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DICT launches Tech4ED Centre in Batanes, Philippines
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has announced it will offer two free online courses on artificial intelligence (AI) next year. These courses will be available on the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) platform.
According to a media report, the courses will begin in January 2021 under Professor Deepak Khemani, from IIT-M’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering. While students will be able to take the course for free, for an e-certification, they will need to pay a fee and clear an examination, which will be conducted by the institute. The certificate will be awarded by IIT-M in collaboration with the NPTEL platform.
AI: Constraint Satisfaction and Artificial Intelligence
This course is 8 weeks long and aims to teach learners AI-centric diverse problem-solving methods. The curriculum will include constraint networks, equivalent and projection networks, search methods for solving CSPs, lookahead methods, dynamic variable and value order, model-based systems, model-based diagnosis, and truth maintenance systems, among others.
AI: Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
This course is 12 weeks long and is designed for slightly advanced learners, who already understand formal languages, programming, and logic. The course is designed to train learners to become problem-solvers. The course curriculum includes proof systems, natural deduction, tableau method, resolution method, description logic (DL), structure matching, classification, default logic, autoepistemic logic, epistemic logic, and multi-agent scenarios, among others.
IIT-M recently began an online BSc programme in data science. It has seen a rise in demand for similar courses and the AI courses are mainly aimed at people who are working professionals or are pursuing another degree elsewhere. They can attend these courses part-time online and increase their qualification level. This programme is aimed at helping people acquire new skills and become job-ready.
The instructor, Prof Khemani, is an alumnus of IIT Bombay whose research focus is knowledge and memory-based reasoning. He said that a common opinion of computers is that they can do everything. The user states the problem, and the computer solves it – that is the broad goal of AI. It is a long-term goal and has not been realised yet. However, the availability of data, increases in computing power, use of AI solutions in fields like medical diagnosis, have brought it into the limelight. “[I] feel that it is important for students and specifically computer science students to opt for AI courses”, he said.
The course has garnered interest from various age groups, the majority of them are professionals. Prof Khemani noted that among the people who have registered, the oldest learners are over 80 years old and the majority are around 30 years of age. These courses are not designed to be a primary degree but a secondary one.
India is expected to become a global leader in the development of AI, which could add up to US $957 billion to India’s economy by 2035. The country hopes to stand out in the international community as a model of responsible AI use for social empowerment. The nation has robust plans to leverage AI for inclusive development, representing the country’s ‘AI for All’ strategy.
True Digital Park announced the launch of a digital academy to boost digital skills among members of the public through cooperation with various global tech enterprises. Major global IT firms taking part in the academy include the world’s mightiest tech giants.
The President of True Digital Park stated that said the House of Digital Academy, which will serve as a digital learning centre, is projected to provide learning programmes for 200,000 people in the first year of operations and 700,000 people over the subsequent three years.
The Park is now paving the way to encourage Thais and particularly new generations to upgrade to the necessary level of digital literacy. True Digital Park, located in Bangkok’s Phra Khanong district, is operated by True Group to serve as a tech and start-up hub in ASEAN. The House of Digital Academy aims to help Thais advance and grow in their workplaces and business operations in the digital era.
Courses offered by the academy will be designed by tech partners that are well-versed in their respective fields of expertise, the President stated. Digital literacy is vital for workers in all sectors, particularly in the new economy, he added.
The academy would also be beneficial for new graduates, currently standing at about 500,000 a year. Many new graduates are finding it difficult to secure employment due to the economic climate. Digital skills are also needed as many businesses and organisations are gearing up for digital transformation, he said.
The academy is expected to expand and it is estimated that it will cover an area totalling 45,000 square metres by 2022 to accommodate growing demand from trainees through its various digital literacy programmes.
This is another proud project under True Digital Park that combines the efforts from alliances of leading local and international tech companies that jointly aim to boost digital technology skills among the country’s workforce to meet the demands of the market.
Through the academy, the Thailand branch of a Chinese tech powerhouse will offer classes providing certification in the area of cloud system analysis. Moreover, an American networking hardware company will offer online Networking Academy courses to provide learners with relevant skills and knowledge in this area.
The Thailand branch of the world’s largest search engine and the tech giant is participating in the Saphan Digital Project, which aims to share knowledge through free online courses for small- and medium-sized enterprises, non-governmental organisations and members of the public. This project is in cooperation with the Commerce Ministry.
