Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Menurut dosen kami, angka pengangguran di kota besar itu masih tinggi. - According to our lecturer, the unemployment rate in that big city is still high.

It introduces the source of an opinion or information: menurut dosen kami = “according to our lecturer”.
It’s followed directly by a noun or pronoun: menurut saya (according to me), menurut berita (according to the news).
You don’t need to add a word like pendapat (opinion); menurut dosen kami already means “in our lecturer’s opinion”.

Why is it dosen kami and not kami dosen?

In Indonesian, the normal order for possession is:

[thing] + [possessor pronoun]

So you say:

dosen kami = our lecturer
rumah saya = my house
teman mereka = their friend

Kami dosen would sound like “we are lecturers” (and even that would usually be kami dosen followed by something else; on its own it’s odd). For “our lecturer”, you must use dosen kami.

What is the difference between dosen and guru?

Both mean “teacher”, but they’re used for different levels:

dosen: a lecturer or instructor at a university or college.
guru: a teacher at kindergarten, elementary, junior high, or high school.

So dosen kami = “our lecturer” / “our professor” (tertiary level), not a school teacher.

Why is it dosen kami and not dosen kita? What’s the difference between kami and kita?

Indonesian has two words for “we” / “our”:

kami = we / our, excluding the person being spoken to.
kita = we / our, including the person being spoken to.

So:

dosen kami = our lecturer (but not your lecturer).
dosen kita = our lecturer, yours and mine (inclusive).

In this sentence, dosen kami suggests the speaker is talking about their lecturer to someone who is not in that same group (for example, telling a friend from another department).

What exactly does angka pengangguran mean? Why use angka?

Literally:

angka = number, figure, rate
pengangguran = unemployment / unemployed people

Together, angka pengangguran means “the unemployment rate” or “the number/figure of unemployed people”.

You could say just pengangguran di kota besar itu masih tinggi (“unemployment in that big city is still high”), but angka pengangguran makes it clearer you’re talking about a measurable statistic (a rate/figure), like in news or reports.

What does pengangguran come from, and what form is it?

Pengangguran is a noun formed from the verb menganggur (to be unemployed / to be idle).

Base verb: menganggur = to be unemployed
Noun with pe- … -an: pengangguran = unemployment / the unemployed (as a group)

The pe- … -an pattern often turns verbs into abstract nouns:

bekerja (to work) → pekerjaan (work, job)
menganggur (to be unemployed) → pengangguran (unemployment)

What does di kota besar itu mean exactly, and why do we need di?

Di is the basic preposition for “in / at / on” when talking about location.

kota besar = big city
itu = that / the (that specific one)
di kota besar itu = in that big city / in the big city (that one)

You can’t omit di here.
Without di, kota besar itu would just be “that big city” as a noun phrase, not a location phrase.

Why is it kota besar itu and not kota itu besar?

In noun phrases, Indonesian word order is:

[noun] + [adjective] + [demonstrative (itu / ini)]

So you get:

kota besar itu = that big city / the big city
rumah merah itu = that red house

Kota itu besar is a sentence, not a noun phrase; it means “That city is big.”

So:

kota besar itu → used inside a larger sentence as a noun phrase (“that big city”).
kota itu besar → a full statement about the city (“that city is big”).

Does itu here mean “that” or “the”? What nuance does it have?

Itu basically means “that”, but in practice it often functions like “that/the (already known)”.

kota besar itu can be translated as “that big city” (pointing to a specific city) or “the big city” (one that both speaker and listener already know about from context).

So itu marks the noun as specific / previously mentioned / identifiable, similar to English “that” or “the” depending on context.

What does masih mean in masih tinggi, and why is it used?

Masih means “still” in the sense of “continuing, not yet changed.”

masih tinggi = still high (has not gone down yet)

It implies there was an expectation or hope that the unemployment rate would decrease, but up to now it remains high.

Compare:

angka pengangguran … tinggi = the unemployment rate is high (neutral statement)
angka pengangguran … masih tinggi = the unemployment rate is still high (it hasn’t improved)

Why is there no word for “is” in angka pengangguran … masih tinggi?

Indonesian normally does not use a verb like “to be” between a noun and an adjective.

So:

Angka pengangguran … tinggi ≈ “The unemployment rate is high.”
Angka pengangguran … masih tinggi ≈ “The unemployment rate is still high.”

The structure is simply:

[subject] + [adjective (possibly with adverb like masih)]

A copula like English “is/are” is usually unnecessary in this kind of sentence.

Can the order be changed to Angka pengangguran di kota besar itu masih tinggi, menurut dosen kami?

Yes, that word order is perfectly natural:

Angka pengangguran di kota besar itu masih tinggi, menurut dosen kami.

This is like saying: “The unemployment rate in that big city is still high, according to our lecturer.”

Placing menurut dosen kami at the start or at the end mostly changes emphasis, not meaning:

At the start: emphasizes the source first.
At the end: presents the statement first, then attributes it to the lecturer.

Could we say di kota besar tersebut instead of di kota besar itu? Are itu and tersebut the same?

You can say:

di kota besar itu
di kota besar tersebut

Both can mean “in that big city” / “in the big city (in question)”.

Differences:

itu: more neutral, common in speech and writing.
tersebut: a bit more formal, often used in written reports, news, official documents, and it strongly signals “the one that was mentioned before.”

In everyday conversation, itu is more common; in formal writing, tersebut is very frequent.