Instructional Design for the Computer Network Subject: A Balinese Culture-Based Learning Using Subak

Abstract

Indonesian culture is very diverse and many of its indigenous concepts and values can potentially be applied in modern education and daily life. Subak is a Balinese irrigation system, which is known widely in the world. The Subak system with its unique resources management is similar to the concept of a computer network system. The Subak concept can be applied to an innovative learning model to improve students’ understanding and mastery of certain concepts. This is a needs analysis study to produce an instructional design manual based on Subak concepts, for the subject of computer networking. The subjects for this study were students majoring in Informatics Engineering Education while taking a course in computer networks. The data were collected through the use of questionnaires, observation, and interviews and analyzed through a descriptive qualitative method. The instructional design manual being developed consists of 11 chapters with 23 specific instructional objectives where each chapter illustrates two important points. However, there are still three chapters having material which is still difficult to be analogically linked to Subak concepts, such as Internet Protocol, internetworking, and directory of naming. The computer network concepts are associated with the analogy of a Subak network system. The aspect that does not seem to be covered with the analogy is the commercialization of computer networks/Internet and the involvement of large corporations.