FKIP UMKT Hosts ARISE 2026 International Conference, Empowering Students to Transform Social Science Education

umkt.ac.id, Samarinda – The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) at Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalimantan Timur (UMKT) virtually hosted the 2026 Annual Research & Innovation in Social Science Education (ARISE) International Conference today, July 4, 2026.

Carrying the theme “Rising Voices: Student Research Transforming Social Science Education,” the conference served as a premier virtual forum via Zoom for students, researchers, and global experts to showcase their research findings and exchange innovative ideas.

Rasya Berliani, the Chairperson of the ARISE 2026 Committee, reported that the conference successfully gathered 122 presenters and over 210 participants from various higher education institutions across Indonesia. She emphasized that this milestone was achieved through a robust collaborative network involving national and international institutions, namely Universitas Muhammadiyah Bone, Mulawarman University, STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb Berau, Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris State Islamic University Samarinda (UINSI), Esa Unggul University, Universitas Widya Gama Mahakam (UWGM), Universitas Kutai Kartanegara (Unikarta), Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa University (UST), and EducationUSA.

"Thanks to the partnership among eight partner institutions, this event was a success. This collaboration signifies our joint commitment to boosting research development and elevating the quality of future scholars," Rasya stated.

Ali Saukah, the Dean of FKIP, praised the organizing committee for the seamless organization of the event. He remarked, “This conference is a vital platform for students to sharpen their research capabilities and significantly broaden their academic networks with peer universities.”

The conference was officially opened by Abdul Halim, UMKT's Vice Rector for Academic, Quality Assurance, Student, and Alumni Affairs. He highlighted that the current development of the technological world—particularly the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)—sets new challenges and opportunities in the realm of education, specifically in the social sciences.

"We face complex challenges within social science education due to the use of AI and other technological disruptions. ARISE 2026 asserts a new vision: students are not merely recipients of knowledge, but have transformed themselves into producers of knowledge, researchers, and agents of change," Abdul Halim stated.

The conference featured three keynote speakers: Walker DePuy, an American researcher from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Zulharman from the University of Technology Surabaya; and Dzul Rachman from UMKT. The three speakers shared their perspectives on bolstering student research and innovation breakthroughs within the field of social science education.

Subsequently, the participants were divided into 11 breakout rooms for parallel sessions, where they could discuss and present their research findings.

The grand success of ARISE 2026 underscores FKIP UMKT's unwavering dedication to nurturing a vibrant scientific and research culture among its students. By expanding scholarly collaborations on both national and international stages, it is expected the insights generated today will meaningfully contribute to developing a resilient social science education system that is highly adaptive to dynamic global challenges.

Author: Raisha Azzahro

Translator: M. Rafly Raihandy