A team of lecturers from Yogyakarta State University (UNY), led by Prof. Dr. Slamet Suyanto, M.Ed., along with Dr. Rahmania Pamungkas, M.Pd. and Dr. Wenny Pinta Litna Br. Tarigan, M.Pd., organized a Training on the Application of Deep Learning through the UARE Excellent Model for high school Biology teachers in Sleman Regency. This activity is part of the 2025 Campus Outreach Lecturer Program (DLK).

This training aims to enhance the competence of Biology teachers in designing and implementing more meaningful, reflective, and technology-based learning. Through the Participatory Training Model approach, teachers are trained to be actively involved from planning, implementation practice, to learning evaluation. The UARE Excellent Model is an acronym for Understanding, Applying, Reflecting, and Evaluating, designed to help teachers develop Biology learning oriented towards mindful, meaningful, and joyful learning, in line with the spirit of the Merdeka Curriculum.

Figure 1. Counseling by resource persons regarding Deep Learning (a) and UARE Excellent model (b)

A total of 20 high school Biology teachers in Sleman participated in this training. Evaluation results showed an improvement in teachers' competence in implementing learning with the Deep Learning approach (Figure 1). The teachers expressed readiness to apply Deep Learning through the UARE Excellent Model and design contextual learning that connects Biology concepts with real-life phenomena. The most significant improvement was seen in teachers' ability to integrate digital technology and interactive simulations to support student engagement in the classroom. Prof. Dr. Slamet Suyanto, M.Ed., added that this training is a concrete step in supporting teachers to present Biology learning that is not only teacher-centered but also empowers students to think critically, collaboratively, and creatively. "Through the Deep Learning approach via the UARE Excellent Model, teachers not only transfer knowledge but also guide students to discover the meaning of learning and connect it with real life," he stated.

The sustainability of this activity will be realized through classroom mentoring (on-site mentoring), the establishment of a Sleman Biology Teachers' learning community, and follow-up workshops focusing on the development of Deep Learning-based assessment and technology integration in the Merdeka Curriculum. The team also encourages teachers to write reflective best practice articles to be compiled into a book as a reference for the development of innovative Biology learning in the future. Through this activity, the research team is committed to strengthening the role of lecturers, teachers, and schools in encouraging educational transformation that is adaptive to technology, oriented towards deep learning, and sustainable.