Lamongan – The Faculty of Science, Technology, and Education (FSTP) of the University of Muhammadiyah Lamongan (Umla) held an international Guest Lecture event, Wednesday (7/5/2025). This activity is the result of a collaboration between Umla and Mapua University, Philippines, which presented the main speaker, Assoc. Prof. Maela Madel Cahigas, Ph.D., an expert in the field of educational data analysis. This event was held in a hybrid manner, combining face-to-face and online meetings.

Carrying the theme "Analysis of Educational Data Using Statistics", this guest lecture was attended by around 300 second semester students from various study programs at Umla, such as Industrial Engineering, Computer Engineering, Medical Informatics, Biology, Physics, and Elementary School Education. The event took place in the Budi Utomo Hall, 3rd floor, Umla campus and was moderated by Rohmat, S.T., M.Sc., a lecturer in Industrial Engineering at Umla.

In his presentation, Dr. Maela Madel Cahigas emphasized the importance of statistics as a scientific tool that serves to collect, analyze, and interpret data that can support more effective decision-making, especially in the field of education.

One of the techniques introduced is Conjoint Analysis, which is usually used in market research, but is now starting to be applied to understand student preferences in choosing schools, courses, or learning platforms.

Conjoint Analysis consists of five main stages: determining attributes and levels, compiling orthogonal designs, creating questionnaires, collecting data, and interpreting results using statistical software such as SPSS. With this data-based approach, the decision-making process in the world of education becomes more accurate, relevant, and measurable.

On the same occasion, Dean Eko also motivated students. "I invite all students to take advantage of this valuable opportunity, so they can learn directly from an international expert in their field," he added.

This activity not only provides new insights for students, but also strengthens Umla's international academic network in the fields of education and technology, opening up opportunities for wider collaboration in the future.