Information technology has undeniably provided tremendous support in the field of distance education through the implementation of e-learning. Blended learning (BL) as a learning model that combines the advantages of e-learning with the distinctiveness of face-to-face learning becomes the prima donna of the learning model that is being promoted today. Of course in this BL learning mode, students are required to be active, creative and collaborative so that they get optimal benefits. Varied and challenged online activities need to be created by lecturers in carrying out BL learning.

This was observed by a lecturer in the Department of Informatics Engineering Education in the Faculty of Engineering (FT) Yogyakarta State University (UNY), namely Prof. Herman Dwi Surjono, Ph.D and then presented at the "The 3rd International Conference on Education and Multimedia Technology (ICEMT 2019)" held in Nagoya, Japan July 22-25, 2019. On the occasion, Herman presented a paper entitled "The Effects of Online Activities on Student Learning Outcomes in Blended Learning Environment ".

The Head of the Postgraduate Program in Learning Technology at the UNY Postgraduate Program said that the paper was the result of research on the effect of online activities in the BL learning environment on student learning outcomes. In this research online activities in the form of online discussions and online quiz, work is implemented in blended learning through the UNY BESMART e-learning portal and face-to-face in class. The results showed that online activity was proven effective in improving learning outcomes. Significantly online activity is positively correlated with student learning outcomes.

The 2019 ICEMT was organized in collaboration with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) with The Education University of Hongkong and Silpakorn University, Thailand. The annual activity is intended as a means for scientists and researchers to exchange ideas and present research results, new ideas, and experiences related to educational technology, the application of multimedia technology in education and e-learning. In the conference which was attended by researchers from more than 20 countries, Herman was proud to be able to carry the name of UNY on the international scene and establish cooperation with world-class researchers.

In addition to be presented verbally, papers that pass the selection at the conference will be published at the International Conference Proceedings Series by ACM (ISBN: 978-1-4503-7210-7) archived in the ACM Digital Library and indexed by Scopus, Ei Compendex, Thomson Reuters (ISI Web of Science) and others. Not only that, but also in 2019 ICEMT Herman also received various other benefits. One of them is the opportunity to collaborate and increase research networks from abroad.