Demonstrating how students can leverage digital platforms to enhance efficiency in academic work, Dr. Helen Dian Fridayana, a visiting lecturer from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), Indonesia, led a talk on “AI Tools for Research” on Wednesday, November 12, at Room E53, CASS New Building.
As part of UMY’s International Student Mobility Program, eight students from their Government Science Program, along with Dr. Fridayana, visited MSU-IIT to participate in various academic and non-academic activities, including her talk and a research colloquium featuring student paper presentations later that same afternoon.
The morning began with Dr. Fridayana’s discussion where she guided students through practical tools that help streamline the most time-consuming stages of writing a research paper.
She introduced platforms like Perplexity.ai that can quickly search and synthesize articles to help students get a fast grip on topics, and SciSpace.com, which assists in drafting those challenging early literature review sections.
To keep work honest and well-organized, Dr. Fridayana stressed the value of using citation managers such as EndNote and Mendeley for flawless formatting. She also noted that tools like VosViewer can help researchers identify study gaps to ensure originality, while emphasizing that databases like Scopus remain among the most reliable sources of peer-reviewed literature.
But alongside these tools, Dr. Fridayana delivered a vital warning: “don’t let AI do all your thinking.” Relying too much on these platforms, she noted, puts students at risk of losing their creative edge and critical judgment.
“AI is here to augment you, not replace you,” she reminded the audience, highlighting that students need to find a solid balance between mastering AI’s speed and consciously keeping their critical insight sharp. This balance, she concluded, is what will define the next generation of original research.
During the question-and-answer portion, second-year Psychology student Sam Soriano opened with a question about accountability, asking, “How does the campus make sure that students and teachers use AI within the regulations?”
In response, Dr. Fridayana shared the enforcement strategy at her home institution, where students are directed to the campus library and staff use tools like Turnitin’s AI detection features to check submissions and ensure ethical use.
Another Psychology sophomore, Jazel Maghilum, brought up the psychological effects of over-relying on AI. Reinforcing her earlier caution, Dr. Fridayana explained that excessive dependence often results in a loss of self-confidence.
“It affects their capability and makes their confidence reduce,” she stated, emphasizing that students must actively “use their own brain” and never treat AI output as final. Every piece of AI-generated work, she stressed, requires a mandatory manual recheck and validation by the student.
Her message to the students: embrace the efficiency of AI tools, but guard your intellectual integrity.
UMY and Psych students present papers on Innovation, Integrity, and Inclusion
Twelve student presenters, six each in Rooms E53 and E56, gathered for the afternoon’s Research Colloquium, where paper presentations revolved around the theme “Innovation, Integrity, and Inclusion: Transforming Communities and Governance in the Age of Smart and Sustainable Development.”
Luhhitta Trisna A. Mustika, a fourth-year Government Science student from UMY, opened with her study, “Challenges and Opportunities for Smart City Implementation,” which evaluated how Yogyakarta’s smart city programs, such as JSS, contribute to the city’s digital transformation.
Her research aimed to provide recommendations for improving smart city initiatives to better serve residents and enhance urban life, especially as Yogyakarta continues developing its smart city systems for improved public services and governance through digital technology.
Kurt Kareem Israel and Sanjeda Lucman, third-year BS Psychology students from MSU-IIT, presented “Under Scrutiny: The Impact of Proctor Presence and Explicit Instructional Briefing on Exam Integrity Among College Students,” which sought to determine the effects of proctor presence and explicit instructions on cheating behavior.
In an interview, Israel explained that their research consolidated two proven methods of curbing cheating behaviors: proctoring during exams and explicitly warning students not to cheat. Their inspiration came from asking, “What if the combination of the two proven methods could lessen cheating even more?”
Next, Bayu Anugrah, a fourth-year Government Science student from UMY, discussed “Village Reform and Creative Economy: The Role of Pottery MSMEs in Sustainable Rural Development in Bangunjiwo.”
His study analyzed how village reform empowers pottery-based MSMEs as a creative economic sector, concluding that asset synergy, capability expansion, and participatory planning enhance these enterprises, a model potentially replicable in other ASEAN villages embracing creative industries.
Caesar Rian Arifin, a third-year Government Science student from UMY, presented “City Government Strategies in Optimizing Trans Jogja for Urban Mobility and Quality Public Services,” highlighting that Trans Jogja, a bus-based system managed by the Yogyakarta City and Regional Government, is crucial for improving urban mobility, reducing congestion, and enhancing public service quality.
His study analyzed government strategies in managing Trans Jogja, its impact on urban mobility, and the quality of services it provides.
Meanwhile, Clarinta Ratu Andriya ‘Inayah, a second-year UMY student under the International Program of Government Affairs and Administration, shared her study “Women Rising for the Earth: Mapping Global Research on Female Empowerment and Environmental Justice.”
She emphasized that environmental justice goes beyond protecting the environment, linking gender equality and sustainability, as women play vital roles in resource management and climate adaptation despite often facing social barriers.
Inayah cited Indonesia’s patriarchal context as her inspiration: “Most studies talk about women empowerment because Indonesia is still mostly patriarchal. I want to raise women empowerment.”
A third-year BA Psychology student from MSU-IIT, Princess Yarrah Dagalangit, also presented their study, “Crayon Box Politics: How Colors Shape the Perception of Politicians.”
She explained that her group wanted to focus on political awareness, including corruption and other issues, while creatively using colors as a conceptual lens: “We were also inspired by another creator for the title and the concept itself, because colors were always going to be part of this study.”
Through ongoing collaboration, MSU-IIT and UMY continue to deepen their academic ties, fostering international education, joint research initiatives, and cross-cultural exchange, strengthening a partnership that inspires innovation.
Written by Raneshka Gudes and Xercys Nicolle Awa
Proofread by Andrea Ross Sedero
Photos by Aiyeesha Abah, Psychology Society
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