Assalamualaikum and heartfelt greetings to all. The previous year brought its share of challenges, especially with the pervasive shift to striking a balance between online and on-campus learning. I consider myself fortunate to have revisited the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) after more than two decades. During my master’s program, I delved into various AI-related subjects like Neural Networks, Expert Systems, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Massive Parallel Virtual Machines. The widespread application of AI became a topic of excitement in public discourse, particularly with the emergence of Large Language Models (LLM) and generative AI.
My journey led me into strategic management, optimizing performance, and AI-enabled digital transformation initiatives that gained momentum in the post-pandemic educational technology landscape. As I engage in my customary year-end reflections, I take this moment to retrospect, capturing the essence of key projects. Through this post, I am thrilled to share my experiences and achievements for the year 2023.
AMEE Glasgow:
I had the privilege of attending the AMEE Conference in Glasgow, where we conducted a workshop on “Designing Micro Credential Courses Using Instructional Design Principles.” Recordings of some segments of our workshop are available here. Additionally, I participated in a TEL subcommittee meeting, exploring ways to leverage the AMEE platform for implementing Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) projects globally.
Immersive Learning:
Following the discourse on AI, immersive learning took center stage, with intensive discussions on various implementation methods. This included virtual tours, 3D models integrated into interactive virtual medical cases, 360-degree interactive videos, immersive virtual environments mimicking crime scenes, and projects involving augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). Further details will be shared in the upcoming section of my post, where I will present recordings of my workshop/talk on immersive learning. I would suggest to explore these tools to have simple immersive learning interaction to high level of immersive learning experience. My first tool would be H5P to start with using different templates, most of LMS have H5P plugin. ispring is second tool to start with they do have free version and paid version. My third tool will be 3d Vista, which is very powerful tool however you need to purchase the subscription. Most of these tools even allow you to incorporate Augmented and virtual reality.
Workshops and Talks:
I would like to summarize my engagement so far for year 2023. I was invited by University of Sharjah for workshop initially but due to overwhelm response we need to convert my workshop to webinar. It was great experience and after the webinar we had lot of engagement and discussion by the participants, I really enjoyed the session. I would like to thanks University of Sharjah management and Dr Mohamed H. Taha for the opportunity to share and learn from the session.
I was invited by Smart University of Medical Science, Iran to conduct webinar on Technology Enhance Learning, where I have explored and discussed future trends in educational technology and how we could adopt and adapt these technologies and tools for enhancing the learning experiences. Recording of my talk is shared in the following table.
I was lucky that our proposal to conduct symposium was accepted in Flexible Learning Pathways in Health Professions Education- Malaysian Association of Education in the Medical and Health Sciences (MAEMHS)- UPM Malaysia. Title of my talk was, “Instructional Design in online micro-credential course” I explored the ID principles and key building blocks for micro-credential course design. Summary of my talk is shared in the table.
I extend my gratitude to the IMU Management for organizing the IMU Staff Trip post Covid-19 lockdown. This year, our destination was Yogyakarta, often referred to as ‘Jogja,’ a city on the Indonesian island of Java renowned for its rich cultural heritage and traditional arts. The visit included exploring the ornate 18th-century royal complex, known as the kraton, which houses the still-inhabited Sultan’s Palace. It was a delightful trip filled with the enjoyment of traditional cuisine and the exploration of picturesque paddy fields.
I was invited as facilitator at ICHPE, Iran organized by Teheran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). I was given opportunity to conduct two workshops, one pre conference and other during the workshop. During my workshop I explored immersive learning content design and blended learning and how to use different tools to design content. I was assigned chair and judge for short communication sessions. The ICHPE event went well, lot of learning and networking with educational experts in Medical Education. Several more webinar conducted, I would like to thank SIVU and SSME.
| No | Event Name | Date | Links | Activity |
| 1 | AI in Medical Education – Sharjah University | 9 February | YouTube Recording | Workshop |
| | Smart University of Medical Sciences, Iran | 19 February | website | Webinar |
| 2 | Flexible Learning Pathways in Health Professions Education- Malaysian Association of Education in the Medical and Health Sciences (MAEMHS)- UPM Malaysia. “Instructional Design in online micro-credential course” | 1-2 March | Recording YouTube Channel | Symposium |
| 3 | Staff Trip | March | Yogyakarta | Teambuilding |
| 4 | Immersive learning content design and blended learning and how to use different tools to design content. ICHPE 2023, Iran | 3-5 May | ICHPE Website | Workshops |
| 5 | Smart Health Congress | 12-14 July | Recording YouTube | Keynote Speaker |
| 6 | Design in Online Micro credential Course. AMEE Glasgow-PCW6 | 26 – 30 August | AMEE Website | Workshop |
| 7 | Interactive Content Design for Peer Role Play in Enhancing Clinical Skills Using Virtual Medical Case ICME Baku, Azerbaijan | 7-10 October | ICME Website | Workshop |
| 8 | Revolutionizing Education AI Technology Enhanced Learning-SIVU | 18 Nov | Recording @YouTube | Webinar |
| 9 | AI Technology Enhanced Learning – TUMS webinar | 12 Dec | Slides of Webinar, Recording | Webinar |
| 10 | Blended Learning in Health Professions Education – SSME | 19 Dec | Recording | Webinar |
| 11 | Peer Role Play in Enhancing Clinical Skills Using Virtual Medical Case | 12 Jan2024 | | |
Research Publications:
Our team published several articles and a book chapter on microlearning content design. Details of our research activities can be found on my research gate and Google Scholar platforms. Feel free to contact me if you need any information or would like to collaborate in research.
iLRF 2023:
The IMU International Learning Resources Festival (ILRF) is an annual event with this year’s theme being “AI Changes Education: Education Changes Human.” Subthemes encompass immersive learning, gamification, the balance between humanity and technology in education, Metaverse (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality) storytelling, intelligent tutoring systems, simulations and role-playing, personalized learning, and learning analytics.
ILRF 2023 aimed to address both technical and non-technical aspects of e-Learning, offering opportunities to share knowledge, best practices, and experiences focused on learning innovation and technology. The event featured over ten workshops and webinars, along with engaging competitions, exhibitions, and games that added vibrancy to this annual festival. For a detailed look at this year’s successful event, click here.
Looking Forward to 2024:
Reflecting on the accomplishments of 2023, I am excited about the prospect of delving deeper into AI, immersive learning, and strategic management in the upcoming year. Once again thank you for reading my year end review. Do share your thoughts in the comments how was your side and how you are going to manage all these excited interceptions and enhance your teaching and learning. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance about technology enhanced learning (TEL).
I look forward to staying in touch with all of you in 2024. Wishing you peace, health, and warm wishes.
hasnainzafar 
Masha allah
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