True Digital Park
OpenGov Asia previously reported that Southeast Asia’s start-up ecosystem has been booming over the last couple of years, being earmarked as one of the most attractive destinations for investors. Thailand, in particular, is a nascent market for entrepreneurship. The Thai government has been working to build the country’s tech ecosystem in recent years.
The National Innovation Agency, a government agency aimed at encouraging innovation, overhauled its financial support programme for start-ups to help move progress along quicker and allowing them to access THB44 billion in funding.
The agency’s main goal is to build 3,000 innovation-based start-ups in the next decade, to nurture the start-up ecosystem and generate growth. It also works in partnership with True Digital Park (TDPK), the country’s first and Southeast Asia’s largest digital innovation hub.
Based in Bangkok, the global start-up destination is a playground of sorts for innovation, providing space for work and daily living in an integrated community. Initiatives like these emphasise Thailand’s dedication to a digital transformation.
Thailand’s TDPK is where such digital transformations can find their genesis. With the amount of talent and investment that the park brings together, it provides crucial knowledge creation that is supportive of digital innovations. By positioning itself as a hub where innovation thrives and sprawls, TDPK empowers the region’s start-up ecosystem and boosts its potential exponentially.
University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers have been awarded more than $5 million in funding in the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects funding grants announced by the Minister for Education. These research projects are part of the Government’s plan to invest in ideas and innovation to help power Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
Twelve UOW-led projects received funding under the ARC Discovery Projects scheme, which aims to expand the knowledge base and research capacity in Australia and support research that will provide economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia. UOW researchers will contribute to a further 12 Discovery Projects as research collaborators.
Investigating professional learning lives in the digital evolution of work
A team led by Associate Professor Shirley Agostinho from the School of Education, and including Dr Kellie Buckley-Walker and Professor Sue Bennett, gained $481,720 to investigate learning practices in professions affected by digitalisation. The project will provide significant benefits for a national policy on lifelong learning to address Australia’s agile skills development needs.
Roadblocks in DNA replication
Distinguished Professor Antoine van Oijen and Distinguished Professor Nicholas Dixon, from Molecular Horizons, received $600,364 for a project to develop technology to visualise and understand the molecular processes responsible for the faithful copying of cellular DNA. Project benefits include enhanced collaboration and scientific capacity in Australia.
Structures to solve conflicts of DNA replication and RNA transcription
A team led by Distinguished Professor Nicholas Dixon and including Dr Gokhan Tolun, Dr Harshad Ghodke and Associate Professor Aaron Oakley, secured $692,195 for a project to understand how new DNA is made so quickly and without mistakes in cells that are about to divide. The project could potentially lead to the development of new antibiotics.
Out of Africa: human prehistory in southwestern China
Dr Bo Li from the Centre for Archaeological Science gained $269,457 for his project to establish the timing and processes of human settlement in East Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. His team will study key archaeological sites in southwest China and provide new insights into the human prehistory of East Asia over the last 300,000 years, addressing debates about the timing, rate and route of dispersal of modern humans out of Africa, across south Asia and into Australia.
Mangrove sustainability on the Australian coast
Associate Professor Kerrylee Rogers from the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences and a team including Professor Colin Woodroffe and Associate Professor Sarah Hamylton received $450,000 to model the response of mangroves and adjoining communities to sea-level rise. Mangrove response models are urgently needed to plan for Australia’s global sea-level rise adaptation and will benefit sustainable coastal management and national carbon accounting efforts.
Playing it safe: psychological safety and mental health for community sport
Dr Stewart Vella from the School of Psychology, leading a team including Senior Professor Anthony Okely from Early Start, secured $357,409 for a project to deliver knowledge to underpin effective psychological safety and mental health guidelines for community sports. When implemented, this knowledge will help sports clubs to provide a psychologically safe environment, and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians involved in organised sports.
Geopolymer concrete for thin-walled structures in marine environments
Associate Professor Muhammad Hadi from the Advanced Structural Engineering and Construction Materials Group will lead a team including Associate Professor Md Sheikh in a project to develop ultra-high-performance geopolymer concrete thin-walled structures for critical infrastructure in the marine environment. The project, awarded $325,000, aims to increase the durability of coastal infrastructures and significantly reduce the loss of their capacities due to corrosion-induced damage.
Hot topic: quantum design of phononic heat filters
A team led by Dr David Cortie, from the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, and including Dr Zengji Yue, Professor Zhenxiang Cheng, Professor Roger Lewis and Professor Chao Zhang, gained $315,000 for a study into phonon transport in solids. The phonon is the quantum particle representing a travelling vibration and is responsible for the transmission of heat in solids. Heat management is critical to many technologies for sustainable energy, electronics, protective equipment and energy-efficient buildings.
Unleashing the potential of VR: reducing sickness in head-mounted displays
Associate Professor Stephen Palmisano from the School of Psychology secured $199,000 for a project to test a new theory of this cybersickness related to the use of virtual reality (VR) technology. The study will quantify the sensory conflicts produced by VR and measure their effects on perception, eye-movements, balance and well-being, leading to improved VR use in fields including defence, education, entertainment, gaming, medicine, real estate, simulation training and tourism.
Batteries of the future-a new strategy for CO2 fixation and energy storage
Distinguished Professor Zaiping Guo, from the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, and her team, including Dr Tengfei Zhou, Dr Yan Lu, Dr David Wexler, secured $492,255 for a project to develop metal-carbon dioxide batteries with high specific energy densities for carbon dioxide capture as well as energy conversion and storage. The outcomes will revolutionise battery technology and position Australia as a global leader in the critical transition to a decarbonised economy.
Carbon-free energy storage and conversion using ammonia as a mediator
Distinguished Professor Shi Xue Dou, from the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, and a team including Dr Ji Liang and Dr Weijie Li secured $573,778 for a project to develop technologies for ammonia-mediated energy storage, hydrogen production, and electricity generation. This should provide significant benefits for the harvest of clean energy, the safe utilisation of hydrogen, and the development of carbon-free fuels, which are essential for optimising Australia’s energy structure.
Non-invasive and safe human-machine interface (HMI) systems
Senior Professor Gursel Alici from the School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering received $334,055 for his project to establish new human-machine interface systems to intuitively command and control robotic and autonomous systems safely interacting with humans. Expected outcomes are a novel human-machine interface methodology, a new multi-purpose wearable data glove, and machine learning methods for applications in assistive robotic devices such as a prosthetic hand, advanced manufacturing, construction and agriculture.
The Indonesia Defense University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the cooperation of Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi and Improving the Quality of Human Resources.
The signing was carried out by the President Director of Len Industri, Zakky Gamal Yasin and the Rector of the Defense University Laksdya TNI Amarulla Octavian in the Mandalawangi Room, PT Len Industri (Persero) in Bandung earlier last week. The two parties have previously collaborated in the development of renewable energy and in the field of defence technology in 2018 and 2017.
This initiative was carried out by Len Industri and the Defense University in an effort to improve education, research, development of science and technology, especially in the defence sector by involving academics, government and industry.
The two sides then held a Round Table Discussion which discussed the theme of Interoperability Technology Design Based on Network Centric Warfare (NCW) to support the TNI Tri Matra Fiscal Opsgab with a goal of Improving national defence. NCW is a modern warfare doctrine that interconnects sensor and action units under integrated command and control.
Zakky in his remarks at the event emphasised that the synergy is expected to provide research contributions which later can be implemented to meet the demand for national defence and security needs. He confirmed that Len Industri has given full support to the implementation of Education and Training (On The Job Training), including the use of facilities according to the competencies to be achieved during this OJT.
A number of students and teaching lecturers also conducted scientific research and community service or OJT (On The Job Training) at Len Industri for 3 days from 4 to 6 November 2020. Students were encouraged to take the time to interact closely with the engineering team (defence electronics) of PT Len Industri (Persero). The partnership is optimistic that there is potential for joint research between the Defense University and Len Industry for the implementation of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) to produce innovations that are relevant to the needs of national defence equipment.
In his speech, the Rector of the Defense University explained that master and doctoral students could focus more on carrying out their research. He said the Sea Station for Sea Control in the Sunda and Lombok Strait could become a new market or business opportunity for Len Industri in the maritime sector. The Indonesian Defense University has succeeded in conducting research on communication and coastal surveillance radars that can be installed on the ideal coastal station for sea control.
