On 4 July 2023, a review meeting was held to evaluate the 2022/2023 Even Semester and plan activities for the upcoming 2023/2024 Odd Semester. Dr. L.M. Sabri, S.T., M.T., Head of the Department of Geodetic Engineering and Chair of the Undergraduate Geodetic Engineering Study Program, led the meeting. He expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the exceptional dedication and performance of all lecturers and education staff at Undip. The teaching process went smoothly with no significant obstacles, and practical activities like Hydrographic Survey and GNSS Survey at Kartini Beach, Jepara were conducted seamlessly. Despite some limitations during the learning process in the Even Semester 2022/2023, collaboration among all parties, including lecturers, education staff, laboratory assistants, and students, ensured that these challenges were overcome effectively.
Undip’s Geodesy Engineering Undergraduate Program promotes Merdeka Belajar, as reflected in its slogan. To support this, Dr. L.M. Sabri, S.T., M.T, the Head of the Geodesy Engineering Department at Undip, urges Thesis Advisors to guide students towards Project-Based Research and a prototype project as the final outcome. This approach allows students to showcase their talents and interests by collaborating with educational and other institutions. The prototype project can also serve as a means of sharing their knowledge. To accelerate the completion of prototype projects that are more than halfway done, the department recommends that one final project title can be shared by 2 or 3 students.
The Geodesy Engineering Department at Undip offers students various opportunities to find external supervisors for their final projects. These supervisors can come from research institutions like the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Geospatial agencies, and the geospatial industry. Collaboration with other educational institutions such as ITB, UGM, and ITS that specialize in geospatial research is also possible.
Such collaborations with external institutions are crucial to enhance the quality of study programs. The Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program, promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, is an initiative that supports such collaborations. The Head of the Geodesy Engineering Department has set a target for the odd semester 2024/2025, where all students will participate in MBKM by undertaking a full-semester internship worth 20 credits.
Dr. L.M.Sabri, S.T., M.T. recently provided guidance to advisory lecturers in preparation for the upcoming semester. For the 2023 batch, lecturers were instructed to give extra attention to new students, especially with regards to their first-year subjects, to ensure timely completion of their studies, ideally within four years. As for advisory lecturers of the 2019 batch and earlier, they were encouraged to monitor their students’ progress in both technical and non-technical aspects of their research, to avoid any delays or failures.
In July’s graduation ceremony, two students from the 2019 batch, Ma’Ruf Arief Fadillah and Azfa Ahmad Dzulvikar, successfully completed their studies in less than four years, thanks to the guidance of their thesis supervisors, Dr. Yudo Prasetyo, S.T., M.T., and Nurhadi Bashit, S.T., M.Eng. Their achievement serves as a great example for other students to follow to ensure timely completion of their studies.
To fully implement the MBKM internship program, Dr. L.M. Sabri, S.T., M.T. is urging the Academic Advisors of students from the 2021 and 2022 academic year to introduce them to the MBKM courses “package” to be taken in the odd semester of 2024/2025. The package includes Project Management (2 credits), Professional Ethics (2 credits), Entrepreneurship (2 credits), Health and Environmental Work Safety (2 credits), and Practical Work (2 credits). Students who have completed the MBKM can claim relevant courses based on their competencies to achieve the target of 20 credits. The teaching staff responsible for evaluating and “matching” MBKM performance with the course RPS confirmed this during the meeting. The Head of Department also reminded advisor professors, especially those from the 2021 academic year, to direct students who have accumulated 100 credits to take the Real Work Lecture (KKN) in semester VI during the July-August vacation period.
During the meeting, the Department Head emphasized the importance of encouraging 2020 Batch academic advisors to motivate their students to start preparing research topics from their seventh semester. This would enable the students to participate in the final project proposal seminar in either December 2023 or January 2024, and complete their final projects in June or July 2024. The advisors are also expected to support the implementation of the Field Work lecture, which serves as a capstone for the Geodesy Engineering program at Undip, to ensure that all Learning Outcomes are met. Additionally, academic advisors are encouraged to provide assistance and appreciation to students interested in participating in the MBKM internship program, which offers 20 credits off-campus.
Another key point discussed during the meeting was the formation of the program accreditation committee. The committee elected Dr. (cand.) Arwan Putra Wijaya, ST., MT, as the Chairman of the international accreditation document preparation for IABEE, and Fauzi Janu Amarrohman, S.T., M.Eng, as the Chairman of the accreditation document preparation for the Independent Accreditation Agency (LAM) Engineering. The goal is to complete all documents by the end of February 2024, to achieve a fully accredited IABEE program, and an EXEMPLARY accredited Independent Accreditation Agency (LAM) Engineering program.
