Bowen Hui
Who or what sparked your initial interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning?
As a first-generation immigrant and a first-generation university student in my family, I have always felt that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to teaching. My PhD training focused on developing machine learning models to build adaptive systems, and I was always drawn to the literature that applied those techniques to build intelligent tutoring systems. Since I started working at UBC, I began using existing technology and developing new software to create a personalized learning experience for students.
What SoTL project are you currently engaged in and excited about?
My work focuses on technology-enhanced personalized learning. One of my projects is called Teamable Analytics, which is a Canvas-integrated software that helps instructors form teams strategically and automatically in large classes. Teamable Analytics has been used in 38 classes across both UBC campuses. For the past few years, my team has been investigating factors that influence successful teamwork and developing new algorithms to support strategic team formation that assign students to well-functioning teams. I believe that teams must be formed strategically as a first step to fostering an equitable and inclusive working environment for students.
What questions in SoTL are you excited to answer in the future?
One of my next research questions is to examine disciplinary differences in team formation strategies. A longer-term direction that I am excited to explore is students’ team formation preferences in relation to social identity theory.
Why should others get involved in SoTL?
Other researchers should get involved in SoTL because we are educators at a higher institution. We should all care about how our students learn and actively create a learning environment where students can excel.
If you had to talk for an hour straight about a non-academic topic, what would it be?
Anime.
What is your favourite song or band?
My favorite song right now is 我不會唱歌 by 容祖兒.
What is your favourite restaurant or cuisine?
I love all types of food so it’s hard to pick one. It really depends on which city I’m in and options are available there.
What is your favourite country to vacation?
Japan.
What is your favourite movie?
The Usual Suspects.
What is your favourite animal as a pet?
Favorite pet animal: dog. Favorite non-pet animal: Dorami
What is your favourite sport or sports team?
Volleyball.
Dr. Hui playing volleyball with her student RAs.
What is your favourite video, card, or board game?
The games we build in my Mobile Educational Games course.
If you’re interested in hearing more about Dr. Hui’s projects, or wanting to collaborate on other projects, connect with her at bowen.hui@ubc.ca.