Dr. Shibani Antonette is pioneering learning analytics for social impact

Learn from academics at the forefront of the industry

Dr. Shibani Antonette is a Lecturer of the Master of Data Science and Innovation course at UTS. She and her colleagues have one thing in common: they are all at the forefront of the industry.

Recognised as one of Australia’s rising Women in Data Science

Shibani is a recipient of the Future Women Leaders Conference Award for early career female leaders in academia who are actively involved in the fields of Engineering and IT, and the ACM-W scholarship award from the Association of Computing Machinery, New York for Women in Computing. 

Last year, she was recognised as one of Australia’s rising Women in Data Science by the Australian Data Science Network.

One of the things that Shibani loves about teaching the Masters of Data Science and Innovation (MDSI) is watching the transformation of students, starting as beginners in data science to making a mark for themselves in the field. 

I am constantly in awe of their ability to tackle real-world challenges with impact while championing the human-centred approach we train them in.

Unravelling the relationship between AI, cognition, and pedagogy

Shibani obtained her PhD at the Connected Intelligence Centre, UTS. Having established a strong research profile in the field of Learning Analytics, she has a particular focus on educational technology and writing analytics. 

Through her pioneering work, she is unravelling the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI), cognition, and pedagogy, paving the way for a new era of technology-enhanced learning experiences.

Her work encompasses automated feedback tools, ethical use of AI, navigating misinformation and conflict in social media, and more broadly, data for social impact.

Much of her research uses text analysis and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to uncover insights from data along with other qualitative and quantitative methods. 

Advocating for diversity and inclusivity 

Shibani is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of the field – advocating for ethical practices and inclusive methodologies. She champions the cause of diversity and gender equality in the male-dominated spheres of technology and AI. She is a Wids ambassador for Sydney as part of the Women in Data Science (Wids) Worldwide initiative that supports women in data science and inspires other women to join the field.

Just this month, she presented her work at the 14th International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge in Japan. This piece of work focuses on the development of Tamil Co-Writer, a Generative AI supported writing tool that offers AI suggestions for writing in the regional Indian language Tamil. Catering to languages typically under-represented in NLP is important in the generative AI era for the inclusive use of AI for learner support. Combined with analytics on AI usage, the tool can offer writers improved productivity and a chance to reflect on their optimal / sub-optimal collaborations with AI.

At the heart of Shibani's academic pursuits lies a deep belief in the transformative power of technology, when used for good, and to augment human intelligence. 

Interested in learning from the best?

Find out more about our Data Science programs, please join us at our next information session on 2 April from 6:00 – 6:45pm.

Register here.