The student adoption of EcoHealth concept
through Student Study-Service Activities in
Universitas Gadjah Mada
Funded by IDRC with technical support from ILRI
EcoHealth Conference, Kunming China 2012
Krishna Agung Santosa, Aris Purwantoro and Doddi Yudhabuntara
(EcoHealth Resource Center, Universitas Gadjah Mada)

Introduction
Student Study-Service Activities (SSA)
• In Indonesian Language: Kuliah Kerja Nyata
(KKN)
• Part of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM)
undergraduate curriculum for more than 30 yrs
• Serving as a vehicle for connecting students
and institution (UGM) to communities, instilling
in students the values of community and social
responsibility
• 3 credits, compulsary for senior undergraduate
students
• Groups of students from different disciplines
work, study and live in the community (under a
certain program) for 2 months
• Principles of SSA Program 1) transdisciplinary,
2) sustainable, 3) participatory community-
based problem solving
EHRC UGM

Program:SSA EcoHealth (EH)
Better animal farming using EH approach in Nanggulan District
• 3 cohorts: Oct – Dec 2011, Mar – Apr 2012
and Jul – Aug 2012
• 27 – 70 students/cohort: Vet
Sci, Sociology, Engineering, Law, Psycholog
y, Geography, Economics
• EH concept (EH-c): 1) system thinking, 2)
transdisciplinary, 3) participation, 4)
sustainability, 5) equity and 6) knowledge to
action
• EH-c: in line with principles of SSA
• EH-c was delivered to students: 1) lecture
(vet students), 2) SSA pre-departure talks, 3)
the use of KKN Handbook (draft)
• Objective: to determine students’ adoption to
the EH-c
EHRC UGM

Methods
• Pre-test vs post-test on EH concept
- How EH concept was understood
• Questionnaires on behavior change
- How far students disseminated EH-c
concept
- How students implemented EH-c
- Students evaluation of KKN-EH Handbook
(draft)
• Simple modified outcome mapping
• Students reports: what and how program is
running
EHRC UGM

Pre- vs post-test: How EH concept was understood
• EH-c was delivered
#1 in Block-24 of Vet. Sci. Curriculum, not
for non-Vet students
#2 Bruce Wilcox lecture
#3) Lecture on EH-c by SSA staff, prior to
the departure to the field (‘provision’)
• Pre-test was given before lecture #3 above
• Post-test was given after all lectures and
after students finished implementing the
program
• Grade increase of 9,99, from average of
64,76 to 74,75
• The most difficult to understand (pre-test) : 1)
participatory, 2) transdisciplinary and 3)
equity
• Conclusion: students adopted EH-c EHRC UGM
better, when EH-c was implemented

Behavior change (using questionnaires:
1) students searched and disseminated EH-c
• EH-c searching & learning more from 1)
internet, 2) SSA Handbook, 3) discussion
forum among classmates, 4) SSA
supervisor, 5) sci.journals
• Disseminating EH-c: to 1) village head and
officers, 2) farmers group, 3) school teacher
• Media for EH-c dissemination: 1) village
leader meetings, 2) women group, 3) farmers
group, 4) Islamic preach, 5) postesr &
leaflets
• Area of dissemination: 1) sub-village, 2)
village, 3) district
EHRC UGM

Behavior change (using questionnaires)
2) students implemented the EH-c
• Programs: 1) develop communal animal
sheds, 2) animal waste management
(biogas, compost), 3) fodder plant prod. (incl.
parasite-control plant), 4) animal
reproduction recording, 5) FGD on zoonotic
diseases: AI, Toxoplasma, Leptospirosis.
• Study programs required to collaborate: 1)
Vet. Sci., 2) Engineering, 3) Agriculture, 4)
Economics, 5) Social Sci., 6) animal Sci., 7)
Medicine, 8) Biology
• Stake holders contacted and participation: 1)
Office of Livestock Services, 2) Village and
district heads and officers, 3) farmers
group, 4) Vet. Publ.Health Service, 5) Fac. of
Vet. Medicine UGM
• Equity observed by students: 1) gender, 2)
religion, 3) level of education, 4) social- EHRC UGM
economic status, 5) occupation, 6) age

Behavior change (using outcome mapping)
Group discussion among students
• Students defined progress markers and
achievements by themselves
• Progres markers: 1) expect to see (do not
requre hardwork), 2) like to see (requires mor
effort) 3) love to see (fundamental, really
change, sustainable)
• Achievements: low, medium, high
• Expect to see students who:
1) understanding EH-c, 2) prioritize solvable
problems, 3) program socialization, 4)
listen to society’s problems, dialogue, find
solution  medium
• Like to see students who 1) spread the
information about EH-c to broader society 
low
• Love to see students who: 1) educating
comm. leaders, 2) EH-c is continued in the EHRC UGM
next cohort  medium

The use of SSA –EH Handbook (1st draft)
Feed back from SSA students*
% “absorbed”
Item
25 50 75 100
------------ % of students -------------
SSA concept 29.63 44.44 25.93 0.00
EH concept 48.15 37.04 14.81 0.00
SSA & EH concepts in line 37.04 44.44 11.11 7.41
Usefulness of HB 18.52 33.33 48.15 0.00
Clear 18.52 33.33 48.15 0.00
EHRC UGM

SSA –EH Handbook
improvement
• Jointly developed from members of UGM (5
different faculties)
• 1st draft topics: 1) Foreword, 2) Introduction
(SSA, EH-c, SSA and EH-c), 2) Integrated
work, 3) Monitoring and evaluation,4)
Outcome mapping
• Topics added (present draft): 1) Introduction
to EH-c, 2) Zoonotic diseases at a glance
(AI, Rabies, Toxopl), 3) Tips on effective
communication, 4) Glossary
• Topics on Outcome mapping:
simplified, merged into Monitoring and
evaluation topic
• Two versions: English and Indonesian
• Will be published soon after Kunming EH
conference
EHRC UGM

Conclusion
• Students did not adopt well from lectures
only
• Students adopted EH-c better, when EH-c
was implemented
• With SSA, students were experiencing the
principles of EH 1) system thinking, 2)
transdisciplinary, 3) participation, 4)
sustainability, 5) equity and 6) knowledge to
action to various degrees
• SSA-EH Handbook was found to be useful.
However, it needs to be further improved.
• Based on workshop recommendation, SSA-
EH Handbook improvement is in progress
EHRC UGM

Thank