SDG 4.3.4 Education Outreach Activities beyond Campus
Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia
Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) is a state postgraduate research university in Depok, West Java. Although it admits no undergraduates, it treats community engagement, one of the three pillars of Indonesian higher education (Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi), as a core duty of its faculties. Lecturers and master’s and doctoral students take their teaching out of the campus to schools, madrasahs, pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), partner universities and local communities, delivering tailored lectures, workshops, demonstrations and mentoring designed for the people they visit.
This outreach is organised in two ways. Regular outreach runs every year through the University’s competitive Community Engagement Grant scheme, managed by the Directorate of Research, Cooperation and Community Engagement, and through the standing school programmes of the faculties. Programmed outreach consists of the individual projects delivered under that scheme and by the research centres in 2025. Postgraduate students take part voluntarily as facilitators, mentors, and team leaders. The activities of 2025 (January–December) are summarised in Table 1 and described below with supporting links and photographs.
Table 1. Educational outreach beyond the UIII campus, 2025 (at a glance)
| No | Activity | Faculty / unit | Date (2025) | Location and beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Regular outreach | ||||
| 1 | Community Engagement Grant scheme: 15 collaborative projects awarded | Directorate of Research, Cooperation and Community Engagement | Contracts signed 11 August | Schools, pesantren, universities and communities in several provinces (Table 2) |
| 2 | Faculty of Education community visit and classroom teaching | Faculty of Education (lecturers, MA and PhD students) | 16 December | MAN 1 Cilegon, Banten: students, teachers and parents; MoU signed |
| 3 | Business Model Canvas Workshop (13 sessions) | Faculty of Economics and Business | Final session 9 January | 32 students (grades 10– 12), Sekolah Terbuka Madani, Kukusan, Depok |
| 4 | Ecological Finance Psychology for Youth (four sessions) | Faculty of Economics and Business | 17 November | Grade 12 students, SMK Bina Taqwa, Depok |
| 5 | STEM Trails with Socio-Scientific Issues: teacher training (32 hours, free) | Faculty of Education, with USK, UNNES and Math Trails Lab | Launched 7 July | Primary and secondary school teachers, Banda Aceh, Aceh |
| B. Programmed outreach projects | ||||
| 6 | SantriPreneur Academy | Faculty of Economics and Business | 26–27 September | Santri from seven pesantren, Ponorogo and Madiun, East Java |
| 7 | Research Clinic and Symposium | Faculty of Education | 26 August – 14 September | 25 students of IAIN Kerinci, Jambi |
| 8 | Community forum: Digital Islam, Geopolitics and the Madhhab Question | Faculty of Islamic Studies | 2025 | Muslim community, Bogor, West Java |
| 9 | From Eco-Technology to Eco-Theology: Green Islam innovation | Faculty of Islamic Studies | 2025 | Pesantren community |
| 10 | Workshop on integrating science and religion | Faculty of Islamic Studies | 2025 | Mathematics and science (MIPA) educators of state Islamic universities (PTKIN) |
| 11 | ASEAN seminar-training on interreligious and intercultural dialogue for peacebuilding | COMPOSE, Faculty of Social Sciences | 1–5 December | 24 officials from ASEAN Member States, Manila, Philippines |
| 12 | UIII Mengajar | Office for Student Affairs and International Services – UIII Students | August 2025 | Students at SMA N 1 Situbondo, SMA Panji Situbondo, Pondok Pesantren Walisongo. |
| No. | Project | Setting and target community |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Economics and Business | ||
| 1 | Ecological Finance Psychology for Youth | SMK Bina Taqwa, Depok: grade 12 students |
| 2 | Strengthening researchers’ competence in quantitative and qualitative methods for Islamic economics and finance | UIII campus: external students, researchers, NGO and government staff |
| 3 | Empowering Muslim communities through global halal export opportunities | Muslim entrepreneurs and community groups |
| 4 | SantriPreneur Academy: incubation of santri sociopreneurs based on Islamic philanthropy | Ponorogo, East Java: santri of seven pesantren |
| Faculty of Education | ||
| 5 | Narratives for Change: writing children’s literature on tolerance | Jusuf Kalla Library, UIII: parents from Greater Jakarta |