The university opened in 2011 to teach “defense science from a military, political, economic, social and cultural perspective” for officers in Indonesia’s Armed Forces, known as Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI). Unhan also is open to civilians, according to its charter, “to produce an intellectual cadre of state defense.” Earlier in July of this years, plans for expanding the National Defense University, also known as Unhan, were made known. The expansion was aimed to foster expertise in fields of knowledge vital to Indonesia’s defence.
Plans include building facilities on 20 hectares to house Unhan’s growing departments of military engineering, pharmacy and medicine, along with maths and natural sciences. The expansion corresponds to the launch of a new undergraduate program for the 2020-21 academic year. Some of the lectures may be conducted online rather than in classrooms if the threat of coronavirus disease persists and requires such precautions.
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), in partnership with National Law Institute University, Bhopal, launched an Online PG Diploma programme on ‘Cyber Law, Crime Investigation & Digital Forensics’ on 9 November 2020.
Hosted on NeGD’s Digital Learning Management System (LMS), the programme is a nine-month online post-graduate diploma course in Cyber Law, Crime Investigation and Digital Forensics.
NeGD’s Learning Management System (LMS), built as part of its Capacity Building Scheme, caters to the needs and requirements of learning and development of government departments envisaged in the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (‘NPCSCB’) – “Mission Karmayogi.”
Falling within the ambit of the Digital India Programme, the course is being offered to 1000 officials in collaboration with NLIU Bhopal. So far, a total of 542 participants has been selected. The programme aims to enable police officers, state cyber cells, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and judicial officers to acquire the requisite skills to deal with cyber forensics cases efficiently and effectively as per the Indian Cyber Law. The course will also help the participants adopt global best practices, standards and guidelines.
A Cyber Forensics Lab is being established at the National Law University (NLU) Delhi to facilitate this course. Other law schools/ universities like National Law School of India University (Bangalore), Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (Patiala) etc., will also be involved in the future.
The programme features over 100 hours of content developed by key stakeholders. Commenting on the evolution of the programme, Shri Abhishek Singh, IAS, P&CEO, NeGD, and CEO, MyGov India said it was heterogeneous with participation from judges, officers from police and the customs, judicial and prosecution officers.
Chief Secretary and State Vigilance Commissioner – Government of Meghalaya said that the course will be extremely useful to the Law Enforcement Agencies. He shared there had been an increase of nearly 60% in cyber cases during the pandemic as compared to the period between 2018 and 2019.
One of the positive fallouts of COVID-19, he opined, was an increase in the use of Digital Technology. The flip side to this was that it has led to a rise in the number of cybercrime cases and highlighted the following challenges including fraudulent business transactions, obscene content and defamation and fake news.
Rapid location and identification of cybercriminals was an issue along with a delayed response from service providers. Other problems are a lack of timely information that hampers investigation as well as the location of data in servers outside the country. Knowledge, technology and tools were much needed to cope with increased sophistication in cybercrime. In addition to technologies and capacity building, creating general awareness among citizens were critical drivers for this initiative.
Business dynamics and technology challenges also played a major role in handling cybercrime cases which have been the major drivers in designing the course in collaboration with experts and academia along with NeGD.
Investigational expertise along with well-trained prosecutors and requirement of higher technical education and continuous capacity building of judges was much needed to handle cybercrimes. The course has been designed to maintain the balance of technology and the importance of practical scenarios.
Secretary, Ministry of Law, Anoop Kumar Mendritta emphasised the increased participation of prosecution and judicial officers and the need to move towards Data Investigation from Data Governance to increase in disposal rate. He said that 22% of cases are disposed of due to lack of evidence with high pendency and low conviction rate which requires increased participation. He pointed out that there was a complete mismatch between Investigation and Judicial officers which will be addressed by creating a pool of digital forensic experts and increased academic collaboration.
Secretary-MeitY-Shri Ajay Sawhney, who inaugurated the programme, said that this curriculum is a first-of-its-kind designed after consultation with many experts in collaboration with academia and a state-of-the-art forensic lab playing a role in imparting skillsets to all officers and this was just the beginning of Skill and Capacity Building in Cybercrime in future.
