EMPOWERMENT; Jurnal Ilmiah Program Studi Pendidikan Luar SekolahVolume 9, Nomor 2 September 2020,p-ISSN No. 2252-4738 e-ISSN : 2580-7692 254 IMPLEMENTATION OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING APPROACH TO THE TRAINING OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION ENVIRONMENT R. Berkah Anugrahwanto1, Sri Nurhayati2 1,2 Program Pascasarjana Pendidikan Masyarakat – IKIP Siliwangi - Jawa Barat - Indonesia 1yugoanugrahwanto@gmail.com Received: Juni, 2020; Accepted: September, 2020 Abstract This research aims to describe the implementation of the method of the Experiential Learning approach in character building training of Civil Servants (PNS) Ministry of Transportation at the Education Hall and character development training of human resources transportation (BP3KSDMT) Bandung. This study uses a simple research design approach with a descriptive method. The subject of this study is the rescue, teaching personnel, and trainees. Data collection is obtained through observation methods, interviews, and documentation. Techniques used to analyze data using triangulation. The data presented using descriptive techniques. The results showed that the implementation of Experiential Learning was relevant to Simon Priest's theory. The training of civil servant character development in BP3KSDMT implemented the four phases of Experiential Learning, namely Action, Reflection, Integration, and Continuation. From the side of the Maintenance Institute Training Board for the character development of the Bandung transportation HR, following Public training management is by implementing three phases, namely preparation, implementation, and evaluation training. Keywords: Experiental Learning, Training, Character Development Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan penerapan metode pendekatan Experiental Learning pada pelatihan pembangunan karakter Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) Kementerian Perhubungan di Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Pembangunan Karakter Sumber Daya Manusia Transportasi (BP3KSDMT) Bandung. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode deskriptif. Adapun subjek dari penelitian ini yaitu penyelenggar, tenaga pengajar diklat dan peserta pendidikan dan pelatiha. Pengumpulan data diperoleh melalui metode observasi, wawancara dan dokumentasi. Teknik yang digunakan untuk menganalisis data menggunakan teknik deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pelaksanaan Experiental Learning relevan dengan teori Simon Priest. Pelatihan pembangunan karakter PNS di BP3KSDMT menerapkan keempat tahapan Experiental Learning, yaitu Action, Reflection, Integration dan Continuation. Dari sisi penyelenggaraan lembaga diklat Balai Diklat Pembangunan Karakter SDM Transportasi Bandung, sesuai dengan manajemen diklat PNS yaitu dengan menerapkan tiga tahapan yaitu persiapan, pelaksanaan dan evaluasi diklat. Kata kunci: Experiental Learning, Pelatihan, Pembangunan Karakter How to Cite : Anugrahwanto & Nurhayati. (2020). Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training Of Character Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment. EMPOWERMENT: Jurnal Ilmiah Program Studi Pendidikan Luar Sekolah, 9 (2), 254-261. INTRODUCTION A character Building training is a fundamental necessity for human resources (HR), an essential element in an organization that exceeds capital, technology, and money. Character building Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 255 training is a basic necessity that is currently indispensable for every organization, no exception for government organizations (ministries/institutions). Ministries or institutions need human resources State apparatus to have an excellent primary character because they can be said to be the ' representation ' of the country in the running of government wheels and to perform services for the community both in the center and the region. The State apparatus that we know with civil servants (PNS) has a very strategic role in developing government and development tasks and is also expected to have high moral integrity in supporting its role as a statesman and public servant. According to government Regulation 101, the year 2000, article 1, education and training are the process of organizing learning and teaching to improve civil servants (PNS). Suradinata (2003:102) reveals five directions and stages in education development and human resources training, namely: (a) have the sense to raise awareness and confidence; (b) Increased confidence; (c) Increased welfare and security; (d) Increased social and cultural life; (e) Improvement of quality and for in the field of duty. During this training, the character building that is often organized by the ministries or institutions only has targeted technical competence (hard skills) and very rarely found training or workshop Institute that indeed especially has a goal in building the character (soft skill) of its human resources. Activities titled Building A character that is often organized by ministries or institutions is an outbound activity packaged in the form of activities that can develop the value of positive character such as, cooperation, openness, work ethic, integrity and so on from the activities so that it has no meaning for its human resources. Furthermore, the activity does not have a systematic effect in terms of "revamp," a person's character/disposition. To find answers to the above problems, researchers focus on one of the education and training institutions owned by the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia. The institution is the education and Character development Training Institute of SDM, abbreviated with the acronym BP3KSDMT. BP3KSDMT is one of the government training institutions as a one-on-one training institute that has an essential task and function in organizing character- building training to date. BP3KSDMT Training Institute was established by the Ministry of Transportation since 2015, on a land area of ± 36 hectares and located in Cibodas village, Pasirjambu District, Bandung Regency, West Java. According to initial observation sourced from the internal resource of BP3KSDMT, this training hall stands based on the thinking of the needs of transportation HR that must have the capacity and capability of soft skills or soft skills competencies that are combatant and not easy to give up because the safety of transportation is not solely dependent on hard skills competencies but also determined by soft skills competencies capable of human resources transport. Following the name of this training institution, the main focus of BP3KSDMT in organizing character-building training is on the human resource of transportation, especially the civil servants in the Ministry of Transportation Environment. According to data from observations in the field, BP3KSDMT organizes character building training by implementing a learning experience method known as Experiential Learning (EL). This method was first pioneered by an English educator named Kurt Hahn and later developed by educational practitioners such as John Dewey, David Kolb, and Simon Priest. Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 256 Nevertheless, the implementation of experiential learning methods used by BP3KSDMT has not been tested and known by learners, i.e., whether the application of experiential learning methods follows the principles of earlier developed experiential learning theories. BP3KSDMT, as an institution that has the auth of character training organizers, has a treatment in the process of organizing the character-building training. Because according to Helen G. Douglas (Samani & Hariyanto, 2011:41), the character is not inherited, but something built continuously day by day through thought and deed, mind afterthought, action by action. Therefore, researchers feel the need to discuss this theme, because the character or disposition of a person can still be transformed into a better character that can be useful for themselves, others and the Organization (work) and how the process of a person's character can change for the better, it can be realized by the implementation of a proper learning approach method. Therefore, researchers want to see the implementation of experiential learning approaches to the training of character building PNS in the Ministry of Transportation Environment, starting from preparation, implementation to post-implementation training. Experiential Learning Concepts According to Kolb (1984), the experiential learning approach method is the process by which knowledge is made through experience transformation. Knowledge is generated from a combination of gripping and transforming experience. There are multiple cycles in experience- based learning. According to Kolb, experiential learning models are processes when knowledge is gained through a transformational experience. This statement gives birth to a learning cycle model consisting of four stages: a. Concrete experience; b. Reflection observation; c. Abstract T conceptualization; Dan d. Application. The concept of experiential learning approaches was first pioneered by an educator named Kurt Hahn of England. The training was made by Kurt Hahn to have a real incident. The incident when the merchant ship was destroyed was simulated in the form of initiative activity. The first school name to use this method is Outward Bound, which is a training center where students can follow him in weekly Kusus and follow the syllabus scheme badge (Veevers & Allison, 2011) The experiential learning approach is applied to character development training of the PNS Ministry of Transportation, using the concept of a learning method developed by Kurt Hahn (Outward Bound). Furthermore, implement experiential learning cycles developed by Priest (1996). In his opinion, the experiential learning cycle consists of 4 (four) stages: Action, Reflection, Integration, and Continuation. The expectation was that after the trainees participated in an activity, they reflected their experience to highlight the lessons learned. These new studies are integrated into their work, school life, or family, and they make sustainable changes in the face of reliable erosive power. If not carefully dilated, power (lack of resources, long obstacles, peer pressure, etc.) tends to return someone to the starting point. Training concept Michael J. Jucius (Kamil, 2012:3) explained that the term exercise used here is to demonstrate every process to develop the talents, skills, and abilities of employees to accomplish certain occupations. Further, Goldstein and Gressner (Kamil, 2012:6) defined training more emphasizing on his coaching place and which defined training as a systematic undertaking to Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 257 master the skills, regulations, concepts, or manner of behaving that impacted the performance enhancement. For example, for training for a job title, the training set is cultivated as well as possible with the actual work environment. Other examples, training can also be done in a very different place with the actual work environment, for example, the classroom. While in presidential instruction No. 15 of 1974 (Kamil, 2012:4), the training sense is formulated as follows: Training is part of the education that concerns the learning process to acquire improved skills beyond the prevailing education system in a relatively short time and using a method that prioritizes practice than in theory. The training that is found in Marzuki (2010:174) can be interpreted as follows: Training is a term that has specific connotations depending on the person's experience and background. For someone enthusiastic about racing, then training is an attempt to score the winner. For the circus players, training is an attempt to tame the animals and show the audience's upfront skills. For the owner of a schooled or trained dog, training serves as an effort to perform security tasks. In the workplace, training is usually associated with instruction, orientation, and direction to work better. If defined, training teaches or gives an experience to a person to develop a behavior (knowledge, skills, attitudes) to achieve something that Robinson wants (Marzuki, 2010:176). According to Charters, W. W., and Carter V. Pleasant (Marzuki, 2010:176), The training is defined as specific teaching that the purpose has been clearly defined, usually demonstrated require the participants and assessment of the improvement of the student's performance. Nurhayati (2015) also explains that training management is about planning, direction, and coordination. Training also requires leadership and the ability to facilitate learning. Training should be focused on identifying the purpose and application of results. Character Building Concept Character building is a process or effort made