| 6 | Culturally responsive mathematics teaching, with SOKOLA RIMBA | Indigenous and remote learners supported by SOKOLA RIMBA |
| 7 | Empathy training for peer counsellors | Mataram, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara |
| 8 | Research Clinic and Symposium | IAIN Kerinci, Jambi: undergraduate and postgraduate students |
| 9 | Youth Interfaith Camp for Peace | Young people of different faiths |
| 10 | Mainstreaming Wasathiyah (moderate) Islam in dayah | Dayah (traditional Islamic boarding schools), Aceh |
| Faculty of Social Sciences | ||
| 11 | Suara Pesisir: marine policy dialogue with fishers | Coastal fishing communities |
| 12 | Interfaith dialogue training for young leaders of Jakarta and Depok | UIII campus: young leaders aged 20– 35 |
| Faculty of Islamic Studies | ||
| 13 | Workshop on the integration of science and religion for MIPA educators | Lecturers of state Islamic universities (PTKIN) |
| 14 | Eco-technology and eco-theology innovation in pesantren | Pesantren community |
| 15 | Digital Islam, geopolitics and harmony between madhhab | Muslim community forum, Bogor |
1. Regular outreach
1.1. Community Engagement Grant scheme
Every year, UIII funds community engagement projects proposed by its lecturers through a competitive internal grant scheme run by the Directorate of Research, Cooperation and Community Engagement. Proposals are reviewed before grants are awarded, and each project must bring the expertise of a faculty to a community outside the University. On 11 August 2025 the Directorate signed contracts for 15 collaborative projects for the 2025 cycle. At the signing, the Rector, Prof. Jamhari, reminded grantees that community engagement is part of the University’s Tri Dharma obligations and of its accreditation, and the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Dr. phil. Syafiq Hasyim, stated that “the target for community engagement is clear: the community” [1].
The 15 projects, grouped by faculty, are listed in Table 2. Most were carried out off campus, in schools, pesantren, partner universities and coastal and urban communities in several provinces, and several involved postgraduate students as facilitators. Selected projects are described in Section 2.
Table 2. Projects funded under the UIII Community Engagement Grant scheme, 2025 [2]
Public access: https://uiii.ac.id/uiii-initiated-15-community-engagement-collaborative-projects-this-year/
1.2. Faculty of Education community visit to MAN 1 Cilegon
The Faculty of Education (FoE) takes its lecturers and postgraduate students to partner schools each year as part of its community service. On Tuesday, 16 December 2025, lecturers, master’s and doctoral students of the 2024/2025 cohort and international students of the Faculty visited MAN 1 Cilegon, a state Islamic senior high school in Banten, accompanied by members of the school’s student council (OSIS). The visit opened with a welcoming ceremony and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Faculty and the school [3]. The UIII team then ran parallel sessions in classrooms, the hall and the school laboratory. Topics were tailored to students, teachers and parents: gender education in Islam, parenting, learning design based on Merrill’s principles of instruction, empathy and inclusivity, English instruction and cross-cultural exchange with the international students. In one English presentation session, for example, a doctoral student worked with 23 students and two OSIS members for about 90 minutes; students chose one of nine topics, prepared for 30 minutes and presented in groups.
1.3. Faculty of Economics and Business school programmes in Depok
Business Model Canvas Workshop for Sekolah Terbuka Madani
The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) runs community service programmes for secondary schools near the campus. Its student-led community service team, headed by master’s student Syamsi Mustofa Singgih Prayogo with Jajang and Fauziyah Adzimatinur, delivered a 13-session entrepreneurship programme to 32 students in grades 10 to 12 of Sekolah Terbuka Madani, an open secondary school in Kukusan, Beji, Depok. The sessions aimed to coach the students in turning business ideas into structured plans with the Business Model Canvas; in the final session, held at the Faculty on Thursday, 9 January 2025, six groups pitched their business models to a panel chaired by M. Luthfi Hamidi, Ph.D., Head of the MA in Economics programme, in the presence of the school’s principal and teachers. The three best groups received seed-funding prizes, and the students toured the Jusuf Kalla Library [5].
