Research is More Than Just a Formality
There is one particular subject that often makes Informatics students feel as though they are facing a mountain of theories, chapters, instruments, hypotheses, and various academic regulations: Research Methodology. Many view it merely as an obligation to be completed before finishing their final project or meeting lecture requirements.
I view it from a different perspective. Research Methodology should be one of the most important foundations in Informatics education. Amidst the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the ability to create technology alone is not enough. Students must also be able to understand problems, test assumptions, read data, choose the right methods, and ensure that the solutions built truly provide benefits.
Informatics must not stop at the ability to write code. A digital talent must be able to answer problems with a systematic and accountable approach.
This can be seen in the birth of the Student Creativity Program-Karsa Cipta (PKM-KC) proposal titled SIGAP-OBAT: A Prototype for the Automatic Identification System of Dangerous Pharmaceutical Substances Based on Deep Learning and Large Language Models. To me, this work demonstrates how research methodology can serve as a bridge between real-world problems and technological innovation.
The team, led by Nurima Agusnita alongside Satria Afzal Zaydan, Afra Nur Rafifah, Syifa Aisyah, and Nabilah Septya Herlina, did not stop at searching for references. They attempted to observe existing field issues, specifically the condition of medicine labels that may suffer from damage or distortion, and then translated these into technological problems that can be researched and developed.
This is the true essence of research. Research is not merely about searching for theories to fill report pages. Research is a process of understanding problems more deeply before offering solutions. In the context of SIGPRE-OBAT, students attempted to combine Computer Vision, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Deep Learning, and Large Language Models (LLM) into a designed solution aimed at assisting the identification process of information related to pharmaceutical substances.
This approach also demonstrates that technological innovation does not always have to start with something spectacular. Often, innovation is born from simple problems found around us that have not yet received an appropriate solution.
Therefore, I always encourage Informatics students to change their perspective on research. Do not view methodology as a collection of rules that limit creativity. On the contrary, methodology is a map that helps creativity move towards a clear goal.
A good idea requires the right method. Advanced technology requires validation. Even artificial intelligence requires high-quality data, testing processes, and ethical considerations so that its use does not create new problems. This is where universities have a responsibility.
As a Digital Business Campus, Nusa Mandiri University (UNM) strives to build a learning ecosystem that does not separate theory from practice. For us, the classroom is not just a place for students to receive material, but an initial space to give birth to ideas that can be tested and developed into works.
In the Informatics Study Programme (S1), learning is directed so that students possess both technical and critical thinking abilities. They need to understand algorithms and technology, but they must also be able to identify problems, process information, choose research approaches, and evaluate whether the solutions they build are truly effective.
In this process, lecturers play a much larger role than merely providing grades. Lecturers need to be mentors who help students sharpen problem definitions, validate data, choose methods, and direct the development of solutions so that they have an academic basis and practical benefits.
I believe that works like SIGAP-OBAT are examples of how this process can produce something more meaningful. A research proposal can evolve into a prototype. A prototype can be tested. Test results can become the basis for further development. Ultimately, academic works have the opportunity to provide benefits to society.
This is the research culture we wish to continue building. Today’s Informatics students live amidst incredibly rapid technological changes. Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, and various new technologies continue to evolve. However, constantly changing technology requires humans who are capable of thinking more fundamentally.
The ability to think critically, understand problems, conduct research, read data, and make decisions based on evidence will not lose its relevance even as technology changes.
Therefore, I want students to view Research Methodology not as a subject to be quickly bypassed, but as preparation for building the mindset of an innovator.
Every problem can become research material. Every piece of data can become a source of knowledge. Every piece of knowledge can become the basis for innovation. And every innovation has the opportunity to provide benefits if developed through a measurable process.
To me, the success of Informatics education is not only when students are able to create applications or master programming languages. Greater success occurs when they are able to see the problems around them, formulate problems accurately, build technology-based solutions, and then prove that those solutions provide an impact.
That is the spirit we continue to encourage at UNM as a Digital Business Campus. We want students to not only be users of technology, but creators of solutions.