UM Teaching Excellence Award recipient gives talk on learning and teaching with AI

The University of Macau (UM) held the University of Macau Teaching Excellence Award Seminar today (7 November). Wong Fai, recipient of the UM Teaching Excellence Award for the 2023/2024 academic year and associate professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science of the Faculty of Science and Technology, gave a talk titled ‘Educating with AI: Dual Pathways in Learning and Teaching’. Drawing on his teaching experience, Prof Wong shared methods for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into learning and teaching, as well as strategies for enhancing teaching effectiveness and student engagement.

Rui Martins, vice rector of UM, said in his speech that UM attaches great importance to the quality of teaching and students’ learning experience, and therefore presents the UM Teaching Excellence Award every year to encourage and recognise outstanding teaching staff. He also thanked Prof Wong for his more than 20 years of dedication in the field of machine translation and his contribution to promoting teaching innovation, improving overall educational standards, and nurturing more talent for society.

During the talk, Prof Wong shared his experience in large language models and methods for combining learning and teaching with AI. He then talked about his teaching philosophy, which can be summarised in three aspects: simplifying complex concepts, integrating research with teaching, and providing personalised learning experiences. He also discussed the future direction of AI in education and encouraged educators to utilise AI and adopt new methods to create a more engaging and effective teaching and learning environment. In addition, Prof Wong actively engaged with the audience in the Q&A and discussion sessions, which were moderated by Garry Wong, recipient of the UM Teaching Excellence Award for the 2021/2022 academic year and professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences.