Arabic Literature Department Held A Training For The Development Of Interactive Arabic Language Tests For The Alumni
Arabic Literature Departement Universitas Negeri Malang
Muhammad Lukman Arifianto, M.A
24 July 2021
Public Engagement
SGD 17
This year, the Department of Arabic Literature, Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang held a community service activity entitled Post-study Continuing Professional Development Program (PPKB) for its alumni. One of the themes of the activities that have been carried out is “Training for Development of Arabic Interactive Tests”. This title was initiated by the PPKB service team considering that the online learning implementation policy needs to be balanced and strengthened with various internet and multimedia-based interactive test and quiz models so that learning Arabic during this pandemic becomes more fun but still in line with the basic competencies and learning objectives that have been proclaimed. . In this activity, participants are not only limited to JSA FS UM alumni but are also open to the general public (non-alumni JSA FS UM) so that the benefits can be felt more broadly.
The activity was held online on Saturday, July 24, 2021, starting at 07:30 am to 11.45 am using the Zoom Meeting application and broadcast live on the Youtube Channel of the Department of Arabic Literature FS UM. This event was attended by approximately 65 participants both from the alumni element and from general participants (non-JSA alumni). In the opening of the activity, the Secretary of the Institute for Research and Community Service, State University of Malang (LP2M UM) Dr. Ahmad Munjin Nasih, M.Pd said that the Continuous Professional Development Program (PPKB) is one of the special service schemes funded by LP2M UM this year to improve the competence of alumni who are currently taking part professionally in various fields. He advised the training participants to make the best use of the momentum of this Arabic interactive test development training activity, so that later the knowledge and material gained through the activities can be applied properly so that the process of learning Arabic online in schools and work institutions of the participants can running smoothly.
Four (4) lecturers of the Department of Arabic Literature, Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang who are competent in their fields were presented to deliver the material in this activity. The first speaker is Prof. Dr. Moh. Ainin, M.Pd. On that occasion, the speaker provided a foundation regarding the concept of evaluation and its characteristics in learning Arabic. The presenters also highlighted common mistakes in the evaluation process of Arabic learning, especially related to the determination and process of preparing evaluation instruments that must meet four basic criteria, namely validity, reliability, having distinguishing power, and having a level of difficulty that is suitable for students.
The second speaker is Dr. Irhamni M.Pd. On that occasion, the speaker delivered his material about planning and implementing the evaluation process in Arabic learning. He conveyed several steps that must be taken in the process of making Arabic tests, namely (1) preparation, (2) selection of test material, (3) selection of the form and type of test, (4) determining the number of test items, (5) determining the score. test items, (6) making test grids, (7) writing test items, and the last one is (8) testing.
The third speaker is Dr. Mohammad Ahsanuddin, M.Pd., a lecturer and also a multimedia expert in learning Arabic. On this occasion, the presenters presented their material related to development. He emphasized that Arabic teachers today must master information technology and adapt to new media to support Arabic learning activities. On that occasion, the presenters also practiced the steps for using interactive question-making sites and also demonstrated one of the question-making applications, namely Hot Potatoes.
The last speaker was Muhammad Lukman Arifianto, S.S., M.A. On that occasion, the presenters did not convey the material as other presenters, but rather shared experiences related to the use of various interactive test or quiz models in learning Arabic. He also had time to interact with the participants through a simple survey via slido.com which was conducted in the middle of the presentation. The results show that Kahoot, Quizizz, and Google Form are the most widely used learning media by Arabic teachers. The participants also revealed several reasons for choosing and using some of these media, including easy to use, practical, familiar to students, and free (no cost).
At the end of this activity the participants conveyed their impressions and messages. They feel that this kind of activity is very beneficial for the self-development of Arabic teachers. They also hope that similar training activities can continue to be held regularly and in stages by the Arabic Literature Department. Because now they feel the need to re-learn and need information updates regarding the use of the latest technology in Arabic learning, so that they can adapt to the interactive online learning culture during the Covid-19 pandemic.