SPEAKERS

Keynote Speakers

Professor Jon-Chao Hong

National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Jon-Chao Hong has received his doctoral degree in Education from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and is currently working as a Chair professor in the department of industrial education at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). As the director of Digital Game-based Learning Laboratory (GBL), he has developed 9 web games, 24 educational Apps and VR for skill training and language learning.
As the secretary general of Taiwan Creativity Development Association, he also organizes several creative contests relevant to STEAM, such as PowerTech Contest to invite elementary, junior and senior high school students to produce robots or miniatures in the morning and using these to compete in the afternoon to ensure students’ hands-on creation without parents or teachers’ assistance. As the executive secretary of International Exhibition for Young Inventors (IEYI), he also promotes the innovative contest to give students an opportunity to stimulate their science inquiry abilities, and also cultivated students’ creativity and thinking attitude of STEAM. In addition, he has published a number of academic articles in international journals related to digital game-based learning and thinking skills and creativity about 45 articles on Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) journals and received the Outstanding Research Prize from Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan.  

Applying AIoT to Design Games for Enhancing Social Interaction in Learning with Fun

Abstract: Fun and learning can be viewed as two ends of a continuum. At the extreme of fun, players will not learn; on the other hand, at the extreme of learning, there is no fun created by the game design. To balance fun and learning, it is necessary to create various interaction approaches, for example, playing a game with collaborative and competitive elements involving social interaction. In line with this, we apply AI and the Internet of Things to design educational games. AI technology can be divided into two aspects: discriminative AI and generative AI, while the Internet of Things (IoT) can be achieved by using Wi-Fi. By combining AI and IoT, we develop games to enhance learning through social interaction. Up to date, we have developed three types of human-device interfaces, including moving virtual Easter Island monoliths by three persons in rhythm-based collaboration; competitive butterfly catching; and language learning (e.g., Chinese idioms, radical assembly, and English vocabulary) by fishing for characters or letters. Most judgments on correct answers are made using discriminative AI, but in fishing for English words, the device can generate vocabulary meanings if players randomly string together letters and do not understand the resulting words. Additionally, there are two types of human-device interaction in this game: one is to tilt the smartphone or iPad to control the cursor, and the other is to slide the cursor to interact with the targets; the latter is particularly suitable for novices in digital game playing (e.g., some elderly). Moreover, the design of AIoT also supports remote and collaborative gameplay from a distance.
 

Professor Jeffrey S. Cross

Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan

Jeffrey is a professor, manager, and researcher, who has worked in Tokyo, Japan for 30 years. He teaches courses on academic writing, materials engineering, edX online course development, educational video-making and engineering measurements. He is the founder and general manager of Tokyo Tech's online education development, which produces online courses hosted on edX. He also develops online courses and monitors online course quality using learning analytics.

Prof. Cross' lab has 20 grad students and staff that undertake cutting edge research on renewable energy policy, biomass waste to energy conversion, hydrogen separation and storage, novel catalysts, machine learning applied to chemical reaction engineering, AI and VR/XR use in education, explainable AI and environmental toxicology.

Associate Professor Mitsunori Hirogaki

Kyushu University, Japan

Mitsunori Hirogaki graduated with a Bachelor of Science: Commerce from Doshisha University and pursued his Master's Degree in Commerce and Ph.D.: Commerce from Kobe University. Dr. Hirogaki is currently an Associate Professor of Marketing Strategy at Kyushu University, Graduate School of Economics, Department of Business and Technology Management (QBS Business School), where he teaches Marketing Strategy and International Marketing. He also teaches marketing research and consumer behavior at Ehime University.
He has served as an administrator in various capacities at Kyushu University and as one of the professors in various training programs dealing with Marketing in short-term executive programs, an Introductory Education Program for Freshman MBA students, and a regular feature on QTnet "Morning Business School" radio educational program aired by FM Fukuoka, and at Nikkei Business School. As a member of a research group at the Center for the Study of the Creative Economy (Doshisha University), he works with big data analysis to construct systems that identify seeds of innovation. Dr. Hirogaki’s current research focuses on Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior in international marketing and marketing strategies in mature, developed societies.
He has published numerous papers in international journals such as Journal of Marketing Management; International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management; International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research; International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business; Micro and Macro Marketing; International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation; and International Journal of Business and Globalisation. He is a member of the Japanese Economic Association, Japan Society of Marketing and Distribution, Kyushu Association of Economic Science, and Japan Association for Consumer Studies.  

