ICP vs Non-ICP

By:

Dambelu and Aychan

Since 2010, State Islamic Universities (UIN) Maulana Malik Ibrahim (Maliki) Malang has implemented International Class Program (ICP) using bilingual teaching—Bahasa and English—as medium of instruction. This program is located in faculty of Education (Tarbiyah) which has six departments: Islamic Elementary Teacher Education, Social Science Education, Islamic Religion Education, Arabic Language Education, Islamic Education Management, and Raudhatul Athfal Teacher Education. It is well-known by non-ICP or Regular Class since students there study as what all students generally do. Nevertheless, due to its particular characteristic, ICP becomes difference with Regular class in some aspects.

 In selection process, as usual before being Regular Class—non-ICP—students, they must pass through one of UIN Malang entrance tests first (e.g. SNMPTN, SBMPTN, SPANP-TAIN, or Mandiri). In addition, they must do some registrations as its last requirement if they have passed through the tests. On the other hand, when they have been being Regular Class students, they have to do one more selection test if they are going to be an ICP student in the next semester. It demands some requirements which must be fulfilled by the students. One of them is Basic English competence in order to ensure that they have the fundamental ability to follow that International Class Program during the following semester then.

            Furthermore, both ICP and non-ICP have different learning systems in term of the lecturers and the sources (e.g. books/e-books). In non-ICP, the lecturers, native Indonesian, use their mother tongue while giving the explanation in daily class. It absolutely eases the students to get the points of what the lecturers are talking about. Similiarly, the sources are also written in Indonesian which ease them to read the materials. On one side, ICP lecturers not only use Bahasa but also have English capability. It makes the students who have some struggles in English understanding can be covered by lecturers’ bilingual explanation. Furthermore, the sources are mostly written in English. However, it will be their own distinct superiority if they have really mastered them.

            More importantly, non-ICP and ICP students have different final assignment results—PKL (Praktek Kerja Lapangan) and final thesis. Mostly, non-ICP students have PKL in Mother Island since they only master their mother tongue. However, it is still possible for them to have PKL in other countries if they join and pass through its selection test. In addition, they do their final thesis automatically in Bahasa. On the contrary, ICP students have a big chance to have PKL in other countries since they have English capability—besides their mother tongue—to communicate. Yet, they have a chance passing through the selection test easily because they have had many preparations during learning process. Eventually, it is a must for them to do their final thesis in English.

            Being ICP students may be better rather than non-ICP due to their bilingual capability. However, it depends on every single student purpose: whether they want to struggle themselves more to get better future or not. As an old law nature says, “The more you give; the more you get.”