JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 8 – The Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technologies (FEST), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), recently welcomed an academic visit from Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD), Yogyakarta. This visit was significant as it marked the continuation of a decade-long relationship between the two institutions, which first began in 2015. Notably, this is the second visit from UAD to FEST UTM in 2025 alone, reflecting the strong commitment to sustaining and strengthening academic ties.
The delegation from UAD comprised four faculty members, Dr. Muhammad Zuhaery, MA; Dr. Dian Hidayati, MM; Dr. Achadi Budi Santosa, M.Pd.; and Dr. Moh. Toifur, M.Si.—together with 17 master’s students from the programs of Physics Education, Guidance and Counseling, and Educational Administration. They were warmly received by FEST’s management team, led by the Dean, Professor Dr. Noraffandy Yahaya.
The initial session involved a courtesy meeting with the Dean and FEST management team. Discussions were fruitful and centered around the possibilities of joint publication projects and matching grant opportunities. These conversations underscored the mutual interest of both institutions in expanding their collaborative research and academic output.
Following this, the visit continued with a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on Education in the Digital Era, which included presentations from both UAD and UTM participants. The presentations from UAD were delivered by Moh. Toifur, M.Si., who presented The Use of Kitiran as a Traditional Game in Physics Learning; Wahyu Prihatiningsih, S.Pd., M.Pd., who discussed Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Belajar.id Account as a Digital Learning Platform for Involvement Study of Junior High School Students; Hanna Syahida Alawi, S.Kom., who shared Enhancing Student Performance Prediction Using Ensemble Random Forest and XGBoost Models.; and Mukholiffatul Maisaroh, S.Pd., who presented Integrating Gamification into Physics Learning: Developing a Snakes and Ladders Interactive Game on the Topic of Heat and Temperature.
From FEST UTM, PhD student Siti Nur Fatin Hakimah Ibnuzaman presented her work titled The Effectiveness of the 5E Inquiry Model in Enhancing Students’ Achievement in Reaction Rates Based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. Additionally, 10 FEST students participated in the session, engaging actively with their peers from UAD.
Reflecting on the experience, Wahyu, a UAD master’s student, shared, “This visit allowed us to experience different perspectives in research and teaching. We are inspired by how UTM integrates digital innovation into learning.”
From FEST, Abdul Hannan, one of the student participants, said, “It was refreshing to learn from our friends at UAD. Their ideas on gamification and traditional games in learning gave us new insights to apply in our own studies.”
This academic visit not only provided a platform for knowledge exchange but also reinforced the spirit of international collaboration. With ongoing discussions on publications and research funding, the partnership between FEST UTM and UAD continues to grow stronger, paving the way for more impactful academic endeavors in the future.
