Universitas Siber Muhammadiyah (SiberMu) launched the SiberMu virtual campus on Wednesday (05/09). The launching was held as the first year commemoration of the campus since it received an operational permit from the Ministry. On this occasion, the President of Muhammadiyah Central Board, Prof Dr. KH Haedar Nashir, M.Si; the Council for Higher Education, Research, and Development (CHERD); the Daily Advisory Board of SiberMu, Prof Dr. Chairil Anwar; the SiberMu Chancellor, Dr. Ir Bambang Riyanta ST MT; academic civitas; various partners, colleagues, and guests joined the in-person meeting.
After reciting of Qur’an and singing the national anthem “Indonesia Raya” and Muhammadiyah song “Sang Surya”, it continued with short remarks and immersive technology explanation by Dr. Bambang Riyanta. He also officially opened the launch by reporting the current development of SiberMu after receiving an operational permit. According to him, SiberMu serves as a big opportunity to use immersive technology in providing a deep immersion in an artificial environment in real life. In his explanation, SiberMu has over 1,200 applicants from 34 different provinces.
Universitas Siber Muhammadiyah Chancellor, Dr. Ir. Bambang Riyanta, S.T., M.T. delivered his remarks
The Introduction of Immersive Technology from Universitas Siber Muhammadiyah
Dr. Bambang Riyanta hinted that SiberMu would apply its service development based on immersive technology. “It includes virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality,” he said. He admitted that they respond to the demand to develop the concept by various metaverse developments globally.
He also presented the virtual campus of SiberMu which was in development. The virtual campus presented was complete with a rectorate building, library, and faculty building. “It was expected that the virtual campus can facilitate the student-to-student interaction based on virtual reality. Later, it will be a HoloLens microscope to design a laboratory based on augmented reality that needs more psychomotor aspects,” he added.
On the launching, the virtual campus becomes the main agenda to be presented. “It needs Muhammadiyah support because it can be a new beginning of progressive Muhammadiyah values,” he hoped. To launch the virtual campus officially, Prof Dr. KH Haedar Nashir inaugurated the SiberMu campus by stating basmallah.
Introduction of Immersive Technology from Universitas Siber Muhammadiyah
Messages from President of Muhammadiyah Central Board
After the inauguration of the SiberMu virtual campus, he mentioned several highlights of the metaverse that became the main issue in the virtual world. He emphasized that technology should have positive benefits for people. “Do not use technology to be a threat to human civilization and relations. It depends on how we serve human leadership on earth,” he highlighted.
He also mentioned three noble values in Islam. First, Bayani as Islam educational system has a major turning point as the source of knowledge. Second, Burhani is as educational system based on the mind (al-’aql) and empiricism (al-tajribah). Third, Irfani as an educational system based on al-’ilm al-hudluri, a human can maximize his mind’s potency to create expediency in the world and at once their safety in the after-life.
Furthermore, he also emphasized that the Moslem value of life towards the world as “only amusement and diversion” always be translated negatively, but it could be different with the advancement of technology. “We think that we should be cautious about the world due to its materialistic and hedonistic. However, we present the world as amusement and we construct it to be more valuable,” he said. He continued that it will change our perspective about life because this current life is multidimensional and multi-perspective.
Three Islamic values that he explained will be a foundation for how civilized people are. “(Our) value of life will save the human race (on earth),” he said. To attain the goal, he added, we should make sure that religion and Pancasila can be understood with a wide range and depth of perspective. Because when the fundamental values in the state of mind would be misunderstood, it is widely affected to the core of life. “Do not stop learning and master your mind. Use this immersive world for the enlightenment preaching practices, educate and save humans and all entities in the universe. That is what we called rahmatan lil ‘alamin,” he concluded.
