Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences

by Dominique Manahan

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS) and Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) Laboratory, participated in Ateneo de Manila University’s EDSA@39 Commemoration last March 31, 2025 held in collaboration with the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library (AMLML) at Faura Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.

As part of a DOST-PCIEERD-funded research, the ALLS and VAMR Laboratory partnered with AMLML to develop an escape-room style, VR game intended primarily to showcase the capabilities of the VAMR Laboratory’s Ateneo Virtual Reality Escape (AVRE) framework, while producing tertiary-level educational content. During the EDSA@39 Commemoration, the teams wanted to showcase the game design process of said VR game, whose game’s content focused on activities, icons and events during the Martial Law era in the Philippines.

After welcome remarks from Dr. Didith Rodrigo, ALLS Head and VAMR co-head, Mr. Galvin Ngo, one of the AMLML fellows, began the talk by briefly discussing the history of the museum and its three pillars, which are Mag-aral (study), Magturo (teach), at Manindigan (stand firm). He emphasized the discussion on the second pillar, magturo, noting that the AMLML intends to “encourage ongoing discourse, dialogue, and reflection as part of the nation’s consciousness.” Thus, he cited various examples in which they are doing that through making teacher guides, lesson plans and virtual games, available through the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library website. He then passed the presentation floor to Dr. Eric Vidal, VAMR co-lead, who spoke about the partnership’s goals under the DOST-PCIEERD grant, the VAMR technology and sample works so far.

Mr. Galvin Ngo (left, in black) shows the sample lesson plans available in the AMLML website.

After the AMLML and VAMR Laboratory introductory talks, Mr. Alvaro Pato led the presentation of the game design process both teams went through for the VR game entitled, “Heritage Hero: The Secrets of the “Golden Era.” He began by providing a quick overview of the project, and stated the project requirements, which are the following: (1) The game must make full use of the Ateneo Virtual Reality Escape (AVRE) Framework, (2) The game would be short, being only an hour long, and (3) The game should be open ended. The player will decide whether or not Martial Law was a Golden Age.

Dr. Eric Vidal (left, standing) facilitates the question and answer portion. In support are the VAMR developers, Kenneth Ko (right, in beige) and Alvaro Pato (right-most, in black)

Alvaro shared how the process started with conceptualization, where the AMLML team proposed eight (8) topics which they deemed important for the students to know about the Martial Law era. Given the project requirements, there was a negotiation between the VAMR and AMLML teams on which topics to prioritize and the tasks which can be done by the player, in relation to the learning outcome intended and AVRE Framework capabilities. Then, he discussed the final game design that came about after a series of brainstorming sessions with AMLML.

One of the participants (right-most, in red) tries walking through the VR game.

After the short presentation of Alvaro, Mr. Kenneth Ko showed a walkthrough of the actual game setting (i.e. inside the abandoned mansion) by streaming his view as he used an actual VR headset. A few participants were able to try it out, where some did so for the first time. Mr. Oliver Quintana closed the session by appreciating the participation of everyone.

The VR game is currently being developed, with its first campus user testing to be scheduled by May 2025.

PASAY CITY, PHILIPPINES – Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) Laboratory participated in DOST’s 2024 National Youth Science, Technology, and Innovation Festival (NYSTIF) last September 18 to 21, 2024 held at The Forum Tent, Philippine International Convention Center located in Pasay City. 

This was the second year of NYSTIF and it had the theme “STEM VIBE: Engaging the Youth in Providing Solutions and Opening Opportunities.” Its main aim was to enhance the youth’s appreciation and awareness of science, technology, and innovation in a way that is vibrant, innovative, brilliant, and engaging (VIBE)^[1].

Rei Paras (right-most), VAMR’s student assistant is seen explaining the VR game to the participants.

