Focus on Long-Term Impact, keeping your ultimate vision in mind even when progress feels slow
Focus on Long-Term Impact, keeping your ultimate vision in mind even when progress feels slow
by Agustian Ramadana Putera
Publishing a paper in a reputable scientific journal is something I consider a distant achievement. When I got the news this morning that my paper draft had been accepted and officially published in the journal website, my first reaction was not just excitement. I felt very grateful, alhamdulillah bi ni’matihi tatimmu sholihat, and also reflective.
As a student who pursue Ph.D degree and as a novice researcher, I begin to realize that academic publication is not just about having paper published, read by plenty of people and hopefuly cited by other researchers. Behind every publication, there is a long process of learning and very slow progress: learning how to generate questions, synthesize the literature, collect and analyse the data, drafting the menuscript and respond to reviewer criticism, and probably learn to accept the first version of my draft is not rarely the best version.
This experience also triggered me to think about academic culture where novel researchers can grow. In numerous Indonesian universities, publication has become one parts of academic requirement encountered by many students, especially master and doctoral. In several cases, students may be required to publish their writings in reputable journal and this becomes the prerequisite for them to graduate. Through formal policy, institutions attempt to encourage students to involve in scholarly conversation and introduce them to standards of academic publishing. This probably add another burden to students who in fact is not having skills, expertise and experience in journal article publication.
Yet another side of the story exists.
When publication is manifested as primary requirement of graduation, students may view research differently. They probably conduct research because they have to. They may pick a research topic due to its manageability, not because they are really curious about the topic. They may then be keen on publication because they want to graduate as soon as possible, instead of the desire to contribute to a wider academic community. In this case, I never declare that publication policy is totally flawed in principle. The concern is probably what happen around that obligation.
Do students obtain sufficient support that help them to develop as novice researcher? Do they have people who are willing to discuss their idea, check their draft, and accompany them throughout difficult revision time? Do they feel research as an intellectual journey or just like another administrative responsibility? For me personally, this is where academic culture of Faculty of Education (FoE), Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) has made a meaningful distinction.
I have been blessed to encounter an environment that encourage me to see research not merely as something that must be finished, but as something that can be developed. The support from academics, staff, colleague, and my wife, who is also student of FoE UIII and author of this paper, has given me space to ask question, reflect on mistakes, refine my thinking, and of course keep trying.
As a novice researcher who is always learning, this kind of condition matter enormously. A productive research cannot be achieved by setting a high publication target. It begins from an environment where students can learn safely, ask question continuously, and feel backed enough to keep improving.
This is indeed crucial for PhD students, particularly for those who will be in academics field for their chosen career. We are still learning how to navigate the academic world. We are learning to transform curiosity into research questions, observation into evidence, idea into scholarly contribution, and so forth. How well students develop is significantly influenced by the environment in which learning actually takes place.
This is the reason why I view this publication more than just my private accomplishment. Because of the fortune I received from FoE UII, I hope that I am able to provide a similar environment for my students later. I want them to feel research not as forced obligation, but as an opportunity to explore ideas and satisfy curiosity. If the support I obtained today change the way I approach research, hopefully I can inherit that experience to the students I supervise in my university.
Life Is Short, the Craft Is Long, and Opportunity Fleeting: An FoE Dual-Degree Student's Notes from London
Life Is Short, the Craft Is Long, and Opportunity Fleeting: An FoE Dual-Degree Student's Notes from London
By Aliva Erhan
How does it feel when life ultimately carries you to a place you have never been before? Miles away from familiarity, with a definite task to accomplish and a distinct load to bear? How does it feel when, after two years of study, you are set to earn two master’s degrees from two institutions of your choice, with twice as many opportunities to explore your passions? When it happened to me over this past year, it turned out to be a bittersweet journey: demanding yet deeply rewarding for the chance to see a broader world. And here I am, the first dual-degree student in the MA in Education at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, currently in my second year of the program, pursuing the MA in Islamic Studies at SOAS University of London.
On September 20, 2026, at 12:35 PM BST, Heathrow Airport became London's first greeting to me. I flew alone, experiencing a roughly 19-hour flight for my very first trip abroad from Indonesia. My family and classmates from the MA Education Batch 5 came to see me off at the airport that night, blessing me with their support and prayers. I am pursuing this program under the LPDP scholarship, which I applied for through the regular track in Batch 1 of 2025. After a rigorous selection process, I finally started my studies in MA Education at UIII in September 2025 before transitioning to MA Islamic Studies at SOAS University of London in September 2026.
