Distinguished Professor Yang from National Taiwan Normal University
The AI4STEM Education Center was honored to welcome Dr. Fang-Ying Yang, Distinguished Professor in the Graduate Institute of Science Education and the Department of Earth Sciences at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). Dr. Yang is a leading scholar of visual attention and science learning and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Contemporary Journal of Science Education.
As part of the AI4STEM Invited Speaker Series, Dr. Yang presented “Understanding and Supporting Learning Through Visual Attention” on Thursday, July 23, in Room 125 of Aderhold Hall, with a Zoom option that drew participants from across the Center’s partner institutions. Her talk began from a deceptively simple premise: visual attention shapes what learners notice, process, and ultimately remember. Synthesizing years of research, she showed how attention patterns can reveal engagement, cognitive effort, and the moments where learning breaks down.
She then introduced SLAFS, an attention-feedback system her team is currently developing. SLAFS is designed to translate attention data into timely, actionable support, helping learners recognize and regulate their own attention during learning activities. Dr. Yang walked the audience through the system’s research foundations, design principles, and potential classroom applications, and she gave careful attention to the ethical questions that arise when learner attention becomes data. She closed with a live demonstration of the current SLAFS prototype, which prompted an energetic discussion among faculty and graduate students about measurement, feedback design, and what it means to support self-regulation rather than simply monitor it.
Beyond the talk, Dr. Yang met with AI4STEM faculty and students to exchange ideas on AI, assessment, and science learning, and to explore points of connection between the Center’s work and ongoing research at NTNU.
Students and Professor Ha from Pusan National University
The AI4STEM Education Center at the University of Georgia was delighted to welcome Dr. Heesoo Ha and three preservice teachers — Jewon Choi, Jian Choi, and Dayun Jeong — from Pusan National University in South Korea.
During their time in Athens, the visitors participated in AI4STEM research group meetings, toured the UGA campus and College of Education, and visited South Forsyth High School to observe science classrooms. The school visit offered a firsthand look at science teaching and learning in a U.S. high school and provided valuable connections to their interests in science and teacher education.
As part of the AI4STEM Invited Speaker Series, Dr. Ha and the students presented AI Integration in Science Education: Expert and Preservice Teacher Perspectives. Drawing on both faculty and preservice teacher viewpoints, they explored AI’s evolving role in science education and engaged Center members and students in a lively discussion about the opportunities and considerations involved in integrating AI into teaching and learning.