Ecological Finance Psychology for Youth at SMK Bina Taqwa
Under the 2025 grant scheme, Hanafi Sofyan Guciano, Ph.D., and Master of Finance student Syamsi Mustofa Singgih Prayogo delivered “Ecological Finance Psychology for Youth: Taking Small Steps on the Path to Sustainable Lifestyle” to grade 12 students of SMK Bina Taqwa, a vocational high school in Depok, in four interactive sessions on 17 November 2025. Using a participatory action research approach, the students mapped their daily lifestyles on an Environmental Psychology Canvas, explored through storytelling, games and group discussion how impulsive spending and single-use products harm the environment, and learned basic financial literacy, including how to avoid predatory online lending. The most active students received student savings accounts as prizes (Figure 1).
Public access: https://feb.uiii.ac.id/uiii-boosts-youth-entrepreneurship-with-business-model-canvas-workshops/
1.4. STEM Trails teacher training in Aceh
Under the national Riset Kolaborasi Indonesia (Indonesian Collaborative Research) scheme, the Faculty of Education works with Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK), Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) and the Math Trails Lab community on a series of trainings that teach school teachers to design outdoor mathematics trails on socio-scientific issues with MathCityMap, a GPS-based learning app. The series opened in Banda Aceh on Monday, 7 July 2025, with a free 32-hour programme of materials, discussions and implementation in the teachers’ own schools for primary, junior and senior high school teachers from across Aceh. UIII lecturer Dr. Destina Wahyu Winarti taught the integration of socio-scientific issues into learning, alongside Prof. Mailizar (USK) and Dr. Adi Nur Cahyono (UNNES). Participants then designed math trails in their own schools and published them on MathCityMap. Banda Aceh was the first stop of the series, which also planned a stage in Semarang; the Depok stage was hosted by the Faculty itself as the STEM Trails Workshop for Depok mathematics teachers on 25 July 2025 [6].
Public access: https://foe.uiii.ac.id/?p=122505
2. Programmed outreach projects in 2025
2.1. SantriPreneur Academy in Ponorogo
SantriPreneur Academy: Incubation of Santri Sociopreneurs Based on Islamic Philanthropy is an FEB community engagement project led by M. Luthfi Hamidi, Ph.D. It aims to give santri (pesantren students) the knowledge and skills to build social enterprises grounded in zakat, infaq and waqf, so that pesantren can drive local economic development as well as religious learning. The 2025 academy took place away from the campus, on 26 and 27 September 2025 at the Baitul Mukhlisin Mosque in Ponorogo, East Java, in partnership with Universitas Islam Negeri Kiai Ageng Muhammad Besari Ponorogo, BankZISKA and the National Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of Ponorogo [7].
Santri from seven pesantren in Madiun and Ponorogo worked in seven groups, facilitated by FEB lecturers and postgraduate students. The academy ended with business-plan presentations and prizes for the three strongest groups; the team from Pesantren Subulul Huda, Madiun, took first place (Figure 2).
Public access: https://uiii.ac.id/feb-uiii-launches-santripreneur-academy-to-nurture-islamic-social-entrepreneurs/
2.2. Research Clinic and Symposium at IAIN Kerinci
Led by Prof. Suwarsih Madya, Ph.D., an FoE community engagement team took research mentoring to the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) Kerinci in Jambi Province, with the support of its Rector, Dr. Jafar Ahmad. After registration on 21–23 August 2025, more than 30 students applied and 25 were selected from four faculties (Tarbiyah; Sharia; Islamic Economics and Business; and Ushuluddin, Adab and Dakwah) and from the postgraduate programme. From 26 August to 11 September 2025 each participant received at least six one-to-one mentoring meetings on research logic, coherent writing, data interpretation and qualitative and quantitative methods. The programme closed with a symposium on 13–14 September 2025, where 15 participants presented their work; 24 participants completed full papers for submission to journals. An FoE doctoral student who took part as a mentor wrote an account of the programme [8].