Given the demanding nature of this program, I am fortunate to have academic advisors from both universities easing my path. At UIII, Assoc. Prof. Tati Latipatud Durriyah, Ph.D., as my academic advisor, assisted me in evaluating course selections and calculating credits, through continuous consultation sessions, both offline and online. The Dean, Prof. Nina Nurmila, Ph.D., also actively monitored my application progress to SOAS. My application to SOAS was submitted independently, much like any standard full-year MA application, and it was submitted during my second semester at UIII, only with a dual-degree cover letter from the faculty. Now in my second year, I have been assigned Prof. Mustafa Shah from SOAS as my academic advisor, who has been equally communicative and highly responsive.
As it turns out, undertaking a dual degree is highly rewarding, especially when you are studying something you are genuinely passionate about. Not to mention having the chance to connect with people from various countries, cultures, backgrounds, academic fields, and institutions. For someone who enjoys observing and reflecting on the richness of the living world, like me, it brings a deep sense of satisfaction. Opportunities to engage in international events and conferences are also boundless. In my case, studying in London means such events are happening almost constantly. Similarly, at UIII in Depok, being so close to Jakarta meant there were abundant opportunities to enrich both academic and non-academic experiences. With that in mind, as long as time and my personal capacity allow, I try not to miss them.
However, the responsibility and consequences are also significant. A dual degree means taking on double coursework, including, in my case, another 180 credits at my second university. Before going further, though, it is worth noting that dual-degree schemes may vary across universities. Hence, it is essential to thoroughly research and understand the technical details from the very beginning (consulting directly with the faculty can provide clear guidance on this). While non-dual-degree students can start to focus on independent study and theses in the third semester, I still have to complete a whole new set of modules at the partner university while writing two theses. Nevertheless, for me, this remains entirely worth it for the opportunity and exposure it brings.
Academic workload is indeed one of the most important things to consider for those who are interested in taking this program. Ideally, it is best to map out your academic direction and goals early on to simplify module selection. Beyond that, as much as possible, choose a field that aligns with your interests. This is because psychological well-being deserves equal consideration; a demanding academic workload combined with a disconnect in interest or study environment would only multiply the mental toll.
Furthermore, the ability to adapt quickly is essential. Dual-degree students have to go through a relatively compressed cycle of adaptation: settling in at the first university at the start of year one, completing modules, packing up by the end of the year, then settling in at the partner university in the second year, completing more modules and theses, and then packing up again by the end of the year, to finally settle into ‘real life’ all over again. Life is short, the craft is long, and opportunity fleeting, Hippocrates said. Sometimes, it can feel almost unreal to learn from experts in their respective fields, to encounter so many ideas and disciplines, to immerse yourself in unfamiliar ways of thinking, all within such a remarkably short period of time. We are not yet experts, yet everything passes so quickly. But perhaps that is what life is: fleeting before our eyes as we live it. After all, coming back to the context of pursuing a dual degree, this is not a small commitment, and neither are many of the other decisions we make in life. It is worth taking the time to understand what we are choosing, what it may ask of us, and whether we are ready to embrace it.
By the time this essay is published, I will have spent almost three weeks in London. At UIII, I used to study and do my work in the student room of the Faculty A Building, at the corner, across from Classroom 18. Now here, I have found a new basecamp: the lounge on the lower ground floor of the SOAS main building, just around the corner from the female prayer room. The learning experience at both institutions has been deeply fulfilling for me. I have been able to benefit from the strengths of each university, and most importantly, I have found what I need and what matters to me. Moving forward, perhaps I will also have more opportunities to explore the UK further and, if time allows, Europe as well? Until the next chapter. May every dreamer draw closer to what they dream of and to what is good and meant for them.
Lesson Learned and Future Collaboration: A Reflection on Joining a Summer Program at Shaanxi Normal University (SNNU)
Lesson Learned and Future Collaboration: A Reflection on Joining a Summer Program at Shaanxi Normal University (SNNU)
by Destina Wahyu Winarti
Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, UIII
The opportunity to participate in the Summer Program at Shaanxi Normal University, in Xi’an, China was a meaningful and insightful experience for me, both academically and personally. Funded by the Chinese Government Scholarship 2026, the program was held from 14 to 29 September 2026 and was designed to foster international academic exchange and research collaboration. Five participants from Indonesia, including myself, joined this program which was particularly designed for graduate students and early-career researchers.