Taking advantage of the rapid development of science and technology, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has been continually striving to improve the overall context of people working in the industry. The Ministry has taken several steps to ensure a safe working environment in the marine industry, believing that ensuring the well-being of human resources is a basic right and an absolute requirement to compete globally.
Improving the context and environment of the industry has been carried out through training and counselling. During the COVID 19 outbreak, activities that were usually carried out face-to-face were hampered so that the KKP switched to the Digital System.
To implement this switch, the Statistics and Information Data Center together with the Training and Extension Center through the Education, Training and Extension Centers in various regions in Indonesia organised a range of programmes for people to improve their skills through breakthrough digital training ( electronic learning).
Differing from the general digital training, the programmes are conducted using models based on technical skills where participants are invited not to just watch, but also to interact directly with the trainers. This KKP digital exercise was integrated into a fisheries’ online learning application called “e-Net”.
Developed by the Center for Statistical Data and Information of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the E-Jaring application can convert F-2F/manual learning/training material into digital form, allowing all marine and fisheries communities to get their learning materials online.
The materials offered are diverse, ranging from fish cultivators in floating cages or nets, seaweed cultivation, fish feed manufacturing, maintenance of fishing boat engines, making environmentally friendly fishing gear, to making various types of processed fish.
The E-Jaring application can be analogous to a class in cyberspace because there are teachers, instructors. Through the e-net platform, the KKP plans to train a minimum of ten thousand marine and fisheries communities in 2020 through systemised modules and materials. On successful completion of the training, participants will get a certificate.
Advantages of E-Jaring:
- Open to anyone interested
- No limits on time and place; can be accessed anywhere
- Training happens faster
- No onsite requirement for participants
- cost is much cheaper than F2F modules
The ministry is also building an online, mobile E-presence solution to facilitate employee performance during the pandemic.
The rapid development of information technology today has had a huge impact on people’s lives. Both government and citizens realise that technology can facilitate a better life, especially in terms of meeting service needs. The demands of society ultimately require the government to reform public services by improving the performance of public services and providing comprehensive services, which can satisfy all parties without discrimination.
Since mid-March 2020, when the pandemic epidemic began to rapidly spread in the nations, the government was forced to declare restricted movement orders, social distancing measures and other safety precautions. To mitigate the effects of these circumstances, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has been trying to deploy new solutions and technology, so that they can continue to provide services to the community to maintain a degree of continuity and normalcy in terms of the economy and societally.
The Center for Statistical and Information Data, together with the Secretariat General’s Bureau of Human Resources, has built an application to monitor the attendance and activities of employees both at the central and regional levels (UPT) as well as to find out the distribution of Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries employees in an online location called ” E-Employee Presenci”.
Prior to the pandemic, employees attendance was done biometrically with the touch of a finger on arrival and return from the office during working hours. The Employee e-Presensi application is deployed on an online platform that is activated via a Desktop / Laptop or Mobile (HP). It also uses fingerprint recognition that can be used in a Work From Home (WFH) or Work From Office (WFO) context.
There are numerous advantages of this employee e-presence app as it can be used anywhere at any time. It does not require any additional equipment or machines and does not require a system or software installation.
From a management point of view, it makes it easy to analyse attendance data in real-time. Equipped with a location map (GPS), the app can be used to can monitor employees anywhere, ensuring their safety and productivity.
Ninety schools in the Zamboanga Peninsula are now Internet-connected through the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) Free Wi-Fi in Public Areas and State University and Colleges initiative.
The project is part of the Department’s efforts to aid the education sector transition to ‘new normal of learning’. A press statement explained that the government recognises the importance of the Internet in the continuance of education in the new normal and is aware that, despite this, a lot of teachers and students still do not have Internet connectivity in their homes. With the provision of free Wi-Fi Internet within these communities, the department hopes to be able to help address some of the challenges faced by learners and teachers as they adjust to blended learning, at least with the availability and affordability of Internet connectivity.
Various school heads expressed their appreciation to DICT for free Internet connectivity and access. According to them, free Internet access has helped teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as students, better adapt to the new normal in the education sector. Teachers have easy access to different educational platforms.
Online platforms are now feasible, and students are very happy to learn in a modern way with the use of the Internet provided, Adrian G. Refugio, Principal of Zamboanga del Norte National High School, stated.
