Virtual Lab App Earns UMS Students Triple Award

The Elementary Teacher Education (PGSD) students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) once again made the university proud on the national stage. They won three awards at the Nusantara Creative Competition 2, held in Bandung on September 21–22, 2025.

The team, consisting of Vera Dewi Nazarina (PGSD 2022), Agita Asri Kusumawardani (PGSD 2023), and Hamman Rafi Abidin (PGSD 2023), brought honor to UMS through their innovative project titled “Sciventure: A Mixed Reality–Based Virtual Science Practicum Application to Enhance Students’ Practical Experience Effectively and Interactively.”

The project was inspired by concerns over the limited science laboratory facilities in Indonesian elementary schools. Vera pointed out that only 2.67 percent of the 149,037 elementary schools nationwide are equipped with science labs. This condition, she said, restricts students’ opportunities to engage in hands-on experiments.

The PGSD UMS team then offered a solution through the Sciventure app, harnessing mixed reality technology that combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

“This innovation is expected to deliver an interactive, inclusive, and accessible practicum experience without the need for physical laboratories,” said Vera on Monday (29/9/2025).

Nusantara Creative Competition 2 in Bandung, September 21–22, 2025, the Sciventure team showcased their work to the judges. 

The application comes equipped with several standout features, including Star Adventure, AR Learning Mission, Challenge and Quiz, Digital Material, and a Discussion Forum. These features were designed to spark students’ interest in science while providing them with hands-on learning experiences.

Their hard work and creative ideas paid off. Sciventure led the PGSD team to the highest achievement, securing the gold medal as the main award. On top of that, they also won first runner-up in the essay competition and received recognition for the best poster presentation.

“Alhamdulillah, we are grateful for this achievement. It motivates us to keep improving our work while making a real contribution to advancing education in Indonesia,” said Vera.

She emphasized that Sciventure is not only an alternative solution for science learning but also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 on Quality Education.

Agita Asri Kusumawardani added that this success was also the result of strong mentorship from lecturers and full support from the PGSD UMS program. “That encouragement truly gave us the spirit to perform our best during the competition,” she noted.

As for Hamman Rafi Abidin, he hopes this work can be further developed in the future so it can be widely used in elementary schools. “We want this application to truly be useful for students, especially those in schools with limited facilities,” he explained.

Writer: Fika Annisa Solihah

Editor: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid