Keynote Speakers

Title: Intelligent Systems meet Humans-in-the-Loop: The Case of Blended Learning

Prof. Manolis Mavrikis
Reader in Learning Technologies
University College London Knowledge Lab
University College London

Prof. Manolis Mavrikis is a Reader in Learning Technologies at University College London (UCL) Knowledge Lab, a research centre at the UCL Institute of Education faculty. Prof. Manolis Mavrikis conducts research to understand the process of development of digital technologies and to support and transform education. In particular, his interests and experience lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), human-computer interaction (HCI), and educational technology (EdTech). His research agenda revolves around the design, development and thorough evaluation of supportive technologies for learning, teaching, and research. Prof. Manolis Mavrikis is currently editor of BERA’s British Journal of Educational Technology and Programme Lead for the Master’s in Education and Technology at UCL.

Keynote address

Drawing on examples from academic research in the fields of artificial intelligence in education (AIED) and learning analytics (LA), and amidst growing interest in educational technology, this talk will cut through the current hype and make a case for carefully designed systems that take into account the role of teachers, students and parents in education. Building on growing concerns about the role of AI in society, and big data and big companies entering education, I will offer possible responses challenging us all, as designers, developers and educators, to seize the opportunities afforded by the emerging technological context to carefully consider our design choices, bring humans-in-the-loop and orchestrate blended learning.

Title: Artificial Intelligence in Online Higher Education — Practice and Experience of Mainland China

Prof. Shunping Wei
Professor and Deputy Director of IT Department
The Open University of China

Deputy Director of Engineering Research Center for Integration and Application of E-Learning Technologies
Ministry of Education, China

Prof. Shunping Wei is a Professor at the Open University of China (OUC), Deputy Director of the IT Department of OUC, as well as Deputy Director of Engineering Research Center for Integration and Application of E-Learning Technologies, Ministry of Education. Prof. Shunping Wei is a leading researcher in education big data and learning analytics. He has authored over 100 research papers in the areas of educational data mining, learning analytics, knowledge engineering and Chinese corpus, and has published five monographs including Educational Data Mining, Online Learning Analytics, Instructional Design Expert System.

Keynote address

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an important driving force to lead a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. It is profoundly changing people's way of work, life and learning. In China, people from the Government, schools, enterprises and research institutions are committed to maximizing the advantages of online education and artificial intelligence, innovating education and learning methods, and accelerating the development of a more open and flexible education system suitable for everyone. Based on China's policy in the past five years, research papers, news and other data, this talk will summarize the main forms of AI applications in higher education, including learning about AI, learning by AI, learning with AI and learning from AI, and analyze the key factors influencing AI applications in higher education, including massive and high-quality educational data, fast and efficient cloud computing infrastructure, rich and effective deep learning algorithm and traditional machine learning algorithm. In future, China's education sector will pay more attention to the accumulation and cleaning of education big data, deployment of a public service platform of educational AI based on cloud computing services, AI literacy training for teachers and students, and the ethical issues caused by replacing teachers with AI. The sector will work together to realize the human education ideal of "teaching without discrimination and teaching according to aptitude".

Title: How will it Blend? Key Aspects of Blended Learning in Higher Education

Prof. Pedro Isaias
Information Systems & Technology Management School
The University of New South Wales

Prof. Pedro Isaias is affiliated with the Information Systems & Technology Management School of The University of New South Wales (UNSW – Sydney), Australia. Previously he taught at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Before moving to Australia, he served at the Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open University) in Lisbon, Portugal, where he was responsible for several courses and director of the master degree program in Management / MBA. Pedro was director of the master degree program in Electronic Commerce and Internet for 10 years.

Prof. Pedro Isaias holds a PhD in Information Management (in the specialty of information and decision systems) from the New University of Lisbon. Author of several books, book chapters, papers and research reports, all in the information systems area, he has headed several conferences and workshops within the mentioned area. He has also been responsible for the scientific coordination of several EU funded research projects. He is also member of the editorial board of several journals and program committee member of several conferences and workshops. Currently he conducts research activity related to MIS in general, and more specifically Learning Technologies, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Digital Transformation, e-Business and WWW related areas.