For this event, the VAMR Laboratory exhibited its ongoing project entitled “A Laboratory and Game Engine/Framework for Tertiary-Level Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality Educational Applications.” The project, funded by DOST-PCIEERD, aims to establish a VAMR Laboratory and Software Development Group for the ADMU Loyola Schools Campus. The general objective of this project is to promote, develop, and normalize the usage of VAMR technology in Philippine universities, with the goal of formally integrating immersive learning experiences into the tertiary education curriculum.

The first proof-of-concept VR game of the laboratory, which was presented in NYSTIF, is an escape room set in the Villa Escudero Museum, an actual museum found in Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines.

Alvaro Pato (left-most, one of the main developers) and Kai Delos Lado(right-most, a student assistant) guided participants through the demo of the VR game.

In the Villa Escudero Museum VR game, players can immerse themselves in the environment of the Villa Escudero Museum and have a close look into the Escudero family’s museum collection in 3D while also solving escape room puzzles. Aside from learning about history, culture and art, players will also hone their practical, logical and creative thinking skills as they unlock and solve challenges in the escape rooms.

Rei Paras (left, student assistant) is seen guiding a participant on the use of the VR equipment.

Gerick Go (left, one of the main developers) is seen guiding a participant through the demo of the VR game.

Almost 280 student attendees and faculty were able to try out the demo of the VR game throughout the 4-day event, and many have expressed their interest and enjoyment of the game and the VR experience in general. The Villa Escudero Museum VR Game is still in development and more changes will be implemented to further improve the experience of the users playing the game. 

Aside from the Escape Room VR game by the VAMR Laboratory, other general categories found in the exhibit include Opportunities for the Youth, Providing Solutions for Quality Education, Providing Solutions for Economic Growth, and Planetarium.

References:
[1] Parel, R. P., Jr. (2024, August 15). 2024 NYSTIF: DOST brings back youth science fest to promote STEM careers. DOST-STII. https://stii.dost.gov.ph/1918-2024-nystif-dost-brings-back-youth-science-fest-to-promote-stem-careers?fbclid=IwY2xjawFwPwtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHb-mzV2KQr5GXCO_5l2unSJK7_vAyPvY9EmVbZjcx0nD7h_J42oaXnRhKg_aem_JbgMN3jfHNJaylzQnmSXOg

The Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences invites you to attend the talk entitled “SkAI-Pinas and ASIMOV : An overview of the DOST Flagship R&D Programs in AI and Robotics” by Jose Ildefonso U. Rubrico, Ph.D. on 16 July 2024 at 10:30am in F223, Faura Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.

This talk is part of the ALLS Lecture Series. Please register at https://go.ateneo.edu/ALLSLectureJuly2024

Admission is FREE.

𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭

A little over half a decade ago, AI was just starting to make waves in the country. Two Balik Scientist research projects hosted in the DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) in 2017-18, the ALaM and AI Robot projects, served as early prototypes in exploring the usefulness of Deep Learning to address problems in remote sensing as well as in search and rescue. Those early endeavors served as precursors to the DOST- and PCIEERD-funded Philippine Sky Artificial Intelligence Program (SkAI-Pinas) and Autonomous Societally Inspired Mission Oriented Vehicles Program (ASIMOV), two large-scale pioneering efforts meant to realize the wider use of artificial intelligence and robotics towards solving relevant, practical problems of the nation.

In a nutshell, SkAI-Pinas seeks to bridge the gap between big data availability and the lack of a sustainable technology-based framework for the widespread, rapid, and democratized development and deployment of remote sensing applications to the Filipinos. On the other hand, ASIMOV aims to develop autonomous robots capable of independent navigation, collision avoidance, vision-based feature detection, and environmental mapping to be deployed in the field under real-life conditions, particularly in unstructured and dynamic environments.

This presentation provides an overview of the SkAI-Pinas and ASIMOV R&D programs, and highlights some outputs of their component projects being implemented in Davao City, namely, the Automated Labeling Machine – Large-scale Initiative (ALaM-LSI) and the Harmonized Aerial Watch and Knowledge-based Survey (HAWKS).

