturer if a student was cheating.
From the survey results, lecturers are expected to actively provide suggestions and input to students during the learning process so that the class atmosphere becomes more lively. When giving group assignments, lecturers need to consider various aspects to prevent academic dishonesty. Meanwhile, if a student cheats, the reporter must be guaranteed confidentiality of their identity and the lecturer must increase supervision, especially during assessments or exams.
According to Prof. Riri, the survey results are the right means to reflect back on the steps that need to be taken by UI in responding to challenges amidst scientific developments and technological advances. Regarding the ChatGPT phenomenon, for example, it can be a good learning tool for students, but it can also create opportunities for cheating if students abandon academic ethics and integrity. “We urge lecturers to always be prepared to become experience coaches for students, because this is something that up to now cannot be replaced by any sophisticated technology,” said Prof. Riri.
