Simon Buckingham Shum

Professor Simon Buckingham Shum is a leading academic in Learning Informatics at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), serving as inaugural Director of the Connected Intelligence Centre since 2014. His work bridges Human-Computer Interaction, Educational Technology, and Learning Analytics to develop AI-driven tools like OnTask that enhance student belonging through personalized feedback.

• Key research areas: Human-Computer Interaction, Learning Analytics, AI in Education, Collective Intelligence
• Recent work focuses: LLM-augmented qualitative analysis, Belonging Analytics frameworks, and ethical AI implementation in education

CIC received the 2024 Vice-Chancellor’s Student Experience Award for scaling OnTask across multiple faculties. His contributions span over 30 years, including founding roles at The Open University’s Knowledge Media Institute and innovations in Open Educational Resources (OER), SocialLearn, and FutureLearn platforms.

• Notable awards: 2024 Student Experience Award (OnTask), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), DEFI STRI Researcher at University of Cambridge
• Education: B.Sc. in Psychology (York), M.Sc. in Ergonomics (UCL), PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (York)

He leads multidisciplinary collaborations with teams across Business, Law, and Education faculties, pioneering tools like Theme Explorer and Qreframer bot. His recent focus on the "metacrisis" reframes educational technology’s role in addressing global systemic challenges through transdisciplinary approaches.