24 July 2024
Syafrijal S.Kom
MEDAN-The Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of the University of North Sumatra (USU) has reiterated its commitment to implementing the Tri Dharma of Higher Education through a precision data-based community service program.
The program which aims to empower villages to be independent by utilizing the academic abilities of USU lecturers and students this time is a collaboration between USU and IPB to build Precision Village Data in 3 Assisted Villages.
According to USU LPPM Secretary, Mutia Nauli, one of the main problems often faced in community service programs is the mismatch between the programs being implemented and the real needs of village communities.
"To overcome this, we use the concept of precision data which was initially introduced by friends from IPB," explained Mutia at the launch of precision village data, Tuesday (23/7) at the Master of Management Hall, University of North Sumatra.
According to him, this precise data was collected using a census model that involved the active participation of local communities as enumerators. They were trained by a team of academics from USU to collect accurate and relevant data.
"By involving local communities, the data obtained is more accurate, because they know the environment and local residents better," added Mutia.
Before data collection, outreach was carried out to identify community needs from various aspects such as education, economics, health, and others. The data collected is spatially based, so each data point has specific geographic coordinates.
Mutia explained that the data collected was not only useful for the community and village government, but was also very valuable for academics.
"With this data, assisted villages can determine the necessary steps based on the real needs of their community. "Apart from that, this data can also be used as a basis for useful research and produce high-value scientific publications," he explained.
The data collection process, he said, involved various stages, including outreach, enumerator training, field data collection, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The result of this process is invaluable data that can be used for a variety of purposes, including improving the efficiency of aid and village development programs.
"By integrating academic abilities and active community participation, this service program is expected to bring significant benefits to the development of villages in Indonesia, as well as make a real contribution to improving the quality of research and scientific publications at USU," concluded Mutia.
This program is one of USU's real efforts to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve the university's ranking through publications and significant achievements in the field of community service.
Meanwhile, USU Chancellor, Prof Dr Muryanto Amin through USU Internationalization Program Manager, Prof. Rikson Asman Fertiles Siburian, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D., explained that this program is designed to be sustainable and will be evaluated every year to ensure its effectiveness in meeting community needs.
Prof. Rikson explained that the technical team had prepared this program well and would continue to develop this program in the coming years.
"The university will support it through the Community Service Institute, so that this program can provide a clear picture in the first year and then be evaluated for planning for the following year," said Prof. Rikson.
One of the university's main policies, he continued, is to form assisted villages that are selected by the team and become university partners.
“This assisted village is where we implement curriculum, research and community service. "These villages will become role models that we can distribute to all villages in North Sumatra," he explained.
Prof. Rikson emphasized the importance of precise data in designing programs and curricula that the community will truly feel the benefits of.
"We realize that there are so many of our programs that do not directly touch society, neither our curriculum nor our research. "So, we are trying to get this closer through precise data, so that in the future we can design curricula and programs that will really be felt by the community," he said.
Data generated from the assisted villages will be used to evaluate and enrich the curriculum.
“For example, is fertilizer or livestock development still needed, is a gender approach or certain infrastructure needed in that village. "All of this must be based on accurate data," said Prof. Rikson.
With the concept of Independent Learning, USU's curriculum is now more flexible and implemented in society.
“Our students can study up to 70% in the field and 30% in college. "This allows them to gain first-hand experience and understand the needs of the community in more depth," he added.
