Food Science and Nutrition Accreditation 2021
A brief summary of the first online accreditation of i3L’s Food Science and Nutrition Department
By Edwin Hadrian, M.Sc.
Lecturer of Food Science and Nutrition
Picture 1. Online zoom meeting during the online accreditation
Recently, the BAN-PT has conducted an accreditation on the Food Science and Nutrition Department. This also marks the first online accreditation ever done at i3L. Prof. Imas Darajat from UNPAD (Padjajaran University) and Prof. Budi Widianarko Soegijapranata University, who were the assessors, led and guided the accreditation process thoroughly. As a result, the study program managed to get a significant rating upgrade from C (good) to B (very good) in the recent announcement.
We will now ask about the process in detail to Ritchie Rahardja, M.Sc. (Head of Department of Food Science and Nutrition Study Program) and Widya Indriani, M.Sc. (Faculty Member of Food Science and Nutrition).
Picture 2. Situation in the room 208 where online accreditation took place
Q: Could you please explain the accreditation process in brief?
R: The department of food science and nutrition had been accredited for the first time in 2016. At that time, the results didn’t fulfill our expectations. Therefore, we submitted a re-accreditation request in 2018, and finally, in 2020, the BAN-PT agreed to conduct the re-accreditation. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the accreditation had to be postponed until early 2021.
W: Additionally, the most challenging part was the switch from offline to online accreditation since we needed to convert all the data required into a digital format and prepare more data from the 2-year gap.
Q: What were the differences between online & offline accreditations?
R: The most prominent part was the online zoom session. Usually, the assessors need to be present in the campus to see and evaluate the university’s performance. However, we benefited from the online accreditation method since the assessors let us prepare the materials beforehand. For example, we could shoot a video to show the assessors our facility and equipment rather than showing them those physically. This simplified the accreditation process a lot, even with some extra preparations needed.
Q: What could be done in the future to improve the quality of education of the study program?
R: According to the accreditation, our study program has satisfied all the requirements from BAN-PT & DIKTI. Yet, several improvements still need to be made. As previously mentioned by the assessors, we also need to focus on the soft skills development program for the students through different platforms, such as leadership programs, CSR, and student council. We will also conduct our teaching with soft skills development in mind. Hopefully, by initiating this program, we can bring the Food Science and Nutrition department into getting an “A” in the next accreditation.
