UNS – The Research Group (RG) Special Education Services in Special Needs Education (PLB) Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held a community service program with the theme “Assistance in Using the SUPERSMART Application in Vocational Placement for Special Needs Students in Special Schools”. The activity was held at the Laras Asri Resort and Spa Hotel Salatiga on Wednesday (12/7/2023) in collaboration with the State Special School (SLBN) Salatiga.
The RG team consisted of several lecturers from UNS specializing in Special Needs Education namely Dr. Subagya, M.Si., Prof. Dr. Ravik Karsidi, M.S., Priyono, S.Pd., M.Sc., Erma Kumalasari, M.Psi, Psi., and Arsy Anggrellanggi, M.Pd. The activity was attended by 35 teachers from SLBN Salatiga. The RG Special Education Services aimed to accommodate the needs of the SLBN Salatiga by designing activities for the use of the SUPERSMART application in vocational placements for special needs students.
The event began with a pretest on the Merdeka Curriculum, vocational identification and assessment, and the SUPERSMART application. Dr. Subagya then delivered a presentation on the Merdeka Curriculum in Special Education and the importance of vocational placements. Next, Priyono, M.Sc. provided guidance on the identification and assessment of vocational skills for students with special needs. The session continued with Erma Kumalasari, M.Psi., Psi. providing assistance on the use of the SUPERSMART application in vocational placements for special needs students.
Arsy Anggrelanggi, M.Pd. explained the importance of knowing the talents and interests of students so that teachers can determine vocational programs.
“Special school teachers have the additional task of identifying and assessing students with special needs. The accuracy of the identification and assessment results will determine the issues, potentials, barriers, and needs of the Special Needs Students (PDBK), ultimately enabling teachers to determine the appropriate and relevant intervention. Each student has diverse characteristics, abilities, talents, and interests. By knowing students’ talents and interests, teachers can determine vocational talent and interest development programs that are more accurate and suitable,” Arsy said, Friday (14/7/2023).
The SUPERSMART application facilitates the vocational placement task for teachers of special needs students. Furthermore, Arsy explained that the field conditions showed that many special school teachers still struggle to recognize the talents and interests of PDBK, which hinders their ability to develop talent and interest development programs in special schools. As a result, the talents and interests of PDBK in special schools may not be optimally developed. The community service program ran smoothly and the participants showed enthusiasm for the activities. “The participants were enthusiastic about trying out the application and engaging in discussions. The activities went well,” Arsy said. Humas UNS