Informatics Department Holds Guest Lecture Kapita Selecta 2024: Preparing a Superior Generation in the Digital Era
The Informatics Department of UPN Veteran Yogyakarta has once again demonstrated its commitment to producing superior generations who are ready to compete in the digital era by holding a guest lecture on Kapita Selekta in the odd semester of the 2024/2025 academic year. This program presents four interesting themes delivered by competent speakers in their fields. With a variety of topics covering personal development, digital literacy, big data, and artificial intelligence, this activity is expected to provide new insights and motivate students to continue to develop.
Four Strategic Themes for the Future
The Kapita Selekta guest lecture is designed to equip students with relevant knowledge while broadening their horizons. Here are four themes raised in this activity:
- Achieving High Achievement, Sharpening Character: This theme opens the series of guest lectures on September 6, 2024, by presenting Shinta, M.Sc., M.A., a psychology and education practitioner. In her session, Shinta emphasized the importance of balance between academic achievement and character development. "Achievement without character is like a tree without roots. For sustainable success, students must build a strong moral foundation," said Shinta. This session is designed to inspire students to focus not only on intellectual achievement, but also on sharpening their personality.
- Digital Literacy - Online Gambling and Digital Lifestyle: On September 27, 2024, Fajar Eri Dianto and Eko Endarto, two information technology practitioners, discussed a theme relevant to the challenges of the digital era, namely digital literacy related to online gambling and digital lifestyle. In his presentation, Fajar highlighted the risks and negative impacts of online gambling which are now increasingly widespread. Meanwhile, Eko provided guidance on how to build a healthy digital lifestyle. "As a generation growing up in the digital era, students must have strong digital literacy skills to be able to choose and use technology wisely," said Eko.
- Big Data Analytic: Moh. Ibnu Abdissalam, M.M., an expert in IoT technology and artificial intelligence, will be present on November 26, 2024 to discuss the role of big data analytics in various sectors. In his session, Ibnu explained how big data can be used to make strategic decisions in the business world, health, and government. "Big data is a gold mine of information, but without analytical capabilities, the data will just be a pile of numbers without meaning," explained Ibnu. He also motivated students to start learning and deepening data analytics as a future skill.
- AI for Radio Frequency Spectrum Monitoring: Closing this series of guest lectures is a session from Dr. Anna Christina Situmorang, a senior policy and planning analyst at the Ministry of Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia. On December 6, 2024, Anna thoroughly discussed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in monitoring the radio frequency spectrum. With the increasing need for wireless communications, managing the frequency spectrum is becoming increasingly important. Anna explains how AI can be used to monitor and manage the spectrum efficiently. "This technology is not just about sophistication, but also about creating solutions that have a real impact on society," said Anna.
The Importance of Selected Chapter Guest Lectures
This guest lecture activity is not just an academic routine, but a strategic effort to prepare students to face real-world challenges. By presenting practitioners and experts in various fields, students gain a first-hand perspective on the application of knowledge in the workplace, helping them understand the relevance of the course material to industry needs. Each session is designed to inspire students to continue learning and growing, while fostering a passion to achieve their goals. The topics discussed cover skills that are in high demand in the digital era, such as digital literacy, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, helping students stay relevant amidst rapid technological changes. In addition, the opportunity to interact with speakers provides an opportunity for students to expand their professional network, which is important in building useful connections in the future.
Student Enthusiasm
This activity was enthusiastically welcomed by Informatics students. Many of them felt that this guest lecture provided significant added value. "I was very inspired by the session on big data. I became more motivated to learn about data analytics," said Dian, a seventh-semester student. The same thing was also expressed by Rizky, who admitted to gaining new insights about the dangers of online gambling. "I now understand better the importance of digital literacy and how to protect yourself in cyberspace," he said.
Hopes and Future Plans
The Informatics Department of UPN Veteran Yogyakarta hopes that this activity can be the first step to create a generation of students who are not only academically intelligent, but also have sensitivity to the issues around them. The Head of the Informatics Department, Dr. Heriyanto, A.Md., S.Kom., M.Cs., said that the Kapita Selekta program will continue to be developed to remain relevant to the times. "We want our students to become agents of change based on defending the country and bringing a positive impact to society," said Dr. Heriyanto. In closing, this Kapita Selekta guest lecture is a real manifestation of UPN Veteran Yogyakarta's commitment to supporting student development. With relevant themes and competent speakers, this activity is expected to produce a superior generation that is ready to face the challenges of the digital era. Hopefully this activity will continue and provide great benefits to students and the wider community.
