Prof. Adrian David Cheok

Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China

Adrian David Cheok AM FIET FIEAust FRSA is Full Professor at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Director of the Imagineering Institute, Malaysia, Visiting Professor at Raffles University, Malaysia, Visiting Professor at University of Novi Sad-Serbia, on Technical faculty “Mihailo Pupin”, Serbia, Faculty of Ducere Business School, and CEO of Nikola Tesla Technologies Corporation.

In 2024, Professor Adrian David Cheok was honored with induction as a Full Member into Sigma Xi USA, The Scientific Research Honor Society, a recognition that not only signifies his dedication to scientific excellence but also aligns his contributions with those of groundbreaking researchers. Sigma Xi is a beacon of distinction within the global scientific community, boasting over 200 Nobel Laureates among its members, including luminaries such as Albert Einstein. This prestigious society is renowned for its commitment to the advancement of science and engineering and includes among its distinguished members other eminent personalities like Linus Pauling and Guglielmo Marconi, whose pioneering work has indelibly shaped the landscape of modern science and innovation. Professor Cheok’s association with Sigma Xi marks a pinnacle in his career, affirming his commitment to the ethos of rigorous and impactful scientific inquiry.

Prof. Rhona Sharpe

University of Oxford, UK

Professor Rhona Sharpe is the Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Oxford, UK, where she has brought together educational development and digital education services to provide a focus for academic development in teaching and learning. The Centre provides professional development and consultancy services around areas of strategic importance, currently assessment, digital education and academic skills development. Rhona has a strong track record in online teaching, with over 15 years’ experience teaching with the UK Open University underpinned by an academic approach and a body of research and development projects. She has written, contributed to and co-edited publications and journal articles in the field of digital education and educational leadership.

Prof. Maria Beatrice Ligorio

University of Bari, Italy

Professor M. Beatrice Ligoria teaches Educational Psychology and a specialized course on E-learning. She a co-founder of the Collaborative Knowledge Building Group (www.ckbg.org) and is the main editor of the journal Qwerty. She is currently member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Association of Psychology (AIP) for the section of Developmental and Educational Psychology. She has been a member of EARLI and the ISCAR Executive Committee. She has been nominated by the Minister of Education, Instruction and University as a member for the National Scientific Qualification. Her research interests lie in the areas of educational technology, innovation in education, communities, identity, learning organization, intersubjectivity, blended and mobile learning, dialogical approach, virtual environments, sustainable learning, knowledge building, social networks and web-forum in education.

Prof. Juan Carlos Olabe

Christian Brothers University, USA

Dr. Olabe and his research group are active participants in the field of learning and teaching technologies applied to online education, including the following areas: a) the design of multimedia content for primary, secondary and college level courses; b) the development of pedagogical methodologies for new digital learning environments; c) the creation and use of technological-based tools applied to teaching and learning; d) the implementation of resources for active pedagogical methodologies; and e) the delivery of Master’s, Bachelor’s courses and degrees using learning platforms. During the last two decades, Dr. Olabe and his research group have received the support of the European Union and the National Council for Science and Technology of Latin-American through the funding of a large number of research and development projects. Dr. Olabe has published several books and multiple articles in international journals, and has collaborated with international journals and committees. He has established working relationships with members of the MIT Lifelong Kindergarten group and with members of the One Laptop per Child project (OLCP) in the US and in multiple countries of Latin America. He has established relationships with governmental educational groups of the Ministries of Education of Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia, as well as the educational networks RENATA of Colombia and CONACyT of Paraguay, and research groups at the University of Alicante, University of Extremadura, University of Salamanca, Luisíada University of Portugal, University of Silesia and LaSalle Bajío University (Mexico).

Prof. Jon-Chao Hong

National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

Prof. Jon-Chao Hong is currently working as a research professor at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). As the director of Digital Game-based Learning Laboratory (GBL), he has developed more than 20 Apps for learning domain knowledge as well as thinking skill, such as “Collaborative game for developing imagination and creativity in composition, Computational thinking board game. Additionally, his team has also developed VR in skill development, such as fire escaping, sense of danger. Currently, he also applied AI for language learning.

He also organizes several creative contests to develop participants’ hands-on skill and STEAM knowledge, such as PowerTech Contest to invite elementary, junior and senior high school students to produce miniatures models in the morning and using these to compete in the afternoon to ensure students’ hands-on creation without parents or teachers’ assistance. As the International Chairman of International Exhibition for Young Inventors (IEYI), he also promotes the innovation contest to cultivated students’ inquiry and thinking attitude and ability of STEAM.

In addition, he has published a number of academic articles in international journals. In recent three years, he has more than 60 articles published on SSCI journals. He has received the Outstanding Research Prize from Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan. In 2022 and 2023, he was also ranked as the top 2% scientists rated by Sandford University.