voyeurism

our work at the intersection of generative AI and values education available as a pre-print

in October 2023 we shared our ideas on the potential complementarities between generative AI and values education.

my students and i have been working hard over the past ten months, and we are happy and excited to share that we have translated our ideas in to research that we report as a pre-print. 

please do feel free to browse our intervention Exploring the potential of AI in nurturing learner empathy, prosocial values and environmental stewardship.

Exploring the use of AI-augmented tools and Large Language Models in the design of a learning environment for novices in computer science

my student - Toh Jing Qiang - and i are excited and grateful that a paper representing his work undertaken in fulfilment of our university's Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) has been accepted at the 17th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. The conference will be held Seville, from the 11th to the 13th of November.

the paper is titled Exploring the use of AI-augmented tools and Large Language Models in the design of a learning environment for novices in computer science.

its abstract reads:

Learning how to code correctly and effectively as a beginner is challenging in a classroom setting as coding is a hands-on activity and often, there is a great mismatch in the teacher’s availability to guide and the students’ numerous questions. In other words, there are too many students for a teacher to provide hands-on guidance 24/7. This report describes an AI-augmented Online Web-based Learning Environment designed to provide interactive feedback and guidance for students learning how to code. By following the software development lifecycle and utilising the waterfall methodology, we interviewed and collected requirements from ITE professors and students, researched and evaluated on different Learning Environment and User Interface choices, designed the solution’s architecture using SOLID and Software Design Principles (e.g.: Facade, Strategy), implemented the solution using good coding practices, and conducted alpha-testing before deploying the solution for end-user beta-testing. From the initial interviews, we discovered the common difficulties faced by beginner programmers are syntax and data-type errors. From the development phase, we discovered the need for several iterations of AI prompt optimisation to manage cost, runtime, and ensure reliable and consistent output format. From the beta testing, we saw that end-users had improved learning experiences, which revealed that a well-designed AI-augmented learning environment can help students learn how to code independently without much guidance from teachers. This research will serve as a launchpad to provide insights to those who are interested to integrate AI into learning environments in today’s increasingly AI-powered world.

Disciplinary Intuitions / Six Learnings / Maker Motes / AI & data science offered as part of NTU's Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme 2024/25

are you an NTU undergraduate eligible for the Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme 2024/25?

if so, please do consider applying for

NIE24005 Exploring the potential roles that game-based worlds and immersive environments play in learning

NIE24006 Exploring the development of maker dispositions in learning through open-source hardware and software

NIE24007 Exploring the role of coding data science and machine learning in the Humanities classroom

NIE24103 Exploring the potential roles of extended Kalman Filter and Sensor Fusion in Dead Reckoning without GPS data using modern phone sensors

NIE24104 Exploring the affordances for learning of spatial computing and mixed reality with the Apple Vision Pro :-)

it would be my privilege to work alongside you :-)

our work on Generative AI to be shared at UNESCO's flagship second annual Digital Learning Week

our team is deeply humbled to be presented with the opportunity to share our work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s second annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, session on 'Leveraging AI for personalized learning and assessment', later this year in Paris.

Digital Learning Week was launched in 2023, building on the foundation of UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week over the past decade. The annual event is recognized as one of the “UN Intergovernmental and Multi-Stakeholder Digital Cooperation Bodies and Forums” to convene the community of digital education leaders, policy-makers, researchers and practitioners from various organizations, including UN agencies, governments, NGOs and the private sector. Digital Learning Week presents a unique opportunity to participate in dynamic and thought-provoking discussions, dialogue and the sharing of groundbreaking ideas, and to foster meaningful co-creation and collaborative efforts to advance the digital transformation of education and to “reimagine our future together.”

Digital Learning Week 2024 aims to promote multi-stakeholder cooperation towards a human-centred and climate-friendly design and use of AI in education, with a specific focus on exploring the interlinkages between digital transformation and greening education.

To surface best practices and facilitate knowledge sharing, UNESCO is focusing on regulations or policies that have been adopted and released, projects that have been implemented at scale, or platforms or AI tools that have been developed and put in use. The selection of proposals was highly competitive as only 70 submissions were retained from more than 500 proposals received.

our session is titled Students investigating their own learning: the Life2Well Project and the development of literacies in AI and Data Science as a case example from Singapore.

we acknowledge this blessing and privilege is from God, to Whom we give thanks and praise.

reading papers at the annual conference of the Royal Geographical Society

the annual conference of the Royal Geographical Society has been a highlight of my academic calendar for many years, and this year is no different.

i am happy to share that i will be attending the conference, during which i will be reading a paper on behalf of my students, as well as being able to share updates on our work on the affordances for learning of generative artificial intelligence (as it pertains to geography and geography education).

i hope to see you in London in the summer!

