IMPACTS OF CDIO FRAMEWORK IMPLEMENTATION ON OUTPUT PRODUCTIVITY AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Universities and polytechnics under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology in Indonesia are encouraged to generate tangible impacts for industry and society. This policy has been positively adopted by Politeknik Negeri Batam (Polibatam), which has implemented Project-Based Learning (PBL) within the Conceive–Design–Implement–Operate (CDIO) framework since 2021. Through this approach, students are actively involved in project work throughout all stages of their academic programs, from introductory to advanced levels. The implementation of PBL and the CDIO framework at Polibatam is expected to enhance both internal and external institutional impacts. Institutional records indicate that the adoption of PBL and CDIO has led to a substantial increase in output productivity, particularly in the number of registered intellectual property rights and published academic articles. In 2023, Polibatam recorded its highest outputs, with 196 intellectual property registrations and 110 academic publications. Since the initial implementation of PBL in 2018, these outputs have been expected to generate significant benefits for stakeholders and society. Several project themes directly engage external stakeholders, particularly through collaborative industry-based projects, which have produced measurable impacts for partners. Moreover, the integration of the CDIO framework with a strong emphasis on PBL has contributed to the development of students’ interpersonal competencies, including communication and teamwork skills. Feedback from 52 industries employing Polibatam graduates indicates that graduates’ communication and teamwork skills are predominantly rated as excellent or good, with a notable improvement observed following the implementation of PBL and CDIO.