Wiyata Nawasena

According to data, there are around 35% of 15 year old students in Indonesia who can understand science at level 1a competency group and 17% at lower levels. Competency level 1a refers to students' ability to use general materials and procedural knowledge to recognize or differentiate explanations of simple scientific phenomena. Students at level 1a are able to choose the best scientific explanation of data presented in a general context.

In reading, around 27% of Indonesian students have a competency level of 1b, a level where students can only solve the easiest text comprehension questions.

In mathematics, around 71% of students do not reach the minimum level of competence in mathematics. This means that many Indonesian students still have difficulties in dealing with situations that require problem solving skills using mathematics.

These figures certainly show that the learning abilities of 15 year old students in Indonesia are still very lack. Several sources refer to various causes, including: learning facilities that do not suit students' needs, a learning environment that does not support students to have motivation to learn. In short, school institutions have not found the right way to provide learning tools that can create motivation to learn.

We propose a solution in the form of a virtual world infrastructure with various teaching modules. Not only learning modules related to STEM, we will provide learning modules related to social and technical skills on living the virtual world, such as introduction, making use, norms and civility of the virtual world.

Virtual world, many call it as metaverse, which is a 3D digital environment is quite similar to game environment that today's young generation will easily get the hang of it. This world has many similarities to open-world type games with addition of real-time interaction and the potential for lively social media for its users.

The virtual world will be used to create immersive learning modules in the form of 3d simulations, 3d props, historical site and landmark replicas, virtual classrooms, etc.

We have created some learning modules and use them on several education institutions which have gained extraordinary responses from students and teachers.

We also applied gamification to various things to increase student engagement in our virtual world environment with great results.

And now, we would like to make it bigger, better and more accessible for more children.

Wiyata Nawasena aims at K-12 students and their school teachers.

Today, most K-12 students are the digital native generation. Their daily life, including their study activities done heavily using digital technology. Unfortunately, their teachers do not quite understand their habits and style. So there is a wide gap between students' learning habits and the teaching methods applied in their schools.

This gap decreases students' motivation to study and even their motivation to excel at their education because schools do not provide appropriate learning facilities for them, some even pull them away from their world, by prohibiting them to access their digital device during school time.

Wiyata Nawasena brings students closer to learning experiences that are blended with their daily activities through a 3-dimensional virtual world. In this virtual world, they learn, gain knowledge, socialize, and collaborate with school friends.

The virtual world that we create combined with modern and fun ways to study that will motivate students to learn better and explore more.

We have experience on this since 2021 with more than 400 students and more than 130 school teachers. Our work has been used in formal and non-formal school situations. We have outreached and discussed to various level of educational institutions to introduce and getting inputs for better development. We also invite experts of education and child development to improve this product.

We’ve already built 3 virtual worlds that consist of several virtual islands on each system. Those systems have been running for 2 years. Our products have been used by 5 schools and 2 higher education institutions, and so far the responses are amazing, and prospects are very promising. Our products have been used by at least 400 students and 130 teachers from 5 cities. There were about a hundred different topics have been discussed in our virtual worlds.

We would like to improve our product by creating more worlds, simulations, 3d objects, topics, and scenarios. When possible, we also would like to develop the web version and mobile client so the virtual world can be accessed much easier.

To achieve those, we need more human resources to build, as well as some tools to help the creation. Those requirements end up in financial needs. 

We also need to improve our technical knowledge and skills as well as pedagogy methods. Some extra courses, seminars, and workshops on many topics will bring benefits to us.

Next, to help the sustainability of it, we need more exposure and connection to the educational market.

We can use monetary help, sponsor for tools, servers, and internet connection, and help with exposure such as endorsement and connection to educational and government institutions.

Wiyata Nawasena combines three disciplines: technology, pedagogy, and psychology in designing this solution. With this approach, Wiyata Nawasena reaches all sides of students' needs. Technology alone is not enough even for today's generation who live in this digital era, students still need the right method of pedagogy and adequate psychological attention too. Likewise, pedagogy and psychology also cannot stand alone in terms of teaching. All the three must be combined to meet students' learning needs today.

At this moment as We know, not many institution can offer these three disciplines in integrated learning program. In our solution, these three disciplines are developed, integrated and implemented in balance, adapting to the student needs. This is the innovative solution we offer.

Based on our experience, students were highly engaged in the learning process when they did in our virtual world. They showed strong motivation  for learning, and this drove them to explore their subjects more on their own. We also practice brainstorming, discussion, and gamification with our students. When those activities are fueled by their engagement, those processes create synergy that develops better analytical and critical thinking skills thus it is expected that this will improve student learning achievement.

Our impact goals are numbers of students that are satisfied, excited to learn more than before knowing our product, and willing to continue learning with our platform. We target 45% from 400 students as the sample for evaluation, will pass the funnel and give good responses. Of course we will still open the virtual world for the other.

To measure our progress on achieving our goals, we will do funneling in 2 terms, each in a half year timeframe.

On each timeframe (half year) we will do the following:

1. First, we publicize our product to 400 students in a month’s time frame.

2. We target 300 students will register to our platform in a month after our last publication. That will show the number of students that are interested in our platform.

3. Next, we target 225 students to login to the platform to try the virtual world, in a month's time frame after registration. It is still going to show the number of interested children.

4. From those who logged in, we target 200 students to return at least once more in the next month. This is the number of students that really like the virtual world.

5. And the final measurement will be a survey to the students in the last group of the funnel above. We will ask their satisfaction, their excitement for more learning materials, their willingnes to continue using the virtual world, and what subjects are their favorites. We target at least 180 students to give a good satisfactory response.

Any number above the target is the result of great achievement over the goals we expected.

We use computer gaming technology that taken to the next level so become what people call as metaverse. It has 3D graphic environment that accessible to multiple users and everyone and everything interact in realtime. User can even access the environment using VR devices that create even more immersive experience. The 3D objects can be scripted for animation and interaction, that give opportunity to create immersive learning module that will be much more effective when psychology and pedagogy works together to create extra ordinary learning experience.

Five people part-timers

Three years

We do not have any staff so all team members are equal. All team members are individuals with their unique competencies that complement each other. In term of social and ethnic backgrounds, there is diversity but we treat each other as equals.

Each team member gets a role, responsibility, and benefits according to each individual's potential. In our team, all members have the same opportunity to express opinions and everyone gets appreciation for their respective contributions.

So far, we received income from 2 sources: subscription fees from students and operational donation from a technology company. Our current business model is providing classes for students around the country. We have classes called after-school, regular schools, and a student club which is a collaboration with another educational institution. The students who take one of the classes pay a monthly fee. The income from these students used to pay the teachers.

For technical operational costs such as cloud servers and website, we received donation support from an IT company owned by the team leader in return for permission to use our school as an example of the result of their products. Until now we have not set aside income and assigned a budget for the organization's profits.

To be sustainable, at least we are working on the condition that we have done so far. Income from the student fee is adequate to the payment for teachers, while technical operations are supported by donation support from the team leader's IT company. 

At this moment, we need additional funds for improvement and market expansion. The funds we are going to receive will be used for content enrichment, improving the quality of human resources, improving infrastructure, and for promotions. We expect that from the next leap, we can expand market penetration to get more students. That way, we can get bigger income from subscription fees.

In the future, we plan for continuous improvements so that our creation can be famed and create demand overseas to have a larger user base.