Enhancing Research Quality through SmartPLS 4.0 Training for Management Students and Lecturers at Pattimura University.

Abstrak

This community service program aimed to strengthen research competencies among students and lecturers of the Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Pattimura University, through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS) training using SmartPLS 4.0. The program involved 44 participants, consisting of 22 students and 22 lecturers, divided into two training sessions. The training methods included lectures, software demonstrations, hands-on practice, and interactive discussions. The materials covered research model development, measurement model evaluation, structural model assessment, hypothesis testing, and interpretation of statistical results. The program provided participants with practical learning opportunities to understand the application of SEM-PLS in quantitative management research. The training is expected to support undergraduate thesis preparation, lecturer research activities, and scientific manuscript development. Continued mentoring and systematic evaluation are recommended to assess improvements in participants' analytical competencies and support sustainable research capacity development.