En Rong Stephen Tay
Acting Deputy Director (Continuing Education)/Associate Director in the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, National University of Singapore
Associate Professor in the Department of the Built Environment, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore
Associate Professor Stephen Tay from the Department of the Built Environment obtained his PhD from Imperial College London under the National Research Foundation (Clean Energy) Overseas Scholarship. His teaching philosophy builds upon constructivism and active learning, where the class is a platform for learning by both students (regardless of age) and the educator. He currently serves as Acting Deputy Director (Continuing Education)/Associate Director in the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, where he leads efforts in continuing education for adult learners and andragogy.
Recognising the need to empower his students towards agency, Assoc. Prof. Tay developed Contextualised Learning via Enquiring, Answering, and Reflecting (CLEAR), which has been shared and implemented in various courses (e.g., engineering, social sciences, mathematics, pharmacy, and data fluency) through collaborations in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, and Thailand.
For his sustained contributions to teaching excellence in the National University of Singapore, Assoc. Prof. Tay was awarded the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award for three consecutive years, and was subsequently placed in the University Honour Roll (2024–2028). In 2026, he was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award, the highest accolade awarded to educators for sustained teaching excellence and educational leadership.
Beyond teaching, Assoc. Prof. Tay is also active in disciplinary research and has published work on the integration of solar energy and greenery together with the National Parks Board and Building Construction Authority. Concurrently, Associate Professor Tay also contributes to the industry as a Board Member of the Singapore Green Building Council.
Student Agency in AI-Enabled Learning Environments through CLEAR
The availability of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed educational practices in teaching, learning, and assessments. Hence, it becomes even more pertinent to discuss elevating student agency in the midst of AI-enabled learning environments for future education practices. In this presentation, the use of Contextualised Learning via Enquiring, Answering, and Reflecting (CLEAR) with and without AI across several courses and universities is presented. Results from triangulated sources of evidence, including assessments, student feedback, student work, and lecturer feedback, are discussed. Beyond the talk, participants are provided the opportunity to collaborate to increase student agency with CLEAR.