One of my first impressions of SNNU was the academic environment at Yanta Campus. The arrangement was quite different from what I am accustomed to in Indonesia. During our visits to three Professors’ laboratories, I noticed that professors and their postgraduate students worked together in the same space. Ph.D and master’s students generally worked on research projects related to their supervisors’ areas of expertise. I found this arrangement particularly interesting because it seemed to encourage close interaction between supervisors and students. Being physically together also created opportunities for frequent discussion, exchange of ideas, and informal academic conversation. In my view, this environment can help sustain students’ engagement and perseverance in their research.
I was also struck by the relationship between professors and students. Despite working in the same room and interacting frequently, I observed a strong sense of respect toward professors. This reminded me of the cultural differences I experiences during my own education in the Netherlands and Australia, where relationships between students and lectures tend to be more informal. As someone from an Asian cultural background, I found the academic cultural I observed at SNNU familiar and, in some ways, more aligned with my own cultural understanding of respect for teachers.
A particularly valuable part of the program was the opportunity to work closely with Professor Ma Hongliang, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education and head of the AI and STEM Education Research Center. From the second day of the program, we began discussing possibilities for future collaborative research. I found this especially exciting because our research interests intersect in STEM Education, although we approach it from somewhat different perspectives. Professor Ma’s work focuses strongly on teachers’ professional development (PD), Artificial intellegence or AI, robotics, applications, and the practical implementation of STEM Education, while my research interest focuses more on spatial thinking, students learning, and the conceptual foundations and values of STEM education.
Our discussion helped me reflect on my own research direction. I realized that I have increasingly focused on understanding what STEM education means, why particular aspects of STEM learning are important and how spatial thinking can contribute to meaningful STEM learning. At the same time, Professor Ma’s work offers a strong connection to the practical implementation of STEM through technologies such as AI and robotics. I believe these complementary perspectives provide a promising foundation for collaboration between SNNU and UIII. Together, we hope to explore STEM education not simply as the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or as the use of advanced technologies, but as an approach that develops meaningful ideas, values and students’ interests in STEM fields.
The workshops offered during the program also provided valuable learning opportunities. The sessions covered STEM teachers’ Professional Development (by Prof, Ma Hongliang), designing better video-based learning (by Prof, Pi Zhongling), generated instructional videos and the design of video-based pedagogical agents (by Prof. Zhou Yun) and assessing students’ computational thinking (by Dr. Wang Qin). These topics were closely connected to my research interest and provided new perspectives that may inform my future research and potential collaborations with SNNU.
Beyond the academic activities, I also appreciated the opportunity to learn about Chinese education and culture. Visiting the Museum of Education at SNNU Chang’an campus helped me understand how education, teacher education, history, and traditional culture have developed in China. The museum’s integration of education, research, cultural preservation and art provides a broader perspective on the relationship between education and society.
The visit to Xi’an Gaoxin No. 50 Primary School was another memorable experience. Seeing the school environment, students’ activities, and learning facilities allowed me to observe aspects of primary education in China firsthand. I was particularly interested in the school daily schedule, from 8.00 am to 4.30 pm, which is relatively long compared with many Indonesian primary schools. This observation made me wonder about the relationship between the amount of time students spend at school and their academic development, wellbeing and attitudes toward learning. It is a question that I would be interested in exploring further rather than simply assuming that longer school hours necessarily lead to better outcomes.
Overall, the summer program at SNNU gave me so much more than exposure to another university and education system. It encouraged me to reflect on my own academic identity, research interest, and assumptions about education. Not every practice I observed in China can or should be directly applied to the Indonesian context. However, the experience reminded me that international academic exchange is precisely valuable because it allows us to see our own practices from a different perspective.
Most importantly, I see this program not as the end of an academic visit, but as the beginning of a potential long-term relationship between SNNU and UIII. I hope that the connections established during these two weeks will develop into meaningful collaborative research, particularly in STEM education, teacher professional development, AI, and spatial thinking, while ultimately contributing to efforts to build students’ interest and engagement in STEM fields.
Cultivating distance learning: Developing and validating online teacher engagement scale using Rasch model
Kristiana, I. F., Simanjuntak, E., Sumintono, B., Prihatsanti, U., & Shofiefany, C. N. (2026). Cultivating distance learning: Developing and validating online teacher engagement scale using Rasch model. Jurnal Psikologi, 25(2), 176-193. https://doi.org/10.14710/jp.25.2.176-193
Abstract
Background: Teacher engagement plays a crucial role in determining the success of online learning, particularly as digital education becomes increasingly prevalent. However, instruments to accurately assess teachers’ engagement in online learning contexts remain limited.
Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a measurement scale to assess teacher engagement in online learning.
Method: The study involved 411 teachers from elementary to middle schools across various regions in Indonesia. The initial version of the Online Teacher Engagement Scale (OTES) consisted of 40 items measured using a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model.
Findings: The analysis demonstrated that the OTES possessed strong psychometric properties, with a person reliability index of .89 and an item reliability index of .99. The 32 items were valid after passed some item tests criteria in the Rasch analysis. The explained raw variance of 38% suggested that the OTES measured the intended construct adequately, although five items displayed gender-based DIF, leading to their exclusion.
Implication: OTES has broad potential as an evaluation instrument for schools, universities, and teacher training institutions in monitoring the level of teacher involvement during online learning.
Beyond the Classroom: Rethinking How Students Develop Their Understanding of Islam
Beyond the Classroom: Rethinking How Students Develop Their Understanding of Islam
September 25, 2026
By Raihan Riffa Nadhifa
Depok — The Faculty of Education at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) hosted a Lunchtalk Session featuring Dr. Hayadin, S.Ag., M.Pd., Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). The session, titled “Who Teaches Students Islam?”, explored how students develop their religious understanding and how various actors contribute to shaping religious authority in Indonesian schools.
Held in a hybrid format at the Theater, Faculty A Building, UIII, the session brought together participants attending both onsite and online. The discussion focused on a fundamental question in Islamic education: who actually shapes students’ understanding of Islam? In his presentation, Dr. Hayadin emphasized that students do not learn Islam from a single source. Their religious understanding develops through interactions with various actors, including teachers, families, religious communities, schools, and their surrounding social environments.
Drawing from his research on Islamic Religious Education (IRE) in Indonesian schools, Dr. Hayadin discussed the role of teachers as interpreters of religious knowledge. Teachers do not simply deliver curriculum content; they translate religious concepts and educational objectives into practices that are meaningful within their own social contexts. He further explained that Islamic education involves multiple forms of authority, where the state contributes through curriculum, educational policies, and civic values, while religious communities contribute through traditions, interpretations, and religious practices. These different forms of authority interact and influence how students understand and experience Islam.
The discussion also examined the tendency to associate students’ misconduct solely with the quality of religious education provided in schools. Dr. Hayadin highlighted that students’ religious formation is influenced by multiple environments and cannot be attributed to a single educational actor. One example discussed was how teachers connect civic values with religious understanding, where concepts such as national identity, citizenship, and love for the country can be interpreted through religious perspectives, including moral responsibility and prophetic examples.
Reflecting on the discussion, Dr. Hayadin encouraged students and academics to further explore religious education through research. “There are many actors involved in religious education, and each actor has different forms of capital and legitimacy. How these actors interact and compete over legitimacy becomes an interesting area of research,” he said. He added that continued research on this issue could provide deeper insights into how religious education is practiced and developed in Indonesia. “The more research we conduct about this issue, the more explanations we can find about how religious education is practiced in schools and in Indonesian society,” he said.
The hybrid session also encouraged active participation from attendees, with participants from both onsite and online sessions raising questions related to teachers’ responsibilities, religious authority, and the challenges of Islamic education in contemporary Indonesia. Through the Lunchtalk Session, UIII provided a space for academic discussion on religious education and the various actors involved in shaping students’ Islamic understanding.
source: https://uiii.ac.id/beyond-the-classroom-rethinking-how-students-develop-their-understanding-of-islam/
Who Teaches Students Islam? UIII Lunchtalk Explores the Formation of Religious Understanding in Indonesian Schools
Who Teaches Students Islam? UIII Lunchtalk Explores the Formation of Religious Understanding in Indonesian Schools
September 25, 2026
By Raihan Riffa Nadhifa
Depok – Religious learning is often associated with classrooms, textbooks, and teachers. However, students’ understanding of Islam is shaped by a more complex process that extends beyond formal education. During the UIII Lunchtalk session titled “Who Teaches Students Islam?”, Dr. Hayadin, S.Ag., M.Pd., Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), highlighted that religious understanding develops through interactions among various actors, including teachers, families, religious communities, schools, and wider society.
Dr. Hayadin explained that religious education involves different forms of authority, as each actor possesses different forms of capital and legitimacy that influence how religious knowledge is interpreted and practiced. The interaction among these actors creates a continuous process of negotiation in shaping students’ understanding of Islam.
Within schools, teachers play an important role beyond delivering curriculum content. They interpret religious concepts and connect them with students’ social realities, making them mediators between educational objectives, religious traditions, and students’ everyday experiences. At the same time, the state and religious communities also contribute to religious education through policies, curriculum, traditions, and interpretations.
