CMKL University now offers a program in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Engineering (AiCE) to develop talented engineers and researchers and prepare them for the age of digital disruption. We seek to educate students about the relationships between AI techniques and other major aspects of computing, including human-centric design and visualization, algorithms and high-performance computation, modern software engineering, privacy and security, accessibility, fairness, and ethics. The program requires students to solve real-world problems, often working with external partners, thus preparing them to face challenges outside the university. This pioneering program is the first in Thailand to focus on AI theory and practice from the very first semester.
The AiCE program offers the standard four years of undergraduate study and an accelerated three-year intensive study program for students who can already demonstrate some of the focal skills. Scholarships are available for selected talented individuals. This program also offers our students the opportunity to join an exchange program at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, allowing them to experience the world from a broader viewpoint.
The AiCE program uses an innovative, self-directed, competency-based curriculum that allows each student to develop his or her full potential. Competency-based learning is an active-learning approach in which students work to acquire and demonstrate essential skills rather than to parrot rote learning on formal examinations. Our curriculum gives the students autonomy to plan their own learning path and set their own deadlines. A flexible assessment process offers various modes of evaluation. For example, one-on-one assessments ask the student to conduct practical work in front of the instructor, who can provide immediate feedback. Instead of typical midterm and final exams, students complete activities and projects, with a chance to redo the assessment activity if they are unsatisfied with the results. This type of competency-based learning encourages students to explore new areas and to continuously improve themselves. They are competing only against themselves, on a path to broadening and deepening their understanding and their capabilities.
In the AiCE program, we encourage our students to “get their hands dirty” by working on practical but often complex real world projects. We also focus on helping them build connections with outside industry. Every month, we organize a one-day field trip to visit partner organizations in order to broaden their perspectives. Our industrial visits include companies such as Microsoft, Lotus's, Thai Beverage, AIS, Bangkok Bank, etc. We also organize events like hack-a-thons and contests to build skills. For example, recently, CMKL University hosted an AI Innovator Award competition, asking students to pitch creative ideas for the use of AI technology to create a sustainable future.
We are currently seeking applications for the Fall 2023 freshman class in the AiCE program. We welcome students who are passionate about AI or computer engineering, who are confident and mature enough to take responsibility for their own learning, and who enjoy being challenged. With today’s rapidly changing technology landscape, it is critical that graduates not only have a solid foundation in existing theory and technologies but also have the ability to rapidly research new information and develop new skills. At CMKL University, we believe we are leading this wave of change. Our goal is to build a workforce of the best AI engineers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, UX/UI designers and more, a cohort of technology leaders who can adapt to, and shape, the future.
