The First Online National Scientific Summit of Teachers

The National Scientific Summit of Teachers (NIST) or Temu Ilmiah Nasional Guru (TING) has been organized regularly every year since 2008 by the Faculty of Pedagogy and Education - the Indonesia Open University (FKIP-UT). This year, the 12^th NIST was convened online and broadcast through Microsoft Teams and Youtube UT TV on 25 – 26 July 2020.

The 12^th National Scientific Summit of Teachers (12^th NIST) is a reservoir and forum of scientific communications among the education experts, teachers, and education observers, both in Indonesia and overseas. This time, the theme of the 12^th NIST is “Building the Nation’s Future through Learning Freedom in the Digital Era”. In her report, the Chairwoman of the Committee of the 12^th NIST Dra. Johanna Benyamina Sophia Pantow, M.AppL., explained that 110 presenters of the scientific pappers in 14 parallel classes with 6 sub-themes were involved in the 12^th NIST.

The event was officially opened by UT’s Rector, Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., and the Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Education - Indonesia Open University (FKIP-UT), Prof. Udan Kusmawan, MA., PhD, at the Universitas Terbuka Convention Center (UTCC) Building, who at the same time, inaugurated GETLab of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Education (GETLab FKIP-UT).

The program was also attended by all the UT’s Vice Rectors, Deans, Directors of the Institutes, and Heads of Bureaus within Indonesia Open University. In his speech, UT’s Rector said that this activity is expected to contribute and share the University’s thoughts and ideas on character-based teacher professionalism, as well as to encourage the teachers and educators so that they would be able to possess conversant skills, discussion and exchange of idea skills on any topics related to the teacher characters in the future.

The 12^th NIST invited two Keynote Speakers, who are UT’s Prof. Ir. Tian Belawati, M.Ed., Ph.D. and PT. Microsoft Indonesia’s Obert Hoseanto, and it was moderated by Prof. Dr. M. Gorky Sembiring, M.Sc.

Prof. Tian said that the objectives of learning are to make the students to be more independent and to possess 4C competence (creative thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication). In digital learning, the teachers are expected to encourage the students to be more active and independent, and in addition to that, learning activities can be carried out anywhere.

In the meantime, Obert said that Microsoft Indonesia has also been actively taking part in ensuring the customers’ sense of security by strictly maintaining the confidentiality of their identities, tools and equipments used, applications, and information.