This perspective challenges the assumption that religious teachers are solely responsible for students’ moral and religious development. Instead, students’ religious formation is influenced by various environments, including families, communities, and social interactions. Religious education, therefore, should be understood not only as a classroom activity but also as a broader social process.
Reflecting on the discussion, Dr. Hayadin encouraged students and academics to conduct further research on religious education. “There are many actors involved in religious education, and each actor has different forms of capital and legitimacy. How these actors interact and compete over legitimacy becomes an interesting area of research,” he said.
He added that continued research could provide deeper insights into how Islamic education is practiced in Indonesian schools and society. “The more research we conduct about this issue, the more explanations we can find about how religious education is practiced in schools and in Indonesian society,” he said.
The discussion invites a broader reflection on religious learning in Indonesia: understanding Islam is not only about what students learn in classrooms, but also how they encounter, interpret, and engage with religious knowledge across different spaces of life.
source: https://uiii.ac.id/who-teaches-students-islam-uiii-lunchtalk-explores-the-formation-of-religious-understanding-in-indonesian-schools/
Beyond ritual compliance: Rethinking religious education in an Islamic boarding school
Maulana, M., Al Faruqi, M. I. H., & Ganiswari, S. (2026). Beyond ritual compliance: Rethinking religious education in an Islamic boarding school. British Journal of Religious Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2026.2734383
ABSTRACT
Islamic boarding schools are designed to provide holistic education integrating intellectual, moral and spiritual development, with religious education positioned at the core of daily life to cultivate spiritually conscious students (insan kamil). However, in practice, religious education within the dormitory setting is often perceived by students as routine obligations rather than meaningful formative process. This study explores how students perceive religious education in an Islamic boarding school and how these perceptions shape their motivation and engagement in religious practices. Employing a qualitative reflective–interpretive design, data were collected through participant observation of religious learning and worship activities, in-depth interviews with eight students, and researchers’ reflexive field notes as insider educators. Thematic analysis revealed that religious education is largely experienced as formalistic and compliance-driven. Students’ participation in religious activities is predominantly motivated by extrinsic factors, particularly institutional rules and disciplinary sanctions, rather than intrinsic spiritual awareness. Moreover, religious education is perceived as less legitimate and less consequential than formal academic schooling. These conditions constrain the transformative potential of Islamic education. The study calls for reorientation towards dialogical and reflective pedagogies that prioritise meaning-making and the internalisation of spiritual values, enabling boarding schools to more effectively nurture holistic and spiritually grounded students.
228 New Students from 18 Countries Join UIII for 2026/2027 Academic Year
228 New Students from 18 Countries Join UIII for 2026/2027 Academic Year
September 7, 2026
By Atia Adjani
Depok, September 7, 2026 — Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) officially opened its 2026/2027 academic year with an academic convocation held on September 1, 2026, formally welcoming a new cohort of students representing 19 countries.
This year, UIII admitted 228 new students, including 192 enrolled in master’s degree programs and 36 in doctoral programs. The incoming class hails from a wide range of countries, among them Indonesia, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Åland Islands. The figure is the result of a competitive admissions process that drew applicants from 58 countries worldwide, spanning Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, and as far afield as the United States and the Åland Islands.
The new students will be distributed across six faculties: the Faculty of Islamic Studies, the Faculty of Economics and Business, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Science and Technology, and the Faculty of Law. Notably, the Faculty of Law is new this academic year, reflecting an expansion of the academic disciplines offered by UIII.
Addressing the new students, UIII Rector Prof. Jamhari highlighted diversity as the university’s defining strength. “This diversity—of nations, disciplines, and perspectives—is our greatest strength. It is what makes UIII more than just a university. It is a picture of what education should look like in an interconnected world,” he said.
He also urged the incoming class to embody the university’s core principles. “Embrace the values of moderation, peace, and inclusivity. Face global challenges, and build bridges across cultures,” Prof. Jamhari said.
With students from 18 countries now on campus and the launch of its new Faculty of Law, UIII continues to expand its role as a global center for Islamic education. As the 2026/2027 academic year gets underway, the university expressed hope that its new students will treat their time at UIII as both a space for learning and a space for cross-cultural, cross-national dialogue, in keeping with its vision of championing moderation, peace, and inclusivity amid global diversity.
source: https://uiii.ac.id/228-new-students-from-18-countries-join-uiii-for-2026-2027-academic-year/