Competency Gaps among Graduates of Islamic Religious Higher Education Institutions in the Digital Era: Stakeholder Perspectives and Implications for Curriculum Management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18592/moe.v12i2.20429Keywords:
Competency Gaps; Curriculum Management; Digital Competence; Graduate Employability; Islamic Higher EducationAbstract
Islamic religious higher education institutions (PTKI) must respond to changing workplace demands without weakening the religious identity that defines their educational mission. This study examined gaps between stakeholder expectations and the self-rated competencies of graduates of UIN Antasari Banjarmasin and considered how the findings could inform curriculum management. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design combined surveys of 87 alumni and 16 stakeholders with interviews involving 14 alumni and all 16 stakeholders. Survey data were summarized descriptively, matched indicators were compared through an adapted importance-competence gap analysis, and interview data were analyzed thematically. The widest gaps concerned subject-matter mastery (33.2), effective communication (30.0), problem-solving (28.4), and quantitative data processing and analysis (28.1). Basic digital skills, including office applications and online information searching, showed narrower gaps, although data analysis and digital security remained areas for improvement. Stakeholders also valued graduates' religiosity, integrity, loyalty, and Islamic work ethic. The findings suggest that graduate-readiness concerns in PTKI are not simply digital; they also involve disciplinary, analytical, and interpersonal capacities. In response, the study proposes a dual-responsive curriculum management framework that links evidence-based adaptation to workplace and technological demands with the deliberate preservation of Islamic educational identity.
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