TAISP scholars gain global perspectives at international academic conference

Attendees at the Students Using Learning Analytics Joint Conference

 

“Exhilarating and eye-opening” was how Mohamed Farsat s/o Ansari described his first-time experience presenting at the Students Using Learning Analytics Imperial-Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Joint Conference held on 11 December 2025 at Imperial College London (ICL)’s South Kensington Campus.  

It was initially nerve-wracking, he admitted, but whatever anxiety he had soon transformed into confidence, thanks to the audience’s interest in his team’s project. 

For fellow student Yadanar Aung, the conference showed her how academic institutions are co-developing solutions with students. “Seeing faculty members engage meaningfully with student-led work made me realise I can play a role beyond learning by contributing to academic conversations,” she said.

Nigel Yeap Wei Hong shared a similar sentiment, saying that the visit reinforced the importance of developing himself beyond academic and technical skills. “Through coordinating engagements and contributing to academic discussions, I cultivated a broader skill set that complements my academic training and equips me to thrive in an increasingly globalised world,” he said. 

Farsat, Yadanar, and Nigel were among six students under the Turing AI Scholars Programme (TAISP) who attended the joint conference – the result of an Imperial-NTU Education Fund project which involved both institutions independently organising hackathons focused on Learning Analytics. It was co-hosted and organised by Professor Camille Kandiko Howson and her Learning Analytics team from Imperial, and Dr Lim Fun Siong and his Centre for the Applications of Teaching & Learning Analytics for Students (ATLAS) team from NTU. 

The TAISP scholars were invited as student presenters after emerging as the top two teams from Reimagine Learning with Learning Analytics @ NTU Hackathon held between August and October 2025. 

Other team members included Karthik Gangula, Yuma Ochi and Bryan Ang Shun Jie. While Karthik and Yuma participated virtually, the rest of the team travelled to London, accompanied by CCDS lecturer Ong Chin Ann.

 

TAISP scholars with CCDS lecturer Ong Chin Ann at The Queen’s Tower, Imperial College London

 

From learning to contributing

The conference proved to be an unforgettable experience for all, going beyond an ordinary overseas study tour and equipping them with academic, professional, and personal perspectives that will shape their journeys ahead.

The scholars presented solutions that empowered students to improve their learning through insights derived from interactions with the NTU AI Learning Assistant (NALA) platform. 

Mohamed Farsat s/o Ansari presenting at the Students Using Learning Analytics Joint Conference

 

They interacted with Imperial’s student hackathon winners, received real-time feedback from an international academic audience, and engaged with faculty members from Imperial’s Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship (CHERS). 

Bryan Ang Shun Jie’s team, LearnUs, was inspired by Imperial’s winning team STUMBLE. “We are very grateful for their feedback on the generation of unique and non-repeating questions for our ‘Question of the Day’ feature. I believe such discussions can help us improve our solution for future users in NTU,” he said.

Professor Camille Kandiko Howson (Professor of Higher Education in CHERS)  delivering the opening speech to kick off the Joint Conference

 

Insights gained from the conference are now informing ongoing enhancements to NALA and shaping future collaboration between the institutions.

The visit was further enriched through a series of faculty engagement sessions that offered students deeper insight into diverse research initiatives and pedagogical approaches.

Touring the Chapels across the different colleges in the University of Oxford

Professor Peter Millican explaining the history of the Bodleian Old Library

The scholars also visited the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, further broadening their academic horizons. Professor Peter Millican, Professor of Computer Science and Philosophy at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor at NTU, hosted the scholars for a campus tour and shared insights into Oxford’s interdisciplinary Computer Science and Philosophy programme. At Cambridge, a meeting with NTU alumna Ng Woon Yee provided a fresh perspective on navigating postgraduate life and research culture abroad.

 The conference and academic visits reflect how TAISP creates purposeful opportunities for students to move beyond the classroom, engaging as active contributors in international academic communities. 

Yadanar Aung

Nigel Yeap Wei Hong