to build, enhance and or form a character, psychological nature, moral (character), human (community), so that it can demonstrate good character and behavior based on the value of Pancasila (Masrukhin, 2013). From the definition of character development can be interpreted: 1. Business or process to cultivate human behavior that has been possessed for morality (a good character) to be good. 2. Improving the nature, character that has been possessed by humans, which was not good enough to be better in order to organize government as a civil servant 3. To form a better character or character so that it can display a conducive character of the life of society, nation, and country according to the values of Pancasila. Training on the character development of civil servants at the workshop on the character development of SDM transportation has four necessary materials that serve as a parameter of ability (Capability) for the trainees to be used as the output of the character-building training, according to the curriculum and syllabus education and character development Training (Ministry of Transportation, 2016), among others: 1. Being able to manage ourselves, is a person's ability to recognize, explore the potential and manage itself physically, emotionally, soul and spiritually so that he is capable of resources, circumstances and able to create the reality of life after the mission and purpose of his life Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 258 2. Being able to meet the relationship with others, is the ability to communicate, recognize, understand and mutually provide benefits and help, empowering each other in achieving the mission and objectives of life 3. Working on the job is the ability to make, run, control the work to fit the vision, mission, and target of the organization. Being able to have a relationship with God Almighty, is the ability to manage the full life of the balance between life, work, and reality in the signature of belief and spirituality to the one true God. METHOD This research uses a simple research design approach. The study used is a descriptive method, which is expected to provide descriptions or depictions, painting systematically, factual, accurate, and detailed regarding the fact of a place or institution studied. Research Data is obtained through observation, interviews, and documentation studies. The subject of research is chosen purposive consisting of the head of Balai, head of maintenance training, and facilitator at the Training Hall of the Bandung transportation HR character in 2020, which amounted to 2 facilitators who have two small groups of trainees consisting of 20 people in each group. The implementation time of the character-building civil servant, Ministry of Transportation held on 10 – 15 February 2020. After the accumulated data is then analyzed using triangulation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results Based on observations, interviews and documentation studies conducted to the training organizers and teaching personnel (facilitators) at the training hall for the character development of the Bandung transportation HR, obtained the data on the training of the character-building civil servants' Ministry of Transportation Year 10 -15 February 2020 as follows: 1. The preparation stage of character development training civil servants in the Ministry of Transportation. The preparation phase of training is crucial to achieving the training objectives. One of the things that must be prepared in training is to prepare completeness of the training administration. Researchers conducted interviews with the head of the organizers and the cooperation Division and the BP3KSDMT Training administration Program, related to what stages of preparation to carry out training for character development. From the results of the preparation phase of the interview is to prepare the preparation of the administration, namely preparing the Decree (SK) training, letter of Call participant training, SK teaching personnel (facilitator), SK trainer of participants, SK speakers, management of training, the outline plan, training Plan, field plan and the DECREE of the logistics support personnel. All the completeness of the administration is made in the form of a checklist completeness training administration. The results of the interview with the author of BP3KSDMT Training Administration program consists of, 1) the implementation of experiential learning methods on implementation of Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 259 character development of PNS Ministry of Transportation, 2) the training program that is sourced from the curriculum syllabus and training module character development HR Transport that has been adjusted to the level of participants. In this workshop, participants are civil servants and carried out with a duration of 7 days (2020 10 Training programs are interpreted in the form of training eyes, consisting of habituation, entrepreneurship, individual challenges, team challenges, and class materials. From a fifth of the training, they are conical to the training materials that are adjusted to the four (capability) skills that are the main target of character development training. It can manage their selves, able to manage the relationship with others, able to manage the relationship with the environment or occupation, and able to manage the relationship with the Almighty God. The program coordinates with teachers (facilitators) in the preparation of training materials tailored to the objectives of the training to be carried out and prepares all possible-possibilities that can occur at the time of implementation of training related to weather constraints as character building training is carried out with outdoor media and also indoor with percentage 70 – 30%. Furthermore, making risk management preparation and analysis. This is done in case of something that is emergency related to the training materials provided. 