Public access: https://foe.uiii.ac.id/in-the-light-of-small-steps-a-journey-of-learning-sharing-and-becoming/
2.3. Faculty of Islamic Studies community projects
Three projects of the Faculty of Islamic Studies (FIS) under the 2025 grant scheme took the Faculty’s expertise in Islamic thought to communities and educators beyond the campus:
1. Digital Islam, geopolitics and the madhhab question, Bogor. A community forum in Bogor, West Java, titled “The Ummah Divided: Digital Islam, Geopolitics, and the Madhhab Question”, discussed how digital media and geopolitical tensions affect Muslim communities and how differences of religious interpretation, including between schools of law (madhhab), can be discussed with knowledge and humility [9].
2. From eco-technology to eco-theology in pesantren. An FIS team introduced Green Islam innovations to a pesantren community, linking practical eco-technology for waste, energy, water and agriculture with the eco-theological teaching of Islam on care for creation [10].
3. Integration of science and religion for MIPA educators. A workshop for mathematics and natural science (MIPA) educators of state Islamic universities (PTKIN) dealt with integrating and interconnecting science and religion in their teaching, where the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training (FITK) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta once again held a collaborative academic event with the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII), in the form of a workshop titled “Fostering the Integration–Interconnection of Science and Religion.” The event took place on Friday, October 10, 2025, in the Theatrical Room on the 4th floor of the Faculty of Medicine building. The workshop was attended by faculty members from the Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MIPA), Early Childhood Islamic Education (PIAUD), and Islamic Elementary School Teacher Education (PGMI) study programs at FITK. It aimed to strengthen the understanding and application of the integration–interconnection paradigm between science and religion within the context of contemporary Islamic education. [11].
Public access:
2.4. Peace education for ASEAN officials in Manila
The Center of Muslim Politics and World Society (COMPOSE) of the Faculty of Social Sciences extends UIII’s work on interreligious dialogue beyond Indonesia. From 1 to 5 December 2025 its Director, Ridwan, Ph.D., served for the second time as the Indonesian regional expert at the seminar-training on Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue for Peacebuilding convened in Manila, the Philippines, by the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) with KAICIID. The third edition of the programme, after Bangkok (2023) and Kuala Lumpur (2024), trained 24 participants from ASEAN Member States, most of them government officials, through seminars, case studies, mini-lectures, group discussions and field visits to local religious and cultural communities, and prepared them to pass on what they learned within their institutions [12].
Public access: https://uiii.ac.id/uiiis-compose-expands-footprint-in-asean-peace-initiatives-through-officials-training-in-manila/
2.5. Other 2025 outreach projects
The remaining off-campus projects of the 2025 scheme (Table 2) were culturally responsive mathematics teaching with SOKOLA RIMBA, the alternative education provider for indigenous and remote communities; empathy training for peer counsellors in Mataram, Lombok; a Youth Interfaith Camp for Peace; the mainstreaming of Wasathiyah Islam in the dayah of Aceh; Suara Pesisir, a marine policy dialogue with coastal fishers; and an FEB programme helping Muslim communities develop global halal export opportunities [2].
2.6. UIII Mengajar
UIII Mengajar is a student-led community engagement initiative coordinated by the Office for Student Affairs and International Services, involving UIII students in educational outreach and community engagement beyond campus. The programme aims to introduce UIII and its educational opportunities to prospective students and local communities while contributing to educational development, youth motivation, and community engagement.
The programme was conducted on 16–20 August 2025 in Situbondo Regency, East Java, involving 10 UIII students representing the Student Union (SU) under the Office for Student Affairs and International Services.
The activities reached students at three educational institutions and engaged the wider local community through the following initiatives:
1. SMA Negeri 1 Situbondo: Conducted teaching sessions and introduced UIII to students across eight classes.
2. SMA Panji Situbondo: Conducted teaching sessions and introduced UIII to students across six classes.
3. Pondok Pesantren Walisongo: Conducted teaching sessions and introduced UIII to students across six classes.
4. Local arts community: Provided motivation and encouragement to young people through engagement with a local arts community.
5. Local food festival: Introduced UIII and its educational opportunities to the wider community through participation in a sub-district-level regional food festival.