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

Dr. Jose Ildefonso U. Rubrico is a full professor at the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He has significant contributions to UP Mindanao, most notably for bringing in two multi-million flagship programs in AI & Robotics: the Autonomous Societally-Inspired Mission-Oriented Vehicles Program (ASIMOV) and the Philippine Sky Artificial Intelligence Program (SkAI-Pinas).

Dr. Rubrico served as a Balik Scientist, a DOST program encouraging Filipino scientists to come home and share their expertise in the field of science and technology. His expertise and twenty-one (21) year experience in AI/Machine Learning and Robotics helped DOST strengthen its research agenda in areas of AI and Machine Learning as well as High Performance Computing and Data Flow Processing Architecture. For more information about Dr. Rubrico, visit https://dmpcs.upmin.edu.ph/jurubrico/

The Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS) of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS) hosted the 3rd Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (APSCE) International Conference on Future Language Learning (ICFULL 2024) on 19–21 June 2024 at Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. ICFULL provides a platform for academics and researchers from transdisciplinary areas, including cognitive neural scientists, linguistic researchers, pedagogical designers, theorists of language learning, as well as practitioners in various language learning arenas in the world to share and exchange ideas to strengthen research, theories and practice, and explore possibilities for advancing future language learning.

ICFULL 2024 featured three (3) keynote speeches, 19 paper presentations, two (2) invited talks, four (4) demos, and two (2) tutorials. The 54 registered participants hailed from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan.

On the first day, Dr. Ethel Ong from De La Salle University – Manila opened with a keynote on “Computational Storytelling.” Sessions featured language identification studies by Prof. Aileen Joan Vicente and opinion-mining research on Cebuano texts by Mr. Eric Ortega. Mr. Joseph Benjamin Ilagan offered an engaging tutorial on AI in language acquisition. Discussions on AI ethics by Mr. Kitman Cheung of IBM ASEAN, technology-enhanced learning strategies, including game-based methods by Prof. Justine Marielle Porras, and web-based systems by Prof. Ben Chang, rounded out the first day’s proceedings. The day culminated with a collaborative networking reception.

The second day started with paper presentations on Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI. Dr. Hangyan Lu presented a paper on GenAI in ESL learning. Dr. Yoshiko Goda’s keynote speech on the transformative potential of AI chatbots in language education followed, providing a deep dive into harmonizing individual and group learning. The morning continued with a demo session featuring Dr. Nicko Caluya’s real-time subtitling app and Ms. Imroatul Hasanah’s smartphone app for Indonesian ESL learners. In the afternoon, Denise N. Fabella of Khan Academy Philippines (KAP) delivered an invited talk on the Khan Academy technologies as well as KAP’s collaborations with the Department of Education (DepEd). This was followed by paper presentations on advancements in TELL, showcasing innovative educational technology projects. Afterwards, sessions on TELL in Social Context included studies on social acceptance in educational technology and teacher achievement systems. The day’s sessions concluded with a tutorial on linguistic analysis using NLP by Dr. Michelle P. Banawan of the Asian Institute of Management. During the conference banquet, participants were serenaded by CASA – Contemporary A cappella Singers Association.

The final day commenced with Prof Sean Collin Mehmet’s presentation on English language teaching in a rapidly globalizing Japanese university. Following this, Miss Yen-Tsen Liu presented her Best Paper Award-winning analysis of flipped classrooms in TELL. The session continued with Ms. Harianty Harapanta Damanik’s exploration of community practice via TikTok, and ended with Dr. Darmawansah’s study on SVVR production competencies in experiential learning projects. After a brief morning break, Dr. Jeong-Bae Son delivered an insightful keynote on digital literacy challenges and strategies in language teaching. During the closing ceremony, ICFULL recognized the conference’s best paper, A content analysis of the flipped classroom in technology-enhanced language learning research: Assessments of learning outcomes, m-learning strategies, and learning domains by Yen-Tsen Liu , Kai-Yu Tang, and Wen-Chi Vivian Wu. The conference concluded with closing remarks from APSCE President and Conference Chair Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo, and with an invitation to ICFULL 2025 in Beijing, China.