Invited Speakers

Dr. Mohamed Asim

University of Wales Trinity Saint David UWTSD London, UK

Dr Asim received his PhD from the Australian National University where he researched on the application of quality management practices in the public sector. He also has an MA from the California State University, Sacramento USA and a BA from the American University of Beirut. Dr Asim has been the Program Manager of the Doctoral Business Administration program and Senior Lecturer at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David UWTSD London campus from 2022. His primary role is to manage and mentor doctoral scholars and teach the first-year core module at the doctoral level. His experience spans from supervising doctoral students and organising and chairing doctoral Vivas.
At UWTSD London, he was instrumental in organising the annual Knowledge Exchange Symposium aimed at providing a platform for doctoral and postgraduate researchers to share their research on a wider platform.
Previously he has taught MBA modules for the University of West of England and the College of Technology London.
Dr Asim is a full member of the British Academy of Management BAM and has participated in their annual conferences in 2023 and 2024 held at the University of Sussex and University of Nottingham. He has also reviewed papers submitted to the conference and chaired conference sessions. Currently he is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Management and Training for Industries.
Dr Asim's primary research interests are in the areas of quality management, performance management and research methodology. He has published widely in these areas in international journals including Public Administration and Management journal and Labour and Management in Development Journal
Contact email: mohamed.asim@btinternet.com

Prof. Hisayuki Sasaoka

National Institute of Technology, Asahikawa College, Japan

Hisayuki Sasaoka received his Ph.D. in Engineering from the Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkai-Gakuen University in 2000. From April to September 2000 he was a postgraduate at the Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University. He then served in the Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering at the National Institute of Technology (Asahikawa KOSEN), Japan, starting from October 2000 until March 2025. Since April 2025 he has been a Professor (Thailand KOSEN) at the National Institute of Technology Headquarters (Japan) and a visiting professor at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (Thailand). His research interests include e-Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Machine Translation.

Advancement and Internationalization of Higher Education of Engineering at National Colleges of Technology (KOSEN)

Abstract: The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, exemplified by systems such as ChatGPT and Gemini, has led to significant expansion of their practical applications. These technologies can perform a wide range of language-related tasks, including the summarization and translation of long and complex texts. To examine the effectiveness of generative AI in educational contexts, this study conducted an experimental evaluation. In the first experiment, generative AI was employed to generate quiz questions across multiple academic disciplines. Although quizzes are an effective means of assessing student comprehension, the processes of creating and grading them individually can impose a considerable workload on educators. To assess the quality of AI-generated questions, we developed quizzes that combined AI-generated items with questions created manually by instructors. These quizzes were administered to approximately 200 Japanese students across three academic subjects. Analysis of the results indicated that the AI-generated questions were natural in phrasing and were positively received by the students. In parallel, a project has been underway in recent years to internationalize and export Japan’s KOSEN educational system to other countries. The authors are affiliated with KOSEN KMUTT in Thailand and are actively involved in this internationalization initiative. As part of the project, they also plan to report on the current state of engineering education development, with particular attention to the integration of AI technologies.
 

Dr. Shahid Anjum

Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB), Brunei Darussalam

Dr. Anjum has earned his Ph. D. from Nagoya University, Japan for research topic of Early Warning System for Financial Risk using Data Mining Approach. He is a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer from Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), a Certified Investment Manager from Moody’s Canadian Securities Institute and Certified in Banking Risks and Regulations (ICBRR) from Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), USA. He has studied in the “Master of Computer Science program” at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, School of Engineering, University of Detroit in Michigan, USA. He also holds M. Phil. Economics degree.
Dr Anjum has served as Deputy Director of Brunei’s Crown Prince Award’s Committee for Creative, Innovative Products and Technological Advancement (CIPTA) Seminar, as Deputy Director of ‘Digital and Creativity Research Thrust’ at School of Computing and Informatics and Senior Asst. Professor at School of Business. Dr Anjum has also served as Program Leader for Applied Economics and Finance as well as for Marketing Information System Programs. He is currently serving as Partner consultant and Exclusive Representative for select ASEAN countries for Tech6 digital solutions, Singapore and German-owned independent subsidiary enterprise (ATECS AG, Switzerland). For Tech6 digital solutions, Dr. Anjum role is to manage teams to looking after the domains of IT infrastructure development, system integration, software development, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ICT import-export to achieve market share enhancement targets in ASEAN 4. The German Subsidiary is involved in the domains of digital security, digital forensics, surveillance and monitoring and Dr Anjum has the high-profile role of expanding professional partnership with relevant government authorities in assigned destinations. Dr. Anjum has been a member and coordinator at ‘Center for Innovative Engineering’ at Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) till 2024. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at College of Business & Information Technology, Lawrence Tech., Michigan, from 2008 till Jan 2015, has worked at Royal Bank of Canada (2011-2014) and at Asian Development Bank Manila (1998).
In the nutshell, Dr. Anjum has served in diverse roles like university faculty positions, member of university Vice Chancellor’s Advising teams, banking and international financial organizations, Corporations’ Boards and as an Investor and digital entrepreneur roles in various countries like Canada, Japan, USA, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Pakistan and Philippines. Dr. Anjum has rich academic research profile and has served as a Program Chair for the International Conference on Database and Data Mining) held in Chicago, USA in 2015. He has delivered various invited keynote speeches including on the topics of “Impact of Digital Maturity and Big Data towards Total Quality Management” (2022, UTB, Brunei), “Blockchain in Education: A Discussion in Digital Ecosystem Transformation & Resilience” (https://www.aeit.net/aeit2024.html) (AEIT 2024, Japan), Digital Innovations, Entrepreneurship and Digital Start Ups (2025, Univ of Poonch), “Blockchain and Generative AI in Education: A Discussion in Digital Ecosystem Transformation” (AEIT, 2025, Japan) (https://www.aeit.net/aeit2025.html), Adoption of Digital Transformation: Social Resilience Towards Sustainable Development (https://www.ic4e.net/2024.html) (IC4E, 2024, Japan), Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (2025, Comsat). He has been moderator to expert forums, has served as Session Chairs to over ten conferences and as a technical committee member to over 20 conferences. Dr Anjum’s research has received Best Paper Awards in Tokyo and ASEAN countries. Dr. Anjum is a senior member of various Computer and Information Technology, Digital Finance and Economy, Management and Development Economics related associations and societies. Dr. Anjum is a widely published author and his publications have appeared in reputable Scopus journals including in IEEE Series and Springer publications. He has also written chapters in book series and currently three books are underway with Taylor and Francis Group and Nova Publishers on Digital Banking & Digital Finance, Fintech & Cryptos, Digital economy.
Dr. Anjum has conducted and has led various consultancy projects as well as training workshops and mentorship programs for Entrepreneurs’ bootcamp for at Darussalam Enterprise (DARe). As Principal Researcher, Dr. Anjum has been a part of team for a project submitted to Brunei Research Council to implement technology transfer from Malaysia and Switzerland to Brunei regarding setting up of Islamic Fintech Lab, gold and silver-based mobile wallet applications, embedded with secured blockchain and Ethereum technology. His current research interests include, among others, applications of data mining and business intelligence, artificial intelligence and process re-engineering, internal audit of financial and digital maturity, blockchain and banking risks, assurance and risk management of financial information technology (fintech) and models of digital economy and smart finance, besides, role of digital and AI technology in education.

