UGM Joins DISCERN-DSS Training, Social Dinner, and Project Meeting at UMY to Strengthen International Collaboration

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) participated in a series of DISCERN-DSS activities hosted by Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) from September to October 2025. The activities included training sessions, a social dinner, and a project meeting, bringing together Indonesian and European partners to strengthen collaboration in digital health education.

The activities were part of DISCERN-DSS, an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project that supports the development of digital soft skills through co-creative practices and Digital Scenario-Based Learning (D-SBL). Through this project, partner institutions work together to design learning approaches that are relevant to the needs of future health professionals in digitally transformed healthcare systems.

UGM joined the program alongside other Indonesian partner universities, including Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) and UMY. European partner institutions also contributed to the activities by sharing knowledge and experience in medical education, digital learning, scenario-based learning, assessment, and professional development.

The training sessions focused on strengthening participants’ understanding of D-SBL and its application in health professions education. Participants discussed how learning scenarios can be developed, aligned with learning outcomes, and used to support the development of digital soft skills such as communication, collaboration, ethical reasoning, adaptability, professionalism, and critical decision-making.

For UGM, the training provided valuable insights into how digital soft skills can be integrated into curriculum and learning activities. As healthcare services increasingly depend on digital systems, students need to be prepared to navigate digital health environments responsibly, ethically, and collaboratively.

In addition to the training, the social dinner provided an important informal space for partners to build stronger relationships. This interaction allowed participants from Indonesia and Europe to exchange experiences, strengthen trust, and develop a shared sense of ownership in the project.

The project meeting also played a key role in ensuring that academic activities were aligned with project implementation. Partners discussed coordination, upcoming work plans, reporting needs, financial and administrative matters, and the next stages of DISCERN-DSS activities.

UGM’s participation in these activities reflected its active role in supporting both the academic and collaborative dimensions of the project. The combination of training, informal networking, and structured project coordination helped strengthen the foundation for future work, including local training, scenario co-creation, review, and the development of D-SBL resources.

Through its involvement in the DISCERN-DSS activities at UMY, UGM continues to contribute to international collaboration in health education innovation. The project is expected to support the preparation of future health professionals who are digitally competent, ethical, adaptive, collaborative, and ready to respond to the evolving demands of modern healthcare.