Faculty Development Workshop at UKI Paulus

Petra Christian University, UKI Toraja and UKI Paulus had recently completed their collaboration with Fulbright Specialist Dr. David Rowland, Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University, Indiana, USA to improve teaching engagement and research potential/outcomes at the three private higher education institutions.

Improving teaching engagement and research proposal writing skill are two main priorities the three private universities trying to address this year. Therefore, they decided to collaborate with Fulbright Specialist Dr. Rowland from January 9 – 31, 2020. 

The collaboration was carried out through a series of interrelated workshops on: Pedagogical Strategies; Developing a Research Proposal; Local and International Collaboration; and Transforming a Thesis or Research Paper into a Publishable Article in an International Journal. Related topics included discussion of how to develop a productive research program, how to avoid plagiarism, and what to expect when submitting a manuscript for publication.

Workshop on Research Publishing Writing at UKI Toraja (top and bottom photos)

According to Dr. Rowland, each workshop lasted four days and, depending on the specific audience (students or faculty), entailed 3-6 hours each day. Their approach, which was developed collaboratively, emphasized interactive and peer learning, with frequent exercises designed to stimulate thinking and action on the part of participants. 

He further said that individual sessions and consultations were provided each afternoon for participants wanting specific feedback on their projects, whether related to content, research design, statistics, presentation, and/or language expression and proficiency. 

The overall goals of discussing ways to increase student engagement in the classroom and of increasing the quality of manuscripts for publication in international journals were successfully pursued and achieved, with several follow-up strategies put into place to ensure continued impact of the workshops over the next 6 months.

Participants were eager to learn, thoughtful, astute, knowledgeable, and delightful as colleagues. They worked diligently and enthusiastically with cohort members during group assignments, and demonstrated substantive progress in thinking about their research projects and teaching over the course of the workshop. 

“ Petra Christian University, UKI Paulus, and UKI Toraja, did amazing jobs in providing organization, support, guidance, feedback, and sometimes translation, during the workshops”, Dr. Rowland said. 

He also admitted that by providing communal lunches and coffee breaks, opportunities for individual and small group interactions were facilitated. 

“I came to know all the participants and their projects individually over the course of the 4-day workshops”, he said.

“Perhaps best of all, workshop participants and the host institutions were warm and hospitable, inviting me to become part of their institutional/intellectual family by the end of the workshop”, he added.

They enjoyed camaraderie, shared purpose, the joy of learning from one another, and personal stories that bonded us as colleagues, creating an unforgettable experience. 

“Each institution, and individual participants themselves, were eager to share aspects of their culture with me, including their values, customs, socio-political-geographical characteristics, and food”, he said.

Overall, Dr. Rowland admitted that he enjoyed meeting incredible people and experiencing the culture of Indonesia – Petra Christian University, UKI Toraja and UKI Paulus.