Modelling and Optimising evolution of self-organising task specialisation in ant-inspired AI swarms

my students and i are excited and grateful that a paper we co-authored has been accepted at the 2nd International Conference on Metaverse and AI Companions in Education and Society. The conference will be held at the National Central University in Taiwan, from the 19th to the 21st of June.

the paper is titled Modelling and Optimising evolution of self-organising task specialisation in ant-inspired AI swarms.

its abstract reads:

This research endeavours to model and optimise the evolution of self-organising task specialisation in ant-inspired AI swarms, drawing inspiration from the intricate behaviour and evolution observed in ant colonies. The primary motivation stems from the remarkable efficiency and adaptability of Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) ant colonies in task allocation, particularly the evolution of specialised castes such as soldiers with larger heads for nest defence and smaller workers for food collection. We use an agent-based simulation model, set in a grid-based environment, to simulate ant colonies tasked with collecting and transporting food. Intriguingly, colonies face decisions on energy allocation for ant production, introducing a size mutation rate that influences the percentage of ants produced with larger sizes. Larger ants are not only more energy-intensive to produce but also serve a defensive role against predators. We aim to investigate the impact of such size mutations on the colony's overall efficiency and survival, drawing parallels to Pheidole megacephala ants, where bigger heads aid in nest defence. The simulation provides a platform to study the optimal spread of mutation rates that maximises resource gathering, and through generational analysis, this study attempts to identify adaptive strategies that balance energy allocation, defence mechanisms, and foraging efficiency in ant-inspired AI swarms.

nominated to be part of a team representing the NIE at the Asia-Europe Foundation Classroom Network

i am happy and humbled to share that i have been nominated to be part of a five-member team representing the National Institute of Education and the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network during this year's 17th Classroom Network of the Asia-Europe Foundation. 

the event will run from May to November, and is themed on 'Learning about AI and learning with AI'.

ASEFClassNet17 Faculty Collaboration aims to enable academics and teacher educators to build capacity around AI in Education. this will be done through the conduct of knowledge and capacity building activities, intercultural dialogues, and the building of partnerships. the collaboration is planned with both online and in-person discussions in mind. it builds on last year's event which had as its focus digital transformation and AI. in addition to the Faculty Collaboration track, there will be a School Collaboration track for teachers and trainee teachers of secondary education cohorts across schools in Asia and Europe.

in total, approximately 300 participants will take part.

student projects on AI and mathematics education, and on environmental modelling, at the 14th annual symposium of the Mobiles for Education Alliance

today our team received news that we have been invited to share our students' work on AI and mathematics education, and on environmental modelling, during the 14th annual symposium of the Mobiles for Education Alliance in the track on Emerging Technologies and their Impact.

we thank God for His continued grace and provision.

this year, the symposium is being conducted as an in-person event between the 30th of September to the 4th of October, with the overarching theme of STEMtastic adventures!

The mEducation Alliance was formed by USAID in 2010. It is an international collaborative effort between bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, foundations, private sector partners, and academic researchers. The collective agenda of the alliance is to: highlight and catalyze promising information and communications technology for education (ICT4E) practices and initiatives, particularly in low-resource and developing country context; to reduce duplicative efforts; to promote collective knowledge-sharing, and to identify and support efforts to evaluate and scale promising ICT4E interventions.

:-)

invitation to be a part of the University of Sydney's Artificial Intelligence, Policy and Education Futures

my associate and i received an invitation to be a part of an event hosted by the University of Sydney, namely Artificial Intelligence, Policy and Education Futures.

participation is by invitation only, and the event will be held on the 4th of July.

The event is designed to bring together diverse stakeholders from various disciplines and sectors, including policymakers from Australian and global institutions, to discuss recent advancements in AI, and the evolving global landscape of AI policy and regulation, spanning regions such as the Asia-Pacific and Europe. Its main objective is to facilitate dialogue across local and global scales, with a focus on collectively envisioning AI education policies that foster ethical and sustainable futures.

we thank God for this blessing.

Deriving insights from historical data of Singapore with computational text analysis: a case example of the Digital Humanities

we are grateful to God that a paper arising from an Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) student-project has been accepted to be read at Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Bridging Sociological Studies in the Digital Age, hosted by King’s College London, as well as identified as a Showcase at this year's Research Symposium of the Centre for Information Technology in Education, The University of Hong Kong (CITERS 2024). the former is organised by doctoral candidates of the Department of Digital Humanities at King's, and aims to foster discussions and collaborations across various disciplines, specifically including Natural Language Processing (NLP), Social Sciences, and Social Media and Digital Methods in broader research in Digital Humanities.

the paper is titled Deriving insights from historical data of Singapore with computational text analysis: a case example of the Digital Humanities.

my student Daniel K Handoyo will share his work on the 4th of May in Hong Kong and on the 11th of June in London, and its abstract reads:

This study adopts a hands-on approach to the exploration of digital humanities, applying natural language processing (NLP) techniques to enhance the analysis of Singapore's historical data. The sharing is relevant to the symposium theme in that it speaks towards how domain-specific epistemologies – of history, in the present case - intersect with literacies associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. In this way, the sharing is relevant to the symposium topic of ‘digital literacy for future readiness’. We focus our inquiry on the recorded speeches and debates of Singapore’s early parliament, offering a window into the legislative priorities that shaped the nation’s policy landscape. In this study, we employ topic modeling – an unsupervised machine learning technique for discovering latent themes in a collection of documents, through the use of BERTopic, a cutting-edge framework that leverages transformer-based language models. This approach enables us to derive meaningful patterns and trends from parliamentary discourse, such as determining correlations between individual Members of Parliament (MPs) and the topics they frequently engaged with. This research illustrates how computational methods can be integrated with traditional historical analysis, underscoring the transformative potential of digital tools in supporting scholarly research within the humanities.