The Integration of STEMC in Indonesia: Current Status and Future Prospects

It is necessary to develop students to become lifelong learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to meet the challenges in the 21st century. Therefore, the STEM research center of Universitas Syiah Kuala in collaboration with other stakeholders in education, namely government, industry, public, and media has launched the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Character (STEMC) learning approach. There are six aspects to be developed through the STEMC approach: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, computational thinking, and characters. In general, the nature of STEMC is not only a process of transferring knowledge from teachers to students but also an effort to build students' character. STEMC approach is designed to improve students' scientific abilities, motivation, and perseverance. It means that every phase of learning is designing to support students' intellectual and emotional growth. This paper aims to address what has been done at the STEM Research Center of Universitas Syiah Kuala and the plan for integrating STEMC in Indonesia. It provides an overview of some projects that have been conducted, such as the development of STEMC modules for senior high schools and collaboration with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in teacher professional development programs. In addition, this paper also highlights the STEM center's plan to implement STEMC in Indonesia