Republic Polytechnic to expand use of AI in students' learning

All students at Republic Polytechnic (RP) will be using artificial intelligence (AI) more deeply in their coursework, thanks to a campuswide push to ensure they are proficient with the technology when they join the workforce.

- Elisha Tushara Correspondent

Republic Polytechnic student Kymberly Uthaya Kumar, 20, at the launch of the poly's AI Transformation strategy on Jan 8. The third-year student, pursuing a diploma in engineering design and business, hailed the AI push as a great opportunity for students to prepare to enter the workforce with relevant skills.

(ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY)

Rather than learning about AI as a standalone subject, students will encounter and use AI directly in existing study modules alongside their problem-based learning approach.

The use of AI will vary across the various disciplines in RP.

For example, in supply chain courses, students will use AI tools to analyse demand patterns, optimise inventory and plan efficient delivery routes. The polytechnic said these are skills that are increasingly in demand in global logistics.

Creative arts and media students, meanwhile, will learn to integrate generative AI tools into content creation processes, from ideation and storyboarding to post-production, while learning to maintain creative control and ethical standards.

An AI-driven chatbot, designed specifically to train students studying hotel and leisure management, can simulate guest interactions to help trainees develop soft skills through immersive, scenario-based practice. It gives students the flexibility to practise and strengthen their skills anytime, anywhere, enhancing real-world readiness.

RP said such tools allow students to gain realistic practice while freeing up classroom time for deeper discussion and reflection.

By the 2027 academic year, at least half of the discipline-specific modules in every diploma will incorporate AI tools and applications that mirror those used in the workplace.

The sweeping changes are part of the polytechnic's AI Transformation strategy aimed at giving students hands-on experience with real-world technologies.