Nuning Kurniasih, together with Saleha Rodiah and Fitri Perdana, lecturers at the Library and Information Science Program (PSI) Fikom Unpad, have published an article titled “Expressing Ideas through Writing: Essay Competitions” in the Jurnal Nasional Community Development, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2025. The article explores how essay competitions can serve as a platform to enhance students’ writing skills, critical thinking, and ability to systematically communicate ideas.
The essay competition was organized by the Student Association of Library and Information Science, Fikom Unpad, in two sessions from August to October 2024. The first session was attended by two groups, and the second session involved 20 students. The lecturers served as judges, providing not only scores but also constructive feedback and guidance to improve participants’ essays.
The competition applied a Friendly Competition Model, encouraging creative and innovative engagement, teamwork (in the first session), and a supportive environment for students to express their ideas effectively in writing. Evaluation results showed that participants were able to organize their ideas systematically in essays. Areas for further improvement included: idea development through freewriting, brainstorming, and topic mapping; stating the thesis early in academic essays; developing arguments supporting the thesis; using clear and simple language; citing credible sources; avoiding repetition; enhancing critical analysis; improving essay structure; and following proper formatting guidelines.
This publication aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 on Quality Education and Goal 17 on Partnerships for the Goals. The essay competition is expected to enhance students’ writing skills while promoting creative, critical, and collaborative academic practices within the university community.
The full study can be accessed in: http://media.unpad.ac.id/files/publikasi/2025/rpm_20250213222128_2631.pdf
Authors: Ridha Amalia, Nadziva Shaqeena, and Naresh Aurelia Berliana.
