Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (GS UNY)held an academic dialogue (sarasehan) that brought together the school’s leadership team, lecturers from the Educational Research and Evaluation (ERE) Program, and two visiting international professors. The event aimed to strengthen academic collaboration between UNY and its international partner institutions.
The discussion was attended by Prof. Dr. Siswantoyo, M.Kes., AIFO., Director of GS UNY; Prof. Dr. Muhammad Nursa’ban, S.Pd., M.Pd., Coordinator of the Master Program in ERE; Prof. Dr. Ir. Edy Supriyadi, M.Pd., Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in ERE; Dr. Widihastuti, S.Pd., M.Pd., Head of the ERE Laboratory; and Prof. Dr. Heri Retnawati, S.Pd., M.Pd., senior lecturer of ERE. Representatives from the Office of International Affairs and Partnerships of the GS UNY— Susana Widyastuti, S.S., M.A., Ph.D., and Lalita Sari, A.Md., S.Tr.A.B. — also took part, along with master’s and doctoral students from the PEP program.
The event also welcomed two distinguished international guests: Prof. Dr. Elena Kardanova from HSE University, Moscow, Russia, and Dr. Gulzhaina K. Kassymova, Ph.D. from Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University and Satbayev University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Moderated by Prof. Dr. Heri Retnawati, the event began with remarks from Prof. Dr. Siswantoyo, who expressed his commitment to expanding academic collaboration between GS UNY and partner universities. “We hope that this cooperation will not only be limited to guest lectures but will also include student exchange programs, joint publications, collaborative research, dual degree programs, and credit transfer initiatives,” he said. Prof. Siswantoyo emphasized that such partnerships are crucial to enhancing the quality of education and improving UNY’s QS ranking, both institutionally and in subject-specific fields such as Education and Training.
In the next session, Prof. Dr. Elena Kardanova and Dr. Gulzhaina K. Kassymova conveyed their appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate with GS UNY. They expressed optimism that this partnership would expand further and bring academic and research benefits to both institutions, especially for master’s and doctoral students.
The dialogue continued with discussions on potential joint academic and research projects, focusing on areas such as measurement, testing, methodology, and educational evaluation. Both parties agreed that collaboration in these areas could generate impactful research outcomes and innovative practices.
This academic gathering not only strengthened ties between UNY and its international partners but also opened up new pathways for future academic development and research collaboration. The ongoing cooperation is expected to make a meaningful contribution to improving the quality of education at both institutions.