voyeurism

the Life2Well Project: our team is awarded our first official grant funding in neuroergonomics / the Science of Learning

through God’s grace alone, my team and i received the news today that we have been awarded a grant under the auspices of the Education Research Funding Programme, as supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singpore. titled Designing for the use of wearables to investigate the role that school microclimate has on student engagement and thermal comfort, the quantum of the grant (inclusive of overheads) is just over US$148000.

the grant represents the first official funding of Learning at the intersection of AI, physiology, EEG, our environment and well-being (the Life2Well Project), which our team initiated three-and-a-half years' ago.

in terms of what is known as the MOE-wide Education Research Agenda, our grant is positioned within "learning as a biological, social and cultural process".

consequently, the grant also represents our first official funding of our work in neuroergonomics and the Science of Learning. we are glad to have persevered despite the multiple unsuccessful attempts prior to this.

earlier this year, our Prime Minister shared during his National Day Rally speech that the learning environment and infrastructure of all schools in Singapore would be enhanced over the next ten to fifteen years. This is to ensure conducive environments for students to learn, interact and collaborate with each other; among other ways, the Education Minister has elaborated that the latter could be achieved through more flexible configuration of classrooms to facilitate different group sizes and modes of learning.

we strongly feel that the award of this grant uniquely positions our team to contribute towards such understandings, as we leverage our existing skillset and experience with neuroergonomics and the Science of Learning.

it looks to be a wonderfully exciting and meaningful journey ahead of us. all thanks be to God.

papers on AI-augmented coding and on environmental education to be read at AERA 2025

will you be attending AERA 2025?

our team is very happy and grateful to have the opportunity to share two projects during next year's annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.

In the Special Interest Group on Environmental Education, we will share 'Approaching Environmental Education with Campus-wide Environmental Sensors in Schools: a Case Study from Singapore'. its abstract reads:

This study investigates the impact of integrating low-cost, open-source environmental sensors into geography education for academically lower-performing students in Singapore secondary schools. Using mixed methods from 2020-2024, we examine how technology-enhanced, hands-on learning affects students' critical thinking, inventive reasoning, and self-efficacy. Findings reveal significant improvements in learning approaches, engagement, and self-efficacy. Using everyday environments as learning canvases enabled students to connect their intuitive understandings of their school campus with geographical concepts and improve their data literacy. The paper discusses implications for curriculum design and educational policy, emphasizing strategies to promote equity through technology integration. Recommendations aim to enhance learning outcomes and address achievement gaps, contributing to broader goals of social justice in education.

In the section on Learning and Instruction: Engineering and Computer Science, we will share 'Enhancing Novice Programming Education with an AI-Augmented Learning Tool'; its abstract reads:

This study explores the development and implementation of an AI-augmented coding assistance tool designed for novice programmers. The tool’s impact on learning, problem-solving, and motivation in introductory programming courses was investigated using a mixed-methods approach. The study, grounded in Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development theory, cognitive load theory, and self-efficacy theory, was piloted with post-secondary and tertiary students from diverse educational contexts. Findings indicate that the AI tool effectively addressed common programming challenges, reduced cognitive load, and enhanced students' self-efficacy. The tool showed potential for promoting equity in computer science education. This research contributes to understanding how AI can enhance computer science education, particularly for beginners, and has implications for educational practice and policy.

we thank God for this opportunity.

sharing on Machine Learning and app development at Jurong Pioneer Junior College

our team members Bryan and Malcolm were thrilled today to have the opportunity to share their work and reflections on the research process to Year Elevens of Jurong Pioneer Junior College.

Malcolm and Bryan shared on Integration of Deep Learning in digital Clock Drawing Tests onto consumer platforms for enhanced detection of mild cognitive impairment.

we are grateful to the staff and students of the college for so kindly hosting us.

sharing our work on neuroergonomics and sport science at the 6th conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN)

we are very happy that we will have an opportunity to share our work on neuroergonomics and sport science during the 6th conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN).

our contribution is titled Exploring the relationships between microclimate and exercise performance in students context using low-cost DIY wearables and machine learning. the conference will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on the 14th of December 2024. 

:-)

Disciplinary Intuitions: welcoming college students to NTU's Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) AY 2024 / 2025

further to my post two months’ ago, my team and i are really happy and privileged to welcome six college students (from a total of twenty applicants) to our projects offered under NTU’s Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme for the Academic Year 2024 / 2025.

our students hail from our university's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, from the National Institute of Education, and from the the College of Computing and Data Science.

the opportunity to participate in URECA is extended through invitation only to select second- and third-year undergraduates, who will subsequently be conferred as NTU President Research Scholars.

the projects we have offered are:

NIE24172 – Exploring the use of games for learning Graph Theory

NIE24220 – Designing for the use of wearables to investigate the role that school microclimate has on student engagement and thermal comfort – Data Analysis and Machine Learning

NIE24221 – Designing for the use of wearables to investigate the role that school microclimate has on student engagement and thermal comfort – Hardware engineering

NIE24228 – Exploring the effectiveness of game-based environments in developing relationship management amongst Singapore students

NIE24230 – Exploring the relationship between interactive story games and students’ creative writing skills

NIE24234 – Using Data Analysis and Machine Learning to investigate the role that school microclimate has on student engagement and thermal comfort

sharing our students' work at the Learning and Teaching conference of the Nanyang Technological University

we are very happy to share that we will have an opportunity to share the work of our students - Toh Jing Qiang and Santoshraj Kaliraj - during the annual Learning and Teaching conference of our home university - the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

our contribution is titled Students' appropriation of an AI-augmented tool from TVET to NTU contexts. the conference will be held on the 1st and 2nd of October 2024. 

:-)

sharing foundational concepts in AI and neuroergonomics to the Maritime Training & Doctrine Command

we were very happy to have spent the day interacting with members of the Maritime Training & Doctrine Command, under the auspices of a workshop organised by the Institute of Military Learning and NIE International, as we enjoyed rich discussions on foundational concepts in Artificial Intelligence and neuroergonomics, using Learning at the intersection of AI, physiology, EEG, our environment and well-being (the Life2Well Project) as a mediatory touchstone.

we thank all our participants!

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 :-)