COURSE OBJECTIVES
Natural language processing (NLP) is one of the dominant applications of AI and machine learning, commonly used for tasks that include text classification, translation, summarizing, answering questions, amongst others. NLP has gained special prominence recently with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a chatbot capable of generating human-like responses to text inputs in a conversational manner, which represents a significant leap from prior capabilities. This programme introduces participants to the basic concepts of how machine learning, and specifically deep learning models, are able to perform NLP, and the transformer architecture that drives novel language models such as ChatGPT.
By joining this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the main approaches on how AI can be used for NLP
- Implement a simple neural network model for NLP
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
This course is taught by our seasoned NUS faculty – Dr Edmund Low from NUS College, who has conducted more than 10 youth programmes since 2020. In the recent Winter programme, he received a teaching effectiveness rating of 4.71 out 5, one of the highest rated instructors.
The programme does not only focus on the technical side – how to build and train an AI model, but also touches on the impact of AI on our society.
Through this programme, we hope to inspire our youth to take up STEM related subjects, especially Computing and AI in higher education, and rethink how AI could potentially benefit their future career choices and personal development
Who Should Attend
Pre-University and high school students in Grade 10 - 12, with an interest in Artificial intelligence and its real-world application.
Pre-Requisites
Participants are expected to be able to read, write and communicate in English, as the programme will be conducted in English. There are no subject-matter-specific pre-requisites to attend this programme. However, some familiarity with programming (in any language) would be helpful. Some prior exposure to calculus, linear algebra, and statistics would be helpful as well.
Participants are required to bring their own laptop, charger and universal travel adaptor (for international participants) throughout the duration of the programme.
Programme Schedule
For individuals interested in NUS SCALE Youth programmes, please click here to enquire.
For schools/companies interested in customised and/or group bookings, please click here.
Mode of Delivery
On-campus
15 hours of classroom teaching
Mode of Assessment
Final Assessment: Group Project
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does student need to learn programming on their own before the programme?
A: No need, we will go through an intro on the specific code syntax used during the course on the first day.
Q: What’s the tool/platform used during programme? Is there any requirement on laptop specs
A: The platform we are going to use is Kaggle notebooks (hosted on the cloud), so there’s no requirement for laptop specs, as long as it can run basic applications such as MS Office, launch a web browser.
Participants are encouraged to install Chrome on their laptop for both Canvas (NUS’s Learning Management Platform) and Kaggle.
Q: What’s the estimated amount of self-study/preparation time outside the classroom?
A: Around 1 – 2 hours each day, which includes reviewing the material covered in class, and preparing for the presentation.
Dr Edmund Low, Senior Lecturer, NUS College
Dr Edmund Low is a senior lecturer with the NUS College (NUSC) at the National University of Singapore. He has more than 14 years of academic and professional experience in the use of data-driven tools to answer questions in public health and the environment. His past projects include the use of programming and visual libraries to develop simulation models for automating workflow processes, and the setting up of remote environmental sensing systems to automate real-time continuous monitoring, for early incident warning. He currently heads the quantitative reasoning domain, and is also director of the Quantitative Reasoning Centre, at University Scholars Programme (NUS USP). As an educator, Edmund has received both the USP Teaching Excellence Award, as well as the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award. Edmund holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Yale University.
Certificate of Completion
Successful participants who fulfill all program requirements, including meeting the minimum attendance and passing the assessment, will be awarded an e-Certificate of Completion and Assessment Report issued by NUS SCALE.
Commendation Letter
Participants from the project team with the highest score for the group project will also receive a commendation letter.