Through its educational sessions, UIII Mengajar reached 20 classes across three educational institutions. Beyond classroom activities, the programme extended its engagement to local youth and the wider community. It provided opportunities for UIII student representatives to share knowledge, promote awareness of higher education opportunities, and introduce the University to communities beyond the campus. At the same time, the programme strengthened students’ communication, leadership, and social engagement through direct interaction with schools and local communities.
3. Student involvement
Postgraduate students carry much of UIII’s outreach as volunteers. Master’s students led the FEB community service team for Sekolah Terbuka Madani and co-delivered the Ecological Finance Psychology sessions at SMK Bina Taqwa; FEB postgraduate students facilitated the SantriPreneur Academy groups in Ponorogo; MA and PhD students of the Faculty of Education, including international students, taught classes at MAN 1 Cilegon; and FoE doctoral students served as mentors in the Research Clinic at IAIN Kerinci. These roles give students practical experience of teaching and community work while extending the University’s educational reach to schools and communities that seldom have access to postgraduate expertise.
SDGs Relevance: Quality Education (4.1, 4.4, 4.7, 4.c), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8.3), Reduced Inequalities (10.2), Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (16.1, 16.7), Partnerships for the Goals (17.17)
References
[1] Faculty of Economics and Business, UIII. “UIII Boosts Youth Entrepreneurship with Business Model Canvas Workshops”, 21 January 2025. https://feb.uiii.ac.id/uiii-boosts-youth-entrepreneurship-with-business-model-canvas-workshops/
[2] Faculty of Education, UIII. “It Takes Two: Community Engagement as Active Participation for Collaborative Empowerment within and beyond the Institution”, 18 December 2025. https://foe.uiii.ac.id/it-takes-two-community-engagement-as-active-participation-for-collaborative-empowerment-within-and-beyond-the-institution/
[3] Faculty of Education, UIII. “Collaboration of Three Campuses Brings Forth STEM Trails in Aceh”, 9 July 2025. https://foe.uiii.ac.id/?p=122505; “Math Meets Adventure: Teachers Turn Into Math Explorers at STEM Trails Workshop at UIII”, July 2025.
[4] Faculty of Education, UIII. “In the Light of Small Steps: A Journey of Learning, Sharing, and Becoming”, 4 November 2025. https://foe.uiii.ac.id/in-the-light-of-small-steps-a-journey-of-learning-sharing-and-becoming/
[5] Faculty of Islamic Studies, UIII. “UIII Discusses Digital Islam, Geopolitics, and Madhhab Differences in Bogor Community Forum”. https://fis.uiii.ac.id/uncategorize-en/uiii-discusses-digital-islam-geopolitics-and-madhhab-differences-in-bogor-community-forum-4646/
[6] Faculty of Islamic Studies, UIII. “From Eco-Technology to Eco-Theology: UIII Promotes Green Islam Innovation in Pesantren”. https://fis.uiii.ac.id/uncategorize-en/from-eco-technology-to-eco-theology-uiii-promotes-green-islam-innovation-in-pesantren-4642/
[7] Faculty of Islamic Studies, UIII. “UIII Strengthens Integration of Science and Religion for MIPA Educators in Islamic Higher Education”. https://fis.uiii.ac.id/uncategorize-en/uiii-strengthens-integration-of-science-and-religion-for-mipa-educators-in-islamic-higher-education-4636/
[8] UIII. “UIII Initiated 15 Community Engagement Collaborative Projects This Year”, 12 August 2025. https://uiii.ac.id/uiii-initiated-15-community-engagement-collaborative-projects-this-year/
[9] UIII. Proyek Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (PkM) Bertema Keberlanjutan (internal report); UIII Community Engagement Program 2025, https://research.uiii.ac.id.
[10] UIII. “FEB UIII Launches SantriPreneur Academy to Nurture Islamic Social Entrepreneurs”, 2025. https://uiii.ac.id/feb-uiii-launches-santripreneur-academy-to-nurture-islamic-social-entrepreneurs/
[11] UIII. “UIII’s COMPOSE Expands Footprint in ASEAN Peace Initiatives Through Officials Training in Manila”, 8 December 2025. https://uiii.ac.id/uiiis-compose-expands-footprint-in-asean-peace-initiatives-through-officials-training-in-manila/