On May 19, 2020, representatives of President University had the opportunity to be the guest speakers in a Smart FM radio program called, “Smart Learning Time with President University”.
Handa S. Abidin, the Vice-Rector for Communication and Partnership together with M. Rizki Muhsin, Mechanical Engineering student and General Chairperson of Hipmi PT Bekasi Regency 2020-2023, represented the university.
The program began with a discussion on how have students been affected due to social distancing measures resulting in the shift to online learning. Responding to this question Rizki explained that the impact was felt more strongly in learning soft skills such as leadership in an organization.
Handa said that the Coronavirus pandemic has impacted negatively, however there are few positive things to be looked at. Students and teachers inevitably adapting to technology is one such outcome. Besides that, work from home also helps in allocating the time we normally spent traveling from one place to another for more productive activities.
“The safety and quality of education for students and lecturers are the top priority for President University. Therefore, in the teaching and learning process, nothing has changed in terms of SKS or Semester Credit Units and quality. It’s just that the current learning system is now entirely focused on becoming online lectures. President University has implemented an offline and online system in the curriculum long before the COVID outbreak.”
They also mentioned that President University has a curriculum “Beyond Courses” with the objective of producing leaders who care not only about themselves but also others even outside campus. As an international campus in Indonesia, the application of an international curriculum and having a large number of foreign students can shape a multicultural mindset and a global perspective.
When asked about the abolition of the National Examination (UN), it was mentioned that President University continues to implement the final semester examination, the majority of which was conducted in the form of a project. Project-based learning is also a system that was implemented by President University long before the pandemic.
Towards the end of the program, Rizki said, “I hope that we, the millennial generation, will continue to have the desire to learn whatever the conditions that are happening.” Having a “Growth Mindset” is needed especially in this condition to survive while many things in many aspects change. “In addition to quickly adapting to change, we must be vigilant but still think positive. In addition, it is important for us to have productive activities that also make us happy.”
“Keep thinking positive, adaptive, and systematic, especially in dealing with the condition of the Coronavirus pandemic,” Handa concluded.