Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC) hosts Prof Zhang Yu and Dr. Yu Jifan from Tsinghua University for discussions on AI-Empowered Education

On 24 September 2026, the Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC) at the National Institute of Education (NIE) hosted Prof Zhang Yu, Chair of the School of Education at Tsinghua University, and Dr Yu Jifan, Postdoctoral Researcher in Tsinghua's AI-Empowered Education Research Division. Prof David Hung, Centre Director of SoLEC, together with Deputy Director A/P Teo Wei Peng were joined by colleagues from SoLEC, the Office of Research (OfR), Natural Sciences and Science Education (NSSE), and the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice (CRPP). During the visit, Prof Zhang presented Tsinghua's Massive AI-Empowered Courses (MAIC) platform, an open-source system used by learners in more than 150 countries. The platform helps educators build interactive, AI-supported courses from their own teaching materials. The NIE delegation shared its work in STEM teacher education, its research directions in AI in education, and its strategic priorities. Both institutions discussed how AI can support teachers rather than replace them, with particular interest in faculty course planning, STEM education and teacher professional development. The two sides identified several areas for future work, including pilot studies in Singapore schools, collaboration on teacher education programs, and researcher exchanges. The visit marks a promising step towards a stronger partnership between NIE and Tsinghua University in advancing research on AI in education.