BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – A team of lecturers from the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Mathematics Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP), University of Jember (UNEJ), conducted an international community service programme in Brunei Darussalam on 27–29 October 2026. The programme was organised in collaboration with the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). During the programme, the team provided teachers with training in developing agro-industry-based interactive learning media. The visit also served as an opportunity to explore potential research and academic collaborations with UBD partners. This initiative reflects UNEJ's commitment to strengthening international academic networks while sharing knowledge and expertise in mathematics education.
The UNEJ delegation was divided into two teams. Team 1 was led by Ngizatul Afifah, M.Si., with members Dhanar Dwi Hary Jatmiko, S.Pd., M.Pd., and Reza Ambarwati, M.Pd., M.Sc. Team 2 was led by Arin Berliana Angrenani, S.Stat., M.Stat., with members Reni Albertin Putri, S.Pd., M.Pd., and Sekar Ayu Rahmayani, M.Pd. The programme was facilitated by Dr. Noradinah binti Hj Jaidi and Dr. Marlizayati Johari from SHBIE UBD, with support from the Dean of SHBIE, Dr. Hjh. Hardimah binti Haji Mohd Said. The programme commenced with a discussion involving the leadership and lecturers of SHBIE UBD. The meeting focused on preparations and coordination for the international community service activities at Sekolah Menengah Rimba II and Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan.
The first activity took place at Sekolah Menengah Rimba II through a training session entitled “From Farm to Future: Development of Agro-Industry-Based Interactive Learning Media through Wizer.me”. The training introduced Wizer.me, a digital platform for developing interactive online student worksheets. Teachers explored several of its key features, including automatic grading to simplify assessment, various interactive features to make exercises more engaging, the integration of videos and supplementary learning links, and Canva integration to create more visually appealing worksheets. The Principal of Sekolah Menengah Rimba II, Darlin Sia Vui Sue, highlighted the flexibility of Wizer.me in supporting teaching and learning activities. Through this platform, students can access and complete assignments from different locations. This feature helps ensure learning continuity when schools need to switch to online learning, for example, due to adverse weather conditions or other emergencies. The teachers also expressed their hope that the programme would continue through further mentoring sessions, including online meetings.
On the second day, the UNEJ team conducted a community service programme entitled “AgroSmart Student: Creation of Agro-Industry-Based Interactive Learning Media through Scratch” at Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan. The programme focused on developing interactive learning media using Scratch, a block-based visual programming application. Most participating teachers had never used the application before. Through this training, teachers gained hands-on experience in designing and developing interactive learning media. The Principal, Pengiran Hajah Rahmah binti Pengiran Haji Abas, noted that the teachers were highly enthusiastic about acquiring new skills that could be directly applied in their classroom teaching.
One of the highlights of the activities at both schools was the teachers' enthusiasm for incorporating agro-industry contexts into learning. Although the term agro-industry was relatively new to some participants, agro-industrial practices are already part of everyday life in Brunei Darussalam. Examples include processing fish into fish crackers and processing sago into ambuyat, a traditional Bruneian dish similar to papeda, a sago-based staple food. These local products can serve as authentic and contextual learning resources. Through this approach, students not only learn mathematical concepts abstractly but also connect them to production processes and economic activities that are familiar to their everyday lives. This is expected to make mathematics learning more meaningful, relevant, and accessible to students. The use of interactive digital media further provides opportunities for teachers to transform these real-life contexts into engaging learning activities.
On the final day, the UNEJ team continued its visit by holding a discussion with lecturers from the Mathematics Programme, Faculty of Science (FOS), UBD. The meeting was hosted by the Programme Coordinator, Dr. Shiaw Yin Yong. The discussion focused on opportunities to develop international academic and research partnerships. Potential areas of collaboration included student exchange and academic visits, joint research, guest lectures, and international community service programmes involving both SHBIE and FOS UBD.
Through this programme, UNEJ hopes to further strengthen and sustain its partnership with UBD. This collaboration is expected not only to reinforce institutional ties between the two universities but also to promote innovative teaching practices, enhance teachers' professional competencies, and contribute to improving the quality of mathematics education in both Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.
Penulis: S1 Pendidikan Matematika