Dias Aziz Pramudita, S.Pd., M.Cs., a lecturer in Informatics Engineering Education (PTI) at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), has once again brought pride to his university by winning a gold medal at the prestigious European Exhibition of Creativity and Innovation (EUROINVENT) 2025 held in Romania.
EUROINVENT is a global research exhibition that showcases the innovations of researchers from around the world. Dias presented his project, a virtual reality (VR) game called VR Computhink, an educational technology designed to enhance students’ computational thinking skills.
VR Computhink is a research-based innovation that combines game-based learning with an immersive virtual environment. The game incorporates content inspired by the Bebras Challenge and transforms it into a fun, interactive learning experience within a virtual world.
With its intuitive interface and adaptive storyline, the game guides students through foundational informatics concepts such as algorithmic thinking, decomposition, and pattern recognition, all through engaging gameplay. The goal is to provide a learning experience that’s not only enjoyable but also deeply impactful in strengthening computational thinking abilities.
“Students are challenged to complete tasks rooted in informatics, derived from Bebras Challenge problems. The hope is that they can learn the basics of informatics in a more enjoyable and meaningful way.” ” Dias explained in a virtual interview on Tuesday (13/5/2025).
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The idea behind VR Computhink stemmed from Dias' doctoral dissertation research. It later evolved through a collaborative research project between UMS, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, and Technische Universität Dresden in Germany. The project was supported under the Tridharma Integration Grant scheme by the Research and Innovation Office (LRI).
At EUROINVENT in Romania, Dias and other participants were each given a booth to present their research. His innovation was evaluated directly by a panel of judges representing various fields relevant to the topics presented.
“I had the opportunity to present on Friday,” he shared. “My work was assessed by three judges from the technology field. They asked many questions about the goals, challenges, findings, and overall impact of the innovation.” he added.
Although the project was still in its prototype stage, the judges and visitors showed great interest in VR Computhink. Dias interpreted this enthusiasm as a strong signal of the educational potential of virtual reality-based learning tools.
“Initially, I was only hoping for a special award,” he admitted. “So winning a gold medal is something I’m deeply grateful for, especially since many other participants brought patented and copyrighted inventions.”
Dias encourages members of the UMS academic community to become more actively involved in international activities and research grants as part of strengthening the university's global presence. He also hopes that his achievement will inspire students, especially those in the PTI program at UMS, to take part in similar international competitions in the future.
“If a lecturer can do it, then students certainly can too,” he emphasized. “They even have more flexible time to explore. This is also a way of supporting UMS’ internationalization agenda.”
Writer: Fika Annisa Sholihah
Editor: Gede Arga Adrian
Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid
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