ECOSF and UI with support of UNITEL Hosted a Successful Workshop on AI and e-Learning in Engineering Courses

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The ECO Science Foundation in collaboration with the University of Isfahan, Iran and the UNITEL Project organized an insightful workshop on ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) and e-Learning in Engineering Courses’. The hybrid event was held on June 6, 2023 and brought together experts, scholars, students and academic leaders to explore the potential of AI in transforming the educational landscape.

The workshop featured two experts; Dr. Hamid Reza Marateb from the University of Isfahan and Engr. Jalil Raza from the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule - Institute of Applied Sciences & Technology (PAF-IAST) Pakistan who shared their insights and knowledge on various themes related to the integration of AI in online learning. The event was moderated by Dr. Azam Naghavi, an academic member of University of Isfahan.

Dr. Marateb from the University of Isfahan in his presentation underlined many aspects of AI, including use of AI in online learning, learning analytics and its impact on the instructor-learner. Dr. Marateb emphasized that AI could enhance and improve the online learning experience for learners. He further highlighted many beneficial aspects of AI, such as personalized learning, adaptive learning systems, virtual assistants, and automated assessment. He also demonstrated live the application of AI as a Teaching Assistant (TA) while using GPT to deliver important tasks on the subject. Dr. Marateb also underscored the limitation and concerns of AI in the education. Dr. Marateb concluded that while AI has many potential benefits, but it also poses serious concerns about data privacy and other ethical issues which needs to be addressed and needs special attention.

Engr. Jalil Raza delivered his presentation on ‘Transforming Education: Harnessing the Potential of AI-enabled Smart Classroom Solutions’. Engr. Jalil shed a light on the broader impact of AI in education. He underlined that AI has the potential to address both quality and access to education by integration of AI technologies. He further went on to demonstrate the application of smart boards, smart classroom solutions that have been deployed at the PAF-IAST and have had created positive impact on learning for students. He also highlighted the use of virtual reality as an application of AI to create dynamic and immersive learning environments, particularly for those topics and experiments which are otherwise challenging to conduct in a classroom environment. Mr. Jalil concluded that in order for the AI to transform the education, stakeholders and institutions need to work together on developing right framework on curriculum, learning spaces and address the ethical challenges.

After the presentations by experts, participants actively participated and contributed to the discussions during the engaging Q&A session. The enthusiasm and keen interest displayed by the participants underscored the significance of AI and e-Learning in education.

In the end, President ECOSF Prof. Seyed Komail Tayebi was invited to deliver his concluding remarks, emphasizing the significance of AI in revolutionizing the future of education. Prof. Tayebi expressed his gratitude to the speakers, participants and organizers for their active participation and contributions to the workshop. Prof. Tayebi also commended the experts for their remarkable insights and underscoring their crucial role in shaping the future of AI-enabled e-Learning in engineering courses.