Recipient's Department

School of Education, Leadership, and Public Service

Document Type

Award

Year of Award

2014

Awarding Organization

Northern Michigan University

Reason for Award

A rigorous study of the liberal arts with student-centered andragogy is absent in Indonesian higher education. A strong participatory democracy, such as the Indonesian democracy, may require skills engendered by the study of liberal arts and associated opportunities for students to practice skills for dialogue, constructive debate, and potential problem analysis. My sabbatical application postulates that the study of liberal arts in Indonesia will lead to higher levels of critical thinking in college students, higher quality of teachers in local schools, and better citizenship in Indonesia and the world. The Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) invited me to work as a visiting scholar during August 2014–January 2015. Professor Chaedar Alwasilah and I conducted a series of focus groups with UPI faculty on the current state of the Mata Kuliah Dasar Umum (MKDU). MKDU translates as “basic required courses in General Education”. MKDU is similar to USA Liberal Studies / General Education programs. Indonesian students are dissatisfied with MKDU courses. My sabbatical outcomes will include two books and a co-authored report for the Indonesian National Ministry of Education on proposed changes to MKDU Liberal Arts curriculum and instruction (Alwasilah & Puncochar, 2014). The first book for MKDU instructors and managers introduces the study of Liberal Arts within MKDU and includes suggested teaching strategies for student-centered andragogy (Alwasilah & Puncochar, 2014). The second book for Indonesian students introduces the study of Liberal Arts within MKDU and includes strategies for honing skills of critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving (Puncochar & Alwasilah, 2015).

Download

Share

COinS