The organizers offered participants two optional social activities. In the early morning of the second day, several participants joined Dr. Trinket Constantino of the Biology Department and the Ateneo Wild on a 90-minute nature walk around campus. Before the banquet, Mr. D Cortezano, Technical Director of Areté, provided participants with a tour of the building.

ICFULL’s Local Organizing Committee (LOC) was chaired by Jessica O. Sugay, who also served as Financial and Registration Chair and Publicity Chair. Joining her team were Creatives & Publicity Chair John Michael B. Santos, Financial & Registration Co-Chair Ma. Rosario M. Madjos, Technology Support Chair Romell Ian B. De La Cruz, and Logistics Chair Japheth Duane C. Samaco. The team of student volunteers was composed of Patricia Isabella Nava (BS CS 2024), Kevin Raymond Sales (4 BS MIS), Christian Anthony Ang (3 BSMIS-MSCS), Olivia Frances Manglapus (3 BFA ID), Izaac Daniel Muncal (4 BSMS CS), Hannah Erin Co (4 BS MIS), Rosbeth Agnes Dayupay (4 BS MIS), and Johnver Christian Laviña (3 BS CS-DGDD).

The organizers thank the event sponsors, Office Naval Research Global, PHINMA Education, PLDT Smart, Faura Research Foundation, SM Foundation, UNILAB Foundation, Torre Lorenzo Development Corp., L’Oréal Philippines, Universal Robina Corporation, and other donors who wish to remain anonymous. Their generous support made ICFULL 2024 possible. The organizers also express gratitude to Areté for their partnership in this undertaking.

This year the 24th Philippine Computing Society Congress was held in De La Salle University Laguna. The Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS) attended the conference and was represented by Carlo Ram M. Ferrer, John Ryan H. Tamano, Rene Antonio Castillo, Mylene B. Villegas, Jan Jozef R. Laguer, and Dr. Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo. Also representing Ateneo was the group of Erick Gabriel T. Lopez and Jose Alfonso H. Barreiro.

The Philippine Computing Society Congress provided many avenues for various parties to come together to discuss relevant issues and studies in the computer science field. The first day of the conference featured various talks and workshops for attendees to join. Rene Antonio Castillo presented his thesis project ‘A City-Building Puzzle Game Featuring Solarpunk Architecture’ during the interactive demos session, and Dr. Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo gave a talk during the ‘Oldies but Goodies’ about Affordances in human-computer-interaction.

The second day featured plenary talks about the studies currently being conducted by professors from the University of the Philippines Diliman, and De La Salle University. The attendees were also given the chance to attend the paper presentations of various students from across the country. The ALLS representatives were among the many paper presenters who were given the opportunity to present their theses. Pablo R. Manalastas presented his work making use of a popular root finding algorithm, ‘Factoring a Quadratic from a Degree N Polynomial Using Newton’s Method’. Jan Jozef R. Laguer presented a creative take on improving upon current Esports technology using computer vision, ‘Incorporating a Computer Vision System to a Web Server to Parse Real-time Data for Valorant Esports’. Mylene B. Villegas presented her thesis project which is centered around Minecraft data as a medium for making ML predictions, ‘Utilizing Machine Learning Methods to Predict Student Re-engagement via Minecraft Data‘. Carlo Ram M. Ferrer presented his work making use of eye tracking data, ‘Modeling Perceptual Organization In Abstract Art Using Eye Tracking Data’. John Ryan H. Tamano, on behalf of his team, presented their thesis project which utilizes serious games as a medium for learning, ‘Halogen: A 2D Simulation Game on Dental Health Challenges in the Philippines’.

The Philippine Computing Society Congress provided many opportunities for the students to engage with peers from across the country to engage in active discussion on various topics in their respective fields. As representatives of ALLs and Ateneo, the students proudly participated in the congress to share their works with their peers. The students would like to extend their gratitude to Dr. Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo for her mentorship of the students, as well as SOSE and ALLS for the financial support.