Universitas Siber Muhammadiyah (SiberMu) held the first annual SiberMu Future Visit #1 event with the theme “Disruption 4.0: Chat GPT, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Immersive Technology as Opportunities Not Threats for Higher Education” at Alana Hotel Yogyakarta, Monday (13/03). This activity is a response for the rapid development of technology by exploring opportunities in overcoming educational problems in the future.
“SiberMu is the only MHEI (red: Muhammadiyah Higher Education Institution) owned by Muhammadiyah that uses a single online mode in digital operation,” said SiberMu Rector, Dr. Bambang Riyanta ST M.T in his remarks. SiberMu offers distance learning by utilizing the latest technology. He said that the establishment of SiberMu was one of the mandates from Muhammadiyah to mark Muhammadiyah’s second century in digitalization of da’wah. Thus, the SiberMu Future Visit #1 event is one step to transform the challenges and risks of technological development by utilizing great opportunities to improve the quality of education.
Responding to the Rector’s statement, the Chairman of Muhamamdiyah Central Board for Education, Culture and Sports, Prof. Irwan Akib, also agreed that SiberMu answers the current educational problems in Indonesia. Referring to KH Ahmad Dahlan’s struggle in establishing schools 100 years ago, it should reach out to the education in the next 100 years. “The spirit of SiberMu is the spirit of KH Ahmad Dahlan. It was established to answer the current challenges as well as future challenges of our education,” he explained. The utilization of technology in education is not new, but it adapts to existing conditions. Therefore, Prof. Irwan Akib emphasized that the technology utilization and the response in exploring technological opportunities are very important in education. He also advised that the promotion needs to be expanded so that it can be familiarly known throughout Indonesia.
“Technology can provide opportunities, but without criticizing it will become a threat to our future generations,” said the Head of the General Affairs of Higher Education Service Institute (LLDIKTI) Regional V, Taufiqurahman S.E. Technological advances can also create banality for the thinking ability of our future generations because technology presents an instant way that would affect criticism of students as well. In addition to utilizing technology, Taufiqurahman also advised that universities need to balance technology with character intelligence for users so it can be used properly by students. “As a student, you should not only be intellectually intelligent, but also characteristically established,” Taufiqurahman concluded.
The SiberMu Future Visit #1 is designed in an edutainment event by utilizing AI devices in several parts of the event. In this event, SiberMu also demonstrated the utilization of immersive technology through the Virtual campus visit. At the end of the event, SiberMu offered several cooperation services to the education community related to distance learning and the latest technology utilization. This event was also attended by hundreds of invited guests consisting of Muhammadiyah High/Vocational School Principals, Education Offices, Rectors of Muhammadiyah ‘Aisyiyah Higher Education Institutions (MHEIs) and other institutions through the Zoom Meeting and broadcasted through the SiberMu YouTube channel.