Lecturers Urged to Shift Paradigm Through Outcome-Based Curriculum
BUKITTINGGI— The higher education paradigm in Indonesia is undergoing a fundamental shift from a traditional, content-based approach to Outcome-Based Education (OBE). This transition demands full readiness from lecturers to completely overhaul their instructional designs, from formulating target outcomes to classroom evaluation methods.
The challenges and strategies of this curricular transformation took center stage at the English Language Education Lecturers’ Workshop, held by the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training (FTIK) at UIN Bukittinggi. The event, titled "The Concepts of OBE-Based Semester Lesson Plans (RPS), Implementation, and Evaluation," ran from July 1 to 2, 2026, featuring Prof. Dr. Teuku Zulfikar, a professor from UIN Ar-Raniry Aceh, as the keynote speaker.
FTIK UIN Bukittinggi Dean Dr. Junaidi emphasized that the curriculum change is an inevitability in response to today's exponentially changing dynamics. He noted that higher education institutions must not remain trapped in obsolete, old patterns if they aim to produce graduates who are relevant to the needs of modern industry and society.
Echoing this sentiment, the head of the FTIK English Language Education Study Program, Dr. Widya Syafitri, added that adapting the curriculum toward OBE is expected to significantly boost the program's academic quality. Furthermore, it ensures that the learning process becomes more interactive, measurable, and anchored in students' actual competencies.
In his presentation, Prof. Teuku Zulfikar highlighted that the transition to OBE often leaves technical issues at the instructional level. Based on a workshop material analysis regarding common issues in semester lesson plans, there are six main obstacles lecturers frequently encounter when designing an OBE-based RPS.
According to Teuku, these problems stem from ambiguities in formulating measurable Graduate Learning Outcomes (CPL) and Course Learning Outcomes (CPMK), as well as difficulties in mapping and aligning all instructional components to support the final objectives. Additionally, teaching methods are often ineffective and not yet student-centered, compounded by challenges in developing valid assessment instruments, unrealistic time management and workloads, and limited access to updated instructional resources.
Teuku maintained that OBE is not merely an administrative document on paper, but a tangible commitment to ensuring every student possesses measurable, real-world competencies upon completing a course. To overcome these hurdles, an OBE-based curriculum requires a radical shift in classroom instructional strategies. Lecturers must no longer position themselves as the sole center of information, but rather as facilitators who fully encourage student autonomy.
Based on the workshop materials on promoting student autonomy, Prof. Teuku Zulfikar emphasized the importance of fostering such independence through six tactical pillars. The steps begin with providing meaningful choices to give students decision-making space, and encouraging self-regulation so they can map out their own learning goals.
Furthermore, lecturers must promote independent problem-solving, utilize active learning methods through peer-teaching and classroom flexibility, build a supportive environment to boost academic confidence and resilience, and promote ownership through structured routines so that students take full responsibility for their learning outcomes.
One concrete manifestation of this autonomy is shifting the conventional learning cycle toward Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A comparative chart of learning cycles reveals a stark contrast between traditional learning and PBL. In the traditional model, students are positioned passively—they are given information, memorize it, and are then assigned tasks to illustrate the application of what they have memorized.
Conversely, the PBL cycle reverses this logic by directly confronting students with a real-world problem (problem assigned). From this problem, students are triggered to identify what they need to know, and then, both independently and collaboratively, learn and apply new concepts through a cycle of presentation, investigation, collective analysis, reflection, and a final assessment.
The presence of Prof. Teuku Zulfikar in UIN Bukittinggi’s academic lineup also strengthens a long-established collaboration. Aside from being a speaker, the language teaching methodology expert has long dedicated his expertise as an expert reviewer for the International Journal of Modality: Applied Linguistics Journal, a scientific journal in the field of applied linguistics published by UIN Bukittinggi.
This long-standing partnership within the editorial board not only reinforces the implementation of the OBE curriculum at the study program level but also continuously safeguards and elevates the quality of scientific publications to remain competitive and globally recognized. (IO Team)
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