“It (Free Wi-Fi) provided us with better Internet connectivity that we need for our schoolwork and to be more productive despite restrictions of the new normal. It allows us to perform our duty on the go without thinking that we will run out of data,” Maria Lisa B. Elopre-Valdehueza, Principal of Dipolog City National High School added. “It maximises information dissemination, lessens the burden of teachers because communication with our students is made easy through Facebook messenger and other Google platforms.”
Last month, OpenGov Asia reported that DICT and the local government unit (LGU) of Zambales would provide internet connectivity in the province through the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA).
Under the MoA, the province received the continuous deployment of free public Wi-Fi through DICT’s Free Wi-Fi for All Program and established the Zambales Provincial Broadband Network.
The ceremonial signing took place during the launching of 64 free Wi-Fi live sites in 16 locations in Zambales. The fee Wi-Fi sites were the result of the cooperation between DICT and the Province of Zambales, formalised through a previous MoA signed in January. These sites have been accessible to the public since August this year.
The heightened clamour for internet connectivity after the onset of the community quarantine in the Philippines took the telecommunications sector by surprise. Government offices, hospitals, state universities, and local colleges, among others, have benefitted from existing free Wi-Fi sites in the province. These include the President Ramon Magsaysay State University and the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy. The MOA was expected to provide more public institutions with free Internet.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Broadband Network will be linked to the national broadband backbone. Phase 1 of the government-owned network will be completed by the end of 2020. The collaboration aims to be a catalyst in furthering inclusive and comprehensive broadband penetration in the province by supporting the government’s initiative to establish a provincial broadband network. And by ensuring that the provincial LGU is provided with adequate bandwidth at reasonable, competitive rates as allowed by law, if not free, the DICT Secretary, Gregorio B.Honasan, explained.
Learning to become independent is a crucial developmental milestone for all children, but for children with an intellectual disability, mastering everyday activities can be an uphill battle. A new virtual reality (VR) program, called Now, was developed by the University of South Australia to help children overcome some of these difficulties, enabling them to build and practise essential life skills in a safe and controlled environment.
It’s an innovative use of virtual reality platforms that could help thousands of Australian children. In Australia, around one in 22 children has an intellectual disability, representing 4.5 per cent of the Australian population.
Funded by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, the VR program aims to build capacity and self-confidence around life skills in children with an intellectual disability, enabling them to become more confident and self-sufficient.
Project lead and Early Career Researcher, UniSA’s Stefan Michalski, says the VR program hopes to provide a more effective teaching platform for children with intellectual disabilities to practice key skills.
Whether it’s getting dressed, learning how to cook, or simply sorting the daily trash, routine skills are an essential part of everyday life, Michalski stated. However, for children with an intellectual disability, these tasks can be challenging, so finding ways for them to practice and become more independent is key.
The virtual reality program will let a child practice a range of life skills in a safe and controlled environment so that they gain familiarity with the task and can build their capabilities to undertake it.
The beauty of VR is that it can be modified to complement an individual’s learning style. Plus, it easily enables repeat scenarios so a child can practice a task until they are comfortable with their abilities. Importantly, being able to practice in an online space means that children can safely experience and practice key skills without danger, which makes it much easier to teach higher-risk activities such as working with hot surfaces in a kitchen.
The UniSA project will test the VR training among children aged between 12 and 17, assessing the validity and effectiveness VR as compared with traditional rote learning models.
Michalski says the research hopes to provide new and innovative solutions for children with intellectual disabilities. Mastering life skills undoubtedly builds confidence and self-esteem and can help a child make appropriate decisions in social, vocational and personal scenarios, he noted.
Life is a learning process. And while learning skills via a virtual environment is a novel approach, it’s one that the team feels will make a big difference to the many children that need extra support.
UniSA’s full project team includes Stefan Michalski, Dr Tobias Loetscher, Associate Professor Caroline Ellison, Professor Mark Billinghurst, Dr Ancret Szpak, and Dr Gun Lee.
Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation (CRF) fosters the advancement of Early Career Researchers in South Australia; Stefan Michalski is one of three Early Career Researchers who successfully received a 2021 Channel 7 CRF grant. The Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation grants around $1.5 million a year to support quality research within the universities, research institutes, health services and other organisations of South Australia.