Keynote address

Within the Higher Education sector, blended learning strategies succeed largely because of their promise to deliver the best of both worlds to students: face-to-face education and online learning. The implementation of blended learning in courses and programmes is commonly associated with an enhanced student experience resulting from broader access to learning resources, improved interactivity and cooperation, increased participation and motivation, and increased control of students’ own learning. As an increasing number of higher education institutions are revising their courses to provide blended learning opportunities for their students, it is important to explore how and to what extent such opportunities can be achieved. This keynote presentation addresses the benefits and challenges of blending a course, alternative platforms and technologies that can be used. Based on the experience in developing and evaluating various courses, the author will also be covering key findings regarding different blending initiatives and how to evaluate the whole process.

Title: STEM Diversity in 21st Century and a Case Study of Home-Based STEM Platform Using Portable Learning Technologies in Macao

Prof. Ken Kam Weng Tam
Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies), Faculty of Science and Technology;
Director, Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion,
University of Macau

Prof. Ken Kam-Weng Tam is a Professor and the Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Macau. Since 2018, he is founding Director and Director of Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of University of Macau providing the unique platform for K12 and university students STEM education in Macao. From 2000 to 2001, he was the Director of the INESC, Macau, developing different informatics system including smart postal box for Macau Post. In 2001, he co-founded the microelectronic design house in Macao, where he was the General Manager until 2003. His current research interests include multifunctional microwave circuits and sensors, radiofrequency identification (RFID), and ultra-wideband for material analysis. Prof. Tam was a member of the Organizing Committees of 21 international and local conferences as Chairs and Co-Chairs. He supervised two IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Undergraduate Scholarship recipients in 2002 and 2003. Prof. Tam is also vice-president (conference) of IEEE Council on RFID, Associate Editor of IEEE Journal of Radio Frequency Identification, Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Fellow of IET. In addition, he was the recipient of Young Scholar Award of the University of Macau in 2001 and third class prize of Technological Invention Award of Macao Science and Technology Awards in 2012. Recently, he also was the recipient of Champion of “IEEE Mega-challenge 2017: Smart Cities” competition.

Keynote address

In this talk, the diversity and development of STEM education in 21st century are reviewed including Macao’s experience like the University of Macau’s research-oriented STEM platform together with some successful stories of high schools’ STEM achievements in collaboration. One of STEM education diversities is about the emerging portable learning technology. This enabling technology including computer-based instrumentation and measurement has gradually become common in classrooms and laboratories, but few trials have been made to apply them for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning at home in order to improve students’ STEM engagement, exploration and practice. As a case study of STEM diversity, a home-based STEM platform for fractional order impedance characterization of some botanical materials like potatoes is presented. This platform was tested by the students in Macao during the epidemic period from late January to early May 2020. Due to the unexpected worldwide coronavirus impact, all regular classes were suspended and only online teaching was available. It was found that this platform provides an effective and attractive learning approach at home. This home-based STEM platform is also a welcoming tool for emerging smart learning applications.

Title: Universal Design for Learning and the Modern Age of STEAM Education

Prof. James Basham
Professor, Department of Special Education
University of Kansas

Prof. James Basham is a Professor in the top-ranked Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. He is also the Senior Director for Learning & Innovation at CAST (http://www.cast.org/), a Boston-based research and development non-profit organizations and founder of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Prof. Basham is also one of the cofounders of the UDL Implementation and Research Network (UDL-IRN), a global network of educators, education leaders, researchers, and industry leaders which focused on supporting the design of UDL based learning environments. His work is focused on developing future-ready learning environments that are equitable, beneficial, and meaningful for all learners. Prof. Basham has conducted research on UDL relative to its implementation and relationship with STEM/STEAM education, learner-centered design, innovation, online learning, technology, space-design, and human learning. He has served as a consultant for school districts, universities, regional and national education agencies, foundations, and corporate entities. He is well published, has given hundreds of talks, and serves on various national and international boards for journals, companies, and education organizations.

Keynote address

As we consider the emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and issues of modernity, including the current pandemic, there is a need to redesign the traditional education system. The future of humanity requires a globally focused citizenry that supports dynamic interdisciplinary and systems level thinking, innovation, and creativity as a more rapidly evolving and pluralistic existence shapes the human experience. The future of learning relies on educators developing and adopting flexible crosscutting approaches designed for all learners. A critical consideration in this evolution is supporting education systems to move past the rigid structures associated with the siloed academic discipline and one-size-fits-all model of education to a dynamic system that is flexible and more personalized for all learners. To support this future, education systems must consider how to develop learning environments and experiences that interweave learning across science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. This talk will highlight how UDL provides a strong foundational design framework for the future of education across STEAM learning experiences. Examples, research, and resources will be provided as educators, education leaders, and university academics consider the future of learning design.