How Students Make a Positive Community Impact Through Blended Learning

We see limitations not as barriers but as opportunities to innovate. At SMKN 1 Paringin in Balangan, Indonesia, 96 students in the Electrical Engineering Program—part of our 450-student school—are taught by only three teachers, with no technician, and limited facilities that are 180 kilometers from the provincial capital. These conditions push us to design a meaningful, adaptive approach to learning, centered on three priorities: academics, service, and development.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education worldwide, including in Balangan, where all learning moved online. However, since 2012—well before the pandemic—we had already developed a blended learning model that combined theory with in-person practical work. As enrollment increased, the shortage of teachers became more pressing. To address this, we introduced a Peer Teaching approach: selected students receive accelerated training and help guide their classmates during practical sessions, ensuring both safety and support for teachers. This method not only improves learning outcomes but also builds students’ technical expertise, leadership, and collaboration skills.

Education aims to prepare students to positively impact their communities, which is why service is our second focus. Applying competencies in electrical installation, students and teachers contribute knowledge through services that are aligned with community needs. For example, we found that 8 out of 10 houses in Balangan had unsafe electrical installations—many over 10 years old—posing serious fire risks. Through community service–based practicums, 11th graders go into neighborhoods to repair household electrical systems. Students build hard skills by solving real problems and grow soft skills through direct interaction with residents. The community benefits from safer electrical systems, reducing fire hazards while improving safety and economic stability.

Our third focus is the sustainable development of student potential. Since 2012, our Peer Teaching program has grown into Electriciteam, where teachers mentor selected students to use their free time to become vocational leaders and lead community outreach initiatives. In the process, students sharpen hard skills such as database management, design, microcontrollers, electrical engineering, and website development, while also developing soft skills through research, projects, scientific writing, and presentations.

One such Electriciteam project is AKURAT, recognized in the 2025 Ciena Solution Challenge Awards Program. Students created AKURAT in response to the needs of students and community members who live along the riverbank and rely on river water for bathing, washing, and cooking. Concerned by the health problems caused by polluted water, the students designed AKURAT, a device that detects and monitors water acidity.

Seeing their prototype work for the first time filled the students with joy and excitement, and their hope of making AKURAT a tool for protecting both the environment and community health continues to grow.

The advice we can offer to other teachers includes: Build strong bonds and a sense of community among students. Give them the confidence to express their ideas and provide intensive mentoring. – Suhada Syu

• Register for the Ciena Solutions Challenge: Educators can register now for the Ciena Solutions Challenge. Through March 5, 2026, educators can submit student projects and apply for a $3,000 Sustainability Award.
• Explore the Ciena Solutions Challenge Project Gallery and previously awarded projects from 2023, 2024, and 2025 for inspiration.
• Have questions? Email us at cienachallenge@digitalpromise.org.