KREATIVITAS GURU PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM DALAM MENDESAIN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN BERBASIS DIGITAL LEARNING DI SMP NEGERI 4 MAGETAN

In some part of the world, digital learning can be considered a new trend begotten from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic leaves every educational institution with no choice except to replace the traditional face-to-face learning method to the digital-based one. Having the pivotal roles in education, teachers need to equip themselves with the skills fitting to the digital era, so that they can better accommodate student’s learning experience despite the limitations inflicted by the pandemic. Departing from that situation, this research attempts to investigate teacher’s creativity in conducting digital-based learning, including its limitations as well as the potential strategies to promote teacher’s creativity. In investigating the issue, this research used a qualitative method by employing three data collection methods, namely observation, interviews, and documentation. The data were then analyzed using the Moleong model through five analysis stages consisting of data review, data reduction, unit arrangement, classification, and data interpretation. The results of data analysis show several important findings. First, the finding suggests that teacher’s creativity in designing digital-based learning model includes the making of lesson plans that accommodate digital-based learning, and then followed by the utilization of various learning applications that are in the trend to promote diverse online learning experiences. Moving to the second finding, this research concludes that on one hand, digital-based learning is mainly supported by IT infrastructures, effective communication between teachers, students, and parents, as well as the use of variety of learning models and good discipline. On the second hand, students’ reluctance, negligence, and poor Internet connection have become the impending factors to the success of digital-based learning. Lastly, the research finding indicates that teachers have made various attempts in improving their creativity regarding their IT mastery by attending multiple trainings, workshops, webinars, as well as initiating sharing sessions with fellow teachers of other subjects and conducting evaluations. Aside from that, the school management has also conducted Gnomio seminar and other training sessions, refined the communication quality among school members, and improved school facilitie