2. Implementation stage Based on the results of observations from 10 – 15 February 2020 and interviews with two teachers (facilitators) training in PNS character development. In the process of training activities, the PNS Ministry of Transportation Facilitator's character development serves as a "bridge" or liaison between participants with the training materials provided following the training programs that have been structured systematically. The facilitator facilitates participants to be able to receive learning through simulations of training materials provided. These simulations have been a real experience for training participants, through the simulations of the participants have experienced a new experience as a medium to implement four abilities: able to manage themselves, able to manage the relationship with others, able to manage the relationship with the organization or work environment and able to manage the relationship with God. The training materials provided include team-building games, creating a raft of drums (water training), paintball, archery, high ropes, and so on. Based on live observations in the field, delivering the training materials using experiential learning cycles, namely Action, Reflection, Integration, and Continuation. The stages were after the trainees participated in an activity; they reflected their experience to highlight the lessons learned. Then these new studies are integrated into their work, and after they have returned to the "real" world, they are expected to be able to fight the erosive forces of the old environment that have a habit of opposing habits of the value of the character they have had in character building training. 3. Evaluation stage of implementation Based on the results of observations 10 – 15 February 2020 and interviews with the facilitator and Observer psychology BP3KSDMT. Evaluation is conducted during training activities to improve the next steps and carried out at the end of activities to determine the extent of the outcome or change of behavior that has occurred during the study activities through the experience. Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 260 Evaluation training results of character civil servants Ministry of Transportation showed the participants training experienced the achievement of competence following the purpose of the development of character training, namely able to manage the relationship with oneself, able to manage the relationship with others, able to manage the relationship with the work and able to manage the relationship with the Almighty God. The average competency achievement of the participants in development is in the category very good with some things that need to be optimized include motivating others to interpersonal competence and organizational competencies that contain decision making. Discussion Implementation preparation is a step taken by the organizer at the time of starting the training process is a move to deliver participants to achieve the objectives of the training. From the findings, researchers concluded that the preparation of the training had been done with the proven preparation of the training stage is conducted systematically and to prepare all things measurable. These measures are the application of experiential learning methods related to training preparation, where the preparation and risk analysis of activities is critical to implement. Nurhayati (2015) explains that training begins with planning that includes identifying needs, preparation of training, phases of implementation, and assessment and evaluation. While according to Soebagio Atmodiwiro (Basri & Rusdiana, 2015:86) The training preparation consists of two activities: a. Prepare circular letter about the existence of the training program (the type of training, duration of training, venue, and requirements of training participants); b. Prepare training equipment. Based on the results of the study, the implementation stage showed that the implementation of experiential learning approach methods on character building training is relevant to the Experiential Learning theory. Priest (1996), in his opinion, the implementation of the Experiential learning method consists of four learning cycles called the Experiential Learning Cycle, which are action, reflection, integration, and continuation. At this stage, training participants experience four cycles on each character-building material. The objective of the evaluation is to know the success rate of learning with the Experiential Learning approach method. The evaluation of civil servants' character development training in the Ministry of Transportation was conducted during the training underway to improve the next steps. At the end of the training, the evaluation was carried out to determine the extent of the results or changes in conduct that have occurred during the study activities through the experience. Based on the results of the study, evaluation of the implementation of learning with experiential learning approach method is achieving competency per the objectives training character development PNS Ministry of Transportation, namely four abilities: able to manage the relationship with oneself, able to manage the relationship with others, able to manage the relationship with the work and able to manage the relationship with the Almighty God. With an average category outstanding. CONCLUSION Based on the results of the implementation of Experiential Learning approach in character development training civil servant Ministry of Transportation following the theory of Simon Priest in the implementation, which includes: Action, Reflection, Integration, and Anugerahwanto & Nurhayati. Implementation Of Experiential Learning Approach To The Training OfCharacter Development Of Civil Servants In Ministry Of Transportation Environment 261 Continuation. Technically, as an educational and training institution, BP3KSDMT Bandung has implemented stages that correspond with the management of civil servants' training education. BP3KSDMT performs the preparation stage of training, implementation of training, and evaluation of training implementation. At the preparatory stage, BP3KSDMT prepares with the preparation, from the preparation side of training and the syllabus curriculum of the training program. Meanwhile, from the evaluation side of the implementation of the training, Experiential Learning method works well in achieving the objectives of the character development training, namely four abilities: able to manage the relationship with oneself, able to manage the relationship with others, able to manage the relationship with the work and able to manage the relationship with the Almighty God with the average “Excellent” category. REFERENCES Basri, H., & Rusdiana. (2015). Manajemen Pendidikan & Pelatihan. Bandung: CV. Pustaka Setia. 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