Abstract:

According to the Strategic Plan of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology for the period 2020-2024 (Renstra Ditjen Diktiristek), the employability of graduates in the workforce is considered a key measure of the success of learning outcomes, particularly at intermediate and higher education levels. Consequently, the Indonesian government has made a concerted effort to promote student-centered learning by developing both hard and soft skills, including motivation, time management, teamwork, interpersonal skills, and communication. Successfully navigating social and interpersonal situations requires courage, self-control, leadership, and teamwork. Indonesian higher education institutions, as a result, aim to create an instructional system that helps graduates acquire both subject-specific and more general professional abilities crucial for finding employment.

This study, conducted within the Design Management Class at Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, aims to investigate the aspects of real, collaborative learning incorporated into the portfolio project. It examines how, within the principles of authentic learning, the project promotes creativity, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork. Herrington’s nine guiding principles of authentic learning place emphasis on real-world relevance and the application of knowledge in meaningful contexts. These principles focus on engaging students in tasks mirroring real-world scenarios and emphasize collaboration. This approach encourages hands-on experiences within authentic contexts and the development of transferable skills beyond rote memorization. The goal is to better equip students for the dynamic problems they will face in their future, both personally and professionally.

The collaborative nature of the Design Credential project satisfies the industry's need for interdisciplinary collaboration and prepares students to handle the complexities of the industry. The study also highlights the more general difficulties faced by Indonesian graduates in visual communication design, emphasizing how important it is for graduates to be prepared for the workforce. In light of the rapidly changing creative economy, design graduates encounter obstacles such as scarce employment prospects, discrepancies between academic and professional standards, and the need to adjust to technological breakthroughs. In addition to providing a forum for honing technical abilities, the Design Credential project fosters soft skills like collaboration, project management, and communication—all of which are critical for success in the creative industries.

A mixed-methods approach, implemented within the Design Management Class, serves as a valuable tool to investigate the effectiveness of the collaborative authentic learning approach embedded in the Design Credentials Project. It explores the perspectives, experiences, and abilities that students have gained from this authentic learning environment. A 5-point Likert scale survey was used to gather data, and an open-ended question was included to gain input from students. The study's findings have a positive impact on the transformative potential of the Design Credentials but also illuminate the broader challenges faced by design graduates in Indonesia, advocating for educational strategies that empower students to navigate and thrive in the ever-evolving creative industry.

Keywords:

Teamwork, collaboration, authentic-learning, project-based, design education.