YOGYAKARTA – Universitas Gadjah Mada is giving online lectures that can be accessed by students outside of UGM. There are four other universities – UI, ITB, ITS, and Binus – that also give such lectures. As many as five courses are given online by UGM as approved by the Education and Culture Ministry, including Arabic conversation, Genetics, Microbiology, Cattle Reproduction Technology, and Computer Networks. “The online lectures at UGM have already started that are joined by students from 2 – 4 universities for one lecture,” said Dr. Ir. Diah Triwidayati, MP, lecturer in UGM Animal Sciences Faculty after a video-teleconference with Vice-President Boediono at UGM Information Systems and Resources (PSDI) office on Wednesday (15/10), which was also attended by Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Iwan Dwi Prahasto, and Head of PSDI, Widyawan, Ph.D.
Diah said the online-based learning enables students to communicate directly with the lecturers through the communication technology.They can also follow the learning interactions.
Vice-President Boediono in the video-teleconference hoped those five universities could increase the number of online lectures to disseminate knowledge and technology to other students of other universities. “These five universities are made the pilot project for the online learning,” he said.
Education and Culture Minister, Muhammad Nuh, said the online lecture was to increase access to and quality of higher learning. Initially, he said, 30 courses at the five universities are taught online with 53 universities and 2,929 students participating. “All regulations and credit acknowledgment on the matter have been stipulated in a ministerial regulation,” he concluded.