“Informatics Education in Disruptive Era”

Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand — Researchers, professors, and students from eight countries participated in an international seminar on a topic that focused on the transformational aspects of teaching and learning in the field of information science. This event was organized by the Informatics Innovation Center of Excellence (IICE) and the School of Informatics at Walailak University. The seminar content covers various topics. It is relevant to informatics education in this era of change and is intended for lecturers, academics, or students. The seminar aims to allow participants to learn about the latest research findings, trends, and developments in this field. Network with other professionals and expand your knowledge and skills in the area.

 How do universities, professors, and students adapt to cope with this situation? Attend discussions, demos, and interactive sessions on topics ranging from current information science teaching situations to planning for the context of a rapidly evolving world. The seminar will feature world–class speakers, including Prof. Lance Chun Che Fung, IEEE Asia–Pacific–Region (R10) Director 2023–2024, and Prof. Dr. Wu–Yuin Hwang, National Central University, Taiwan.

The essence of the keynote speaker can be summarized as follows:

1. Prof. Lance Chun Che Fung described the IEEE as having an essential role in higher education by providing resources. Networking opportunities and professional development programs that help students and faculty develop their skills, knowledge, and careers. The IEEE’s impact on higher education will likely continue to grow as technology plays an increasingly important role in our society, especially in today’s disruptive era.

2. Prof. Dr. Wu–Yuin Hwang mentioned advanced technologies supporting teaching and learning in higher education, including LMS, VR, Online courses, Online activities, and AR. These advanced technologies have the potential to revolutionize education. Teaching in higher education by taking advantage of these technologies, Students and faculty have access to new tools and resources. That can help you achieve your educational goals and prepare you for the future demands of the job market and enterprise sector.

In addition, the seminar also showcased IICE’s research which consists of 3 outstanding research areas:

1. Information systems for teaching and learning in higher education in Thailand developed by IICE include the WALAI AutoLib digital library system, the Union Catalog for Thailand Academic Libraries system (UCTAL), and the digital thesis storage system for Thai higher education institutions (TDC).

2. Information systems in medicine and health sciences

3. Multimedia systems, AR, and VR in higher education teaching and learning

 The seminar had 50 registered participants, 31 from Thailand and 19 from abroad, representing 62% and 38%, respectively, which is considered an international seminar with the number of participants achieving the objectives. In addition, the overall evaluation of the seminar showed that the participants were satisfied at a high level. And we would like to organize a seminar like this again next year.