AI Agents and Chatbots, Ethical Dilemmas and Policy Guidelines for Universities: Roles and Risks of AI, Gen AI and Converse AI in Education 5.0

Abstract: The presentation will start with brief description of developments in digital ecosystem, digital infrastructure and digital technologies which have enabled Artificial Intelligence boom along with a brief perspective on Education and Education 4.0 and 5.0 frameworks in digital era through the lens of history regarding the AI Journey over time. The discussion flows into the digital technologies empowering the Education 5.0 revolution including internet of things, big data, blockchain, 5G, 3D printing, Robotics, Unmanned Ariel Vehicles etc. The historical sequence of AI developments in Education will be presented through various phases of AI development to the latest versions of Generative AI.
A brief introduction on artificial intelligence (AI), generative AI, and conversational AI, and the relevant tools of all these forms as well as general digital education tools will be discussed. General digital education tools include Multimedia presentations, electronic whiteboards, Interactive classrooms, simulations, Virtual reality, Video conferencing and Online learning while AI tools include tools for Text generation, Image generation, Voice synthesis, Video generation, Presentation making and Quiz generation. AI explosion including data mining and pattern recognition models, Large Language Models (LLMs), Open Sources LLMs - Running Locally, Prompt Engineering as well as Chatbot AI or AI Agents versus non-Chatbot AI tools will be introduced. Before taking up on the discussion of AI’s promise for education, a brief discussion on the objectives and themes in education, the dynamics of learning and four traditions (positivism, social perspective, tacit communitarianism (common-sense normalisation of Knowledge engineering, and computational approaches like organizational learning and intelligent systems) and cognitive disconnect in L&T practices will be discussed. Good teaching practices, good course design and traditional learning from expository text will be briefly taken up to bridge the context from technology to education and then seamlessly to the application of AI in education.
AI applications aim to help teachers reduce workloads by automating tasks such as assessment, plagiarism detection, administration and feedback. AI’s promise to promote personalized learning, Adaptive Learning, Universal Access will be discussed as well as the applications of AI-Powered Solutions from policymaker’s perspective, for Teachers, for Students, for Researchers, for counsellors and for Administration will be discussed. Various AI-Powered Solutions for Teachers, for students and for administrators will be discussed. AI-Powered Solutions for Teachers include AI-powered mentor for attraction and retention, AI-powered feedback for professional development, AI-powered lesson plans and other teaching contents and automated routines for efficiency in teaching role. For students, AI-Powered Solutions include AI-powered tutors for personalized learning and use of AI for assignments. List of AI-Powered solutions for administration is also broad which includes AI-powered assistant to streamline Processes, Early warning systems for proactive detection and centralized assignment repository for efficient resources allocation.
Lastly and highly important part of this keynote speech will be about major ethical implications of AI in education and to discuss about various forms of risks, policy guidelines and best practices related to AI in the classroom setting as well in educational organizations. Various topics that will be covered in this section are about AI chatbots, Privacy and security, copyright and intellectual property, misinformation, Stereotypes Access Bias, Attribution, Transparency, Citation & Attribution, Truthfulness & Accuracy, Pedagogic strategies and Academic integrity etc.