Figure 1: "A self-commitment" at MIT commencement on June 4, 2011

In retrospect, I noticed my special interest in learning and inventing. I truly enjoyed designing and constructing buildings with Lego bricks when I was a kid. At age fifteen, I made a lamp from recyclable materials, leading to the honorary mention award of Invention Competition by National Youth Bureau of Thailand. Before getting into the college, I started coding my first program through self-education. The consistent selection of activities reflects my steadfast interest in learning and inventing. However, it was not until Thai military crackdown in May 2010 that my substantial interest in education and learning technologies began to bloom. I found that a possible root cause of the tragic violence stems from the increasing educational inequality, which has unnoticeably widened the economic inequality among social classes. The sense of the inequalities provoked the protestors to express their grievance through a series of protests, resulting in the eventual military crackdown where 87 innocents died.

I realized, in that moment, my passion for leveraging technologies to revolutionize education and learning in Thailand because I believe that education is the most powerful tool to not only instill ethical attitudes in learners but also nurture a growth mindset of the individual learners. I also deem that high-quality education must be available for all for free to reduce educational inequality among social classes, which will consequently lead to the sustainable development of conscientious citizens and healthier societies as a whole. After the MIT commencement in 2011, I have been volunteering as a guest lecturer to discern about the optimal pedagogy. I subsequently recognize that a series of sophisticated lectures and vibrant learning activities in modern education systems is not sufficient to take learning to the next level. Instead, I perceive that learners need a set of “personalized learning analytical tools” not only to make senses of a matter of interest but also to creatively interact with that interested matter in order to receive meaningful feedback and perhaps counter-intuitive facts, leading to the revelations on the focused matter.

 

Figure 2: "Thai Military Crackdown" in May 2010 by Boston.com

As my interests lie in computer science, complexity science, data science and learning science, my study plan is to research and invent a set of interconnected data analytical tools where learners and mentors can collaboratively extract valuable meaning from data circulating inside their learning system. I envision the possibility of utilizing both a mobile device as the portal of personal learning analytic tools on the go and an interactive digital wall as a collaborative learning instrument in shared learning spaces to provide seamless learning experience. Insights gained from the set of analytical tools will not only allow both mentors and learners to design, develop, experiment and reflect their learning experience profoundly but also empower them to intelligently evaluate, exchange and even build upon existing learning objects suitable for their own context. The invention of these interconnected learning analytical tools provides a greater tendency to establish and spread high-quality learning objects to various communities and the world at a lower cost.

After searching for an academic program that perfectly matches my research interests, I found the program at MIT Media Lab as the only destination for my academic pursuit. Not only do I believe that MIT Media Lab faculties and I share similar values and interests but also the fascinating research projects invented by Macro Connections and Social Machines such as Immersion, DIVE and Social Literacy Learning inspire me to chase after my dream as a great researcher and an innovator in learning technologies. An opportunity to learn from the best in class will allow me to extend my work on learning system architecture and to discover meaningful connections among elements in learning systems and ecosystems through analytical tool inventions. Additionally, interactions with the greatest minds in this one-of-a-kind interdisciplinary academic environment will enlighten me on the right research direction, leading to a potential discovery of a learning technology breakthrough at the end of my academic endeavour.

Figure 3: "Statement of Purpose" Word Cloud by Wordle

My diverse academic background would also contribute to the program at MIT Media Lab. In 2003, I was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Chulalongkorn University where my teammates and I attempted to solve one of the most challenging problems in Thailand, the traffic congestion in Bangkok. We acquired and analyzed real traffic data from the government agency under Thailand’s Department of Transportation to formulate a mathematical model before implementing ATCMS, rich user interface traffic-simulation software, to search for optimal patterns of traffic light sequences in order to smoothen traffic congestion in problematic areas. The project was later selected to show in the Chulalongkorn Academic Exhibition in 2004. Equally important, I obtained a Master‘s degree in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh where I not only acquired specialized knowledge of human information processing and usability but also received a research assistantship from PASA, a $4M research project funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to develop and pilot statewide alternative assessments for students with severe disabilities. In the project, I applied human information processing concepts and usability heuristics to design interactive data forms, resulting in increased user productivity in the data entry process. Furthermore, I was awarded a Master of Science in System Design and Management from MIT, where I chose my masters’ thesis topic in education, which opened the door to the development of an unprecedented system whose objective is to intrinsically motivate students to learn by raising the students’ awareness of the value of knowledge concepts. Because of its novelty, the thesis was nominated for the best thesis contest in 2011. Together with the opportunity to work as a research assistant on the Guided Learning Pathways (GLP) project at MIT Engineering Systems Division, I have quickly developed rapid prototyping skill sets, resulting in my ability to implement a functional prototype within a few weeks.

ATCMS Project | 2003	ADVisE Project | 2005	REACH Project | 2010	GLP Project | 2011
Figure 4: Featured Academic Projects

In addition to my academic achievements, my work experience in various roles significantly shapes a holistic view of the world. Specifically, working as an internal management consultant opens my eyes to the importance of asking the right questions, which is a major source of true innovation and technological advancement. Besides, working in the global company ExxonMobil has taught me how to properly work and collaborate with others in a multi-cultural environment to resolve challenging problems. A variety of virtual meetings with colleagues around the globe has greatly cultivated my attitudes toward teamwork. For this reason, I am also confident that my diverse background and experiences can make meaningful contributions to research groups at MIT Media Lab to fulfill mutual learning needs.

As a highly motivated individual, I always enjoy the challenge of complex and intriguing assignments. Together with my aspiration to become a great researcher and an innovator in learning technologies, I realize my intense desire to further develop my creativity and intellectual abilities, especially in learning science and complexity science. The opportunity to pursue the program at MIT Media Lab will be an important step that helps me reach my highest dream in promoting the equality of educational opportunity in my country and revolutionising the way humans learn.

Kittipong Techapanichgul

December 15, 2015