Good News｜An Pengcheng from the School of Design Granted 2023 National Natural Science Foundation of China Project

On August 24, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced the review results of the centrally received application projects for the year 2023. Assistant Professor An Pengcheng from the SUSTech School of Design and Innovation (hereinafter referred to as the “School of Design”) has been granted a Young Scientist Fund.

The approved project, titled “Multimodal Analysis of ‘Spatial Teaching’ Behaviors in the Classroom and Support for Teacher Reflective Practice,” proposes a multimodal analysis technical solution for “spatial teaching” behaviors based on IoT technology. It aims to explore the use of data-driven methods in real classroom environments to construct a human-AI collaborative intelligent visualization system that enhances teachers’ reflective practice, ultimately improving their professional competence in spatial interaction behaviors and the quality of classroom teaching.

The multimodal analysis system for spatial teaching planned in this research will help to reveal the intrinsic principles of “face-to-face teaching” more profoundly and contribute to various applied fields such as teacher professional training, educational data visualization, spatial planning for physical or metaverse classrooms, and multimodal interaction design for smart classrooms. This research introduces a human-computer interaction paradigm to systematically explore how to implement such interactive technologies to support teachers’ reflective practice, holding significant research implications and application value.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is an important research funding program established by the Chinese government. It aims to support and promote basic research and frontier exploration in the field of natural sciences in China, foster interdisciplinary integration, cultivate and support outstanding scientific talents, advance technological and academic progress, and better serve national strategies, contributing to the cause of the Party and the people.

(The images below show preliminary research findings related to this project)

Preliminary Research Findings: Innovations in Spatial Interaction Systems Based on IoT Classrooms

Faculty Introduction

An Pengcheng is currently an Assistant Professor at the SUSTech School of Design and Innovation. As a researcher at the intersection of design and human-computer interaction (HCI), his work explores the implications of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) for learning, education, families, and special needs groups through the design and implementation of interactive systems in real-world contexts. He earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology and completed his first postdoctoral fellowship there. Subsequently, he joined the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo for his second postdoctoral fellowship, concurrently serving as a lecturer in HCI courses. Over the past five years, he has published more than 30 academic papers in related fields. His research papers have received the “Honorable Mention Award” (first author) from the ACM CHI Conference (CCF-A), a top-tier conference in HCI, and the “Reviewers’ Choice Award” (first author) at the IFIP INTERACT Conference. The innovative interactive systems resulting from his design research have been exhibited twice at the Dutch Design Week and featured in media coverage. Earlier in his career, his design works received the “Red Dot Award: Best of the Best” twice and the “iF Design Talent Award.” Since 2021, he has served consecutively as an Associate Chair for the “Learning, Education, and Families” subcommittee at the ACM CHI Conference. He has led a Young Scholars Program funded by the National Social Science Fund of China in Arts, exploring interactive innovations and social value of AI technologies in art therapy for children with special needs. Additionally, he serves as an organizer or reviewer for several international conferences in the HCI field.