Perspectives on the Need for Digital Teaching Materials for Empowering Critical Thinking Skills and Problem-Solving in the Era of Merdeka Belajar Nadya Rizky Nuzul Ramadhanti, Fatchur Rohman*, Sulisetijono
Biology Education, Master of Departement Biology Education, FMIPA UM
Abstract
The era of Merdeka Belajar is an independent condition for educators and students to gain learning experience and knowledge to develop their potential and overcome problems in life. This concept is a response to the needs of the education system in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 to prepare graduates with 21st-century skills in the form of knowledge skills, including critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Educators must develop students^ knowledge skills by facilitating students to become more active, creative, and independent. The learning process cannot be separated from the role of teaching materials that bridge knowledge between the material being taught and real-world situations in everyday life. The need for mastery of technology in learning can be applied to digital-based teaching materials because they are considered practical, self-contained, can be accessed anywhere, and have an interactive appearance. The purpose of this study is to analyze the need for digital teaching materials to empower students^ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Collecting data using a questionnaire following the Need Assessment and Front-end Analysis stages from Lee & Owen. The population of this research is the second-semester biology education students of UMM. The results obtained indicate that critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students relatively raise aspects of data use and analysis as well as aspects of identifying solutions that are only limited to the surface and are not structured. Thus, it is necessary to develop digital-based teaching materials that can accommodate the empowerment of critical thinking skills and student problem-solving about 21st-century learning skills. E-module is a form of presenting self-study materials that are systematically arranged and presented in electronic format, where every learning activity is programmed to achieve learning objectives. The development of e-modules will support Merdeka Belajar era.
