Trends of Educational Technology (EdTech): Students’ Perceptions of Technology to Improve the Quality of Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the use of technology in enhancing the quality of Islamic higher education in Indonesia. A mixed-method approach, with a sequential explanatory design, was applied in this research. The participants in the quantitative research were 608 students from 10 provinces in Indonesia, while those in the qualitative approach were 23 students. The quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire, and the qualitative data were collected through interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while the qualitative data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, which included collecting, reducing and displaying the data, and drawing conclusions. The findings showed that students’ perceptions of the use of technology in improving the quality of Islamic higher education were categorized into three parts. First, the technology used in enhancing the quality of delivering materials includes LMS (38%), Zoom meetings (30%), Google Meet (18%), and Google Classroom (14%). Second, the technology used in improving the quality of monitoring or learning direction includes WhatsApp (55%), Telegram (25%), Line (9%), and Google Classroom (11%). Third, the technology used to improve the quality of learning evaluation includes Kahoot (9%), Quizizz (10%), Google form (48%), Turnitin (28%), and computer-based tests (5%). In addition, the respondents gave a positive response to the use of technology in learning in Islamic higher education. The use of technology in Islamic higher education shows an increase. It eases the lecturers, students, and other stakeholders to provide a more outstanding quality of Islamic education.