Successfully Implementing the PDS Grant Program

(UKWMS-13/12/2019) – Faculty of Teachers Training and Education (FKIP) of Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University has completed a grant program called the Lecturer Assignment in School (Penugasan Dosen di Sekolah or PDS in Bahasa Indonesia). PDS is a grant program that the Faculty had prepared since June 2019. On Friday, December 13, 2019, WMSCU held a seminar in the Kalijudan Campus as part of the reporting process on the results of the PDS Program. It was attended by Vice Rector I, Vice Rector III, Dean of FKIP, all FKIP lecturers who were involved in the PDS grant, and school teachers from partner schools. “We thank and congratulate you for your success, truly a happiness and pride for WMSCU because this PDS program was entrusted to us by the Directorate of Learning,” said Vice Rector I of WMSCU, Drs. Y. G. Harto Pramono, Ph.D., when delivering his speech.
The PDS program that FKIP participated in was following the B scheme. The B Scheme covers two core activities, namely the assignment of lecturers who have not had a chance to participate in PDS and the application of PDS materials by lecturers who have participated in the previous year. The focus of this program is on English Education and Physics Education. There were 12 lecturers from the English Language Study Program and three lecturers from the Physics Education Study Program who participated.

The existence of the PDS program helps lecturers to understand what should be the focus of learning and also to look at problems in class and find ways to overcome them with Classroom Action Research (CAR). Not only lecturers, but partner school teachers were also helped by this program. For instance, they learn what part of their skills and knowledge that still need to be developed as part of their learning process, how to make learning in the classroom to be more energized and less boring, and other methods that can provide useful experiences for both parties.
“The lecturers who teach in our class also encourage us to give feedback and suggestions for our work amongst ourselves. These activities help us to better understand the material and understand what is right and wrong,” said one of the students whose lecturer applies PDS material.
Although this activity was prepared with a short amount of time, the lecturers participating in this program gave their hard work and received good results. Some notes regarding the implementation of the PDS program will be evaluated in order to have an even better next implementation