Four study programs at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) have achieved international accreditation from the Institute for the Study of Informatics, Natural Sciences, and Mathematics (ASIIN), an independent German-based institution for quality assurance of degree programs in engineering, informatics, natural sciences, and mathematics. The four study programs are undergraduate programs in Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Geography. The four study programs were accredited by ASIIN from June 14, 2022, to October 15, 2023.
Head of the Academic Quality Assurance Unit of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI), Dr. Denny R. Silaban, M.Kom., explained the long process and challenges that FMIPA UI had to go through to obtain the ASIIN certificate.
According to him, the plan for ASIIN accreditation for the four undergraduate study programs began in January 2021 during a leadership working meeting. Then, in February 2021, the leadership formed an ASIIN team for the faculty and each study program. The teams then began work in March and produced a joint Self-Assessment Report (SAR).
The COVID-19 pandemic, which required the team to work remotely, presented a unique challenge. Furthermore, Dr. Denny explained that several team members had contracted COVID-19, delaying the initial SAR deployment by three weeks from the original plan.
“It turned out that the four study programs were grouped into one cluster, necessitating the creation of a joint SAR (Self Assessment Report). This posed a challenge, as the Faculty and the four study program teams had to work together and coordinate intensively during the pandemic, leading to all activities being conducted online. Several team members were also exposed to COVID-19, resulting in the initial SAR being delayed by about three weeks from the original August plan, and only being completed at the end of August 2021,” Dr. Denny explained to the FMIPA UI Public Relations team.
The ASIIN visit itself took place in late February 2022. The ongoing pandemic forced the visit to be conducted online. The visits to various laboratories were conducted virtually, featuring content about the laboratory facilities and infrastructure in a video format previously created by the team.
ASIIN is an independent, German-based institution for quality assurance of degree programs in engineering, informatics, natural sciences, and mathematics. Since 2000, ASIIN has had the right to award accreditation stamps from the German Accreditation Council, in addition to the ASIIN quality stamp. ASIIN is registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) until August 31, 2026. EQAR is included in the list of accreditation registers recognized by the Indonesian government.
Dean of FMIPA UI Dede Djuhana, Ph.D. said, “With the accreditation of these study programs, FMIPA UI currently has 5 internationally accredited study programs, including the Bachelor of Chemistry study program by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).”
In fact, the Dean said, preparations are currently underway for the online visitation for the RSC international accreditation for the Chemistry Master’s Program, which is planned to take place in early November 2022.
In addition, 3 Postgraduate Study Programs of FMIPA UI, namely Master of Physics, Master of Materials Science, and Master of Biology, are also in preparation for ASIIN accreditation.
The Dean added that this international accreditation achievement also proves that FMIPA UI is able to increase the Main Performance Indicator (IKU) point 8, namely the number of study programs with international standards.
He emphasized that the purpose of obtaining ASIIN accreditation is not merely to obtain a certificate, but rather as a commitment of FMIPA UI to improve the quality of sustainable education, and strengthen FMIPA UI’s competitiveness at the international level.
“After receiving the certificate, it doesn’t mean our hard work is over. Instead, we must maintain our commitment to continuously improve the quality of education,” he said.
For this achievement, the Dean expressed his appreciation to his staff and the FMIPA UI academic community who had worked hard to complete all the long processes to obtain this accreditation.
He encouraged all study programs that have received international accreditation to actively establish international cooperation in the field of education throughdouble degree programs, in-bound, out-bound, and so on.
