Technology development requires people to create innovation to access all living aspects easily. It also occurs to education in Indonesia. Seeing education overseas employing e-learning system to foster education for youth, Indonesian government is socializing e-learning program to universities in Indonesia.

An expert staff of Ministry of Research and Technology of Higher Education (Kemenristek Dikti) for academic affairs Prof. DR. Paulina Panen and Deputy Director of Learning and Students (Belmawa) Ristek Dikti Dr. Ridwan Roy T., S.H., S.E., M.Si. organized a socialization of long-distance education (PJJ) by e-learning system at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) on Saturday (4/7) at 8-11 a.m. It was conducted in A.R. Fachruddin A, floor 5, UMY. Attending the socialization were 40 lecturers of departments of UMY.

In the forum, several lecturers informed that they have been utilizing e-learning in learning and teaching process at UMY. The use of e-learning is for internal and external assignment when the lecturers could not attend at class. Prof. DR. Paulina Pannen sated, “The lecturers starting using e-learning are one step forward. However, there are a number of challenges to confront on the e-learning system.”

One of the challenges of PPJ is how e-learning can be beneficial while maintaining the same quality as learning process at class and increasing the internal and external capacity. “There are 50 courses for undergraduate program. If e-learning is implemented, there will be several courses included in e-learning curriculum like MKSU (Basic Course), Kemuhammadiyah, and a course of research and statistics. Thus, 12% of all courses for undergraduate students are through online,” he continued.

Prof. Paulina inserted that e-learning will be helpful for the lecturers since they are not required to always have meeting at class. It is also valuable to monitor students’ learning system. Kemenristek Dikti recommended all lecturers to have an assistant lecturer to assist them control the learning and to answer students’ inquiries. Nevertheless, the assistant lecturer may not have the same duty as the lecturers as checking examination and giving mark to the students.

Prof. Paulina also conveyed that the e-learning system applied at the Open University of Indonesia encourages students to actively communicate with lecturers. “Students are usually shy to query at class. When learning using online system, it displayed that the students actively ask what they do not understand,” she added.