Reformulating the Challenges of Religious Studies in Indonesia #1

Muryana, S.Th.I., M. Hum

Honestly, when I was asked to share about "Proposed Ideas for Implementing MBKM in Religious Studies," I felt confused. What should I share?

The Practice of MBKM at Sekolah Riset Satukata

Allright, I will begin with the following image:

Gambar di atas saya cuplik dari “Buku Panduan Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka” yang diterbitkan oleh Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 2020, halaman 5. Melihat gambar tersebut, MBKM sangat mungkin untuk dipraktikkan. Kenapa? Seperti saat kuliah, 8 Contoh Bentuk Kegiatan Pembelajaran tersebutlah yang selalu saya idam-idamkan sebagai mahasiswa dapat diberikan oleh kampus sebagai bekal kelulusan dari Studi Agama-Agama, pada zaman saya Perbandingan Agama. Begitu pun ketika saya pernah mengampu di kelas-kelas Studi Agama-Agama, saya berharap para mahasiswa dapat memperoleh pengalaman tersebut selama masih kuliah, entah secara independen/mandiri mencarinya di luar kampus, seperti yang saya lakukan dan saya sarankan kepada mahasiswa, maupun berupa kegiatan yang difasilitasi oleh kampus sebagai konsekuensi pelayanan terhadap mahasiswa atas administrasi yang harus dipenuhi. Itu yang pertama.
Kedua, saat ini saya bersama teman-teman di Sekolah Riset Satukata telah merintis dan melaksanakan kerjasama MBKM tersebut bersama Prodi Sosiologi Antropologi UNNES. Bagaimana teknisnya? Kami membuat MoU/MoA selama 5 tahun. Setiap tahunnya MoU/MoA tersebut diturunkan dalam IA untuk per kegiatan. Bagaimana bentuk kerjasamanya? Kami bertemu dalam mata kuliah metodologi riset dan pemberdayaan dalam program Sekolah Riset Kampung. Mahasiswa mendapatkan materi di ruang kelas dan suatu kampung yang kami tentukan bersama. Melalui program ini, mahasiswa mendapatkan empat hal sekaligus, yaitu: belajar riset, melakukan riset, studi independen dan praktik kerja/magang serta publikasi ilmiah, serta KKN Kilat, jika bisa dikatakan begitu. Hasil program riset kampung ini ditulis ulang bersama dosen pengampu/pembimbing, dipresentasikan dalam forum ilmiah dan dipublikasikan di jurnal, bahkan salah satu mahasiswa telah menerbitkannya menjadi sebuah buku.

The Implementation of Agreement (IA) is also demonstrated through lecturer service. This service involves students working as a team to provide training to the community in local villages. The training serves as a platform for students to apply their research in real-world settings and gain practical experience through internships. Furthermore, there is potential for this initiative to evolve into Thematic Community Service Lectures. Based on the execution of two IAs, we can develop various forms of learning activities outside the campus. I believe that the study program is very supportive of these collaborative efforts.

What about the administration? The campus has its own administrative standards, and we have ours as well. Currently, documents such as MoUs, MoAs, IAs, certificates, photo and video documentation, and reports are deemed sufficient to fulfill campus administrative requirements. We assess not only joint activities but also the learning process and student work based on the evaluation criteria we have established, while still adhering to quality standards. This approach has been implemented in our MBKM practice. We believe there are still many opportunities for collaboration and practical application.

What are the possibilities of implementing MBKM with Religious Studies? It’s definitely feasible. As a Research School rather than a traditional research institution, we can collaborate on various courses such as research methodology, religious research methodology, religious movements, religious politics, proposal writing, and internships/work practices. There are numerous possibilities, especially concerning research learning. This explanation focuses on how MBKM can be practiced. So, what’s new in MBKM? The key difference is that learning outside of the campus is now recognized, formalized, and acknowledged.