Lomba Inovasi Digital Mahasiswa (LIDM) is an annual competition organized by Balai Pengembangan Talenta Indonesia, the National Achievement Center of the Ministry of Education and Culture, with the aim of discovering talented individuals with remarkable digital innovations. This year, LIDM was held at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia and featured five competition divisions: the Division of Digital Technology Innovation in Education (ITDP), the Division of Digital Education Learning Innovation (IPDP), the Division of Digital Education Videos (VDP), the Division of Digital Posters (PD), and the Division of Digital Microteaching (MD).

The activities of 2023 LIDM began with the launch of information and socialization in March 2023. Hundreds of universities in Indonesia registered their best teams to participate in this competition. According to information from the news portal of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, 2023 LIDM attracted 1,356 groups from 234 universities in Indonesia. Selection processes were carried out to find the best ideas and innovations, resulting in 362 students and 90 supervising lecturers who became the finalists of LIDM 2023 from the five competition divisions.

Figure 1. LIDM Logo

In the 2023 LIDM, there were two teams from the Computer Science Education study program that successfully achieved championship titles. Team TXT emerged as the first-place winner in the Digital Technology Innovation in Education division, while Team Smart Duash received an honorable mention in the Digital Microteaching division. Additionally, another team from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, named EGGDUCATION, secured the second-place title in the Digital Education Videos division.

Team TXT, led by Nugraha Adiputra and consisting of Wendi Kardian, Galih Lazuardi, and Guntur Nugraha as members, guided by Erlangga, S.Kom, M.T., clinched the championship in the Digital Technology Innovation in Education division. They developed an application called OPENLIT, which provides categorized literature as a monitoring tool to enhance reading motivation among the Indonesian population. With OPENLIT, it is hoped that reading can be made more accessible to the people of Indonesia, anytime and anywhere.

Figure 2. Group photo of the TXT Team and the Smart Duash Team at the 2023 LIDM activities

Nugi, the nickname for Nugraha Adiputra, expressed that his team had been preparing to participate in the LIDM competition since March, coinciding with the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Nugi and his teammates decided to enter LIDM Division 1 and developed an initial proposal addressing the issue of literacy in Indonesia. They then went through an internal selection process at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.

After successfully passing the internal selection, Team TXT registered their idea on the LIDM portal along with other requirements such as creating a video, proposal, and a design plan for the product they would develop. On May 9, 2023, it was announced that Team TXT had advanced to the final stage of the selection process and would continue their journey to the Finals, which would take place in July.

Picture 3. TXT Team with OPENLIT’s X Banner

Nugi expressed his joy after his team successfully reached the final stage of LIDM 2023. “Being a finalist is a great source of pride for us because this is the first competition that has taken us this far. However, on the other hand, we felt overwhelmed because there were many requirements that had to be fulfilled, coinciding with the final exam period. We had to create a demo video, a presentation, a fully developed product, a copyright registration list, and a final report,” Nugi said.

The joy of knowing that his team had advanced to the final round was short-lived. Because, within a span of 2 months, the LIDM finalists were required to fulfill the requested requirements set by the LIDM committee. During this time, Nugi felt supported by the Computer Science Education study program as he and his team received assistance in terms of finances, facilities, and guidance from their supervising lecturers, Erlangga, M.T., and also getting helped by Erna Piantari, M.T.

Finally, on July 7, 2023, Team TXT presented its work in front of the competent jury of LIDM. The hard work and dedication of Nugi and his team paid off as Team TXT emerged as the first-place winner in the Digital Technology Innovation in Education division.

Figure 4. Awarding of Champion Titles to TXT Team

“There were many things that happened on the path to becoming champions, and in our opinion, those are things that we are truly grateful for. Coupled with the happiness and heartfelt emotions of experiencing our first opportunity to give our best,” said Team TXT.

However, Nugi and the team were not easily satisfied with the results they had achieved. According to them, there is still a long way to go in order to make a meaningful impact on society.

“Being a champion is a sign, a sign that we have fought hard. But being a champion is not the end result because we believe the journey is still long. We believe that despite doubts, as long as we stay on the right path and continue to strive, we can achieve even greater things. Therefore, our hope is that this LIDM championship can be one of the best milestones in our journey and serve as a foundation for us to continue fighting in other aspects of life.” Nugi stated.

Figure 5. The TXT Team Holding the Champion Trophy and Medal

The Computer Science Education study program extends appreciation to both winning teams of the LIDM competition through Dr. Wahyudin, MT, as the head of the study program. “This appreciation is given with the aim of providing motivation to other students to always participate in student competitions, both at the national and international levels. The study program is deeply grateful to the students who have participated in the Student Digital Innovation Competition (LIDM) and also to the student advisors who have worked hard to nurture their students to perform confidently. For the students who were not fortunate this time, keep the enthusiasm to participate again in the following year.” stated by Dr. Wahyudin, MT.

Figure 6. Appreciation to Team TXT by Dr. Wahyudin, MT.

Figure 7. Appreciation to Smart Duash Team by Dr. Wahyudin, MT.

Congratulations to all the winners of the LIDM 2023 championship, especially to the two teams from the Computer Science Education study program. May through this achievement, bring benefits to the wider community and inspire other students to explore their potential and channel it for the benefit of large society.

Writers: M.Cahya