Project Assistant：CHANG, YAN-LING

As artificial intelligence (AI) enters the classroom, what new approaches can it bring to marine education? The Taiwan Marine Education Center held the 2026 Marine Education Forum on September 16, 2026, in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and in the spirit of the World Oceans Day theme, “Reimagine: Beyond the World We Know, A New Relationship with Our Ocean.” Under the theme “Marine Education in the AI Era: International Connections and Development,” the forum brought together approximately 100 marine education advocates from industry, government, and academia. Discussions ranged from international trends to classroom teaching, exploring the new opportunities that AI offers for marine education.

The forum explored two interconnected themes: international engagement and educational practice. Professor Cheng-Chieh Chang of the Centre of Teacher Education and Institute of Education at National Taiwan Ocean University delivered a keynote address entitled “International Connections between AI and Marine Education,” examining global trends and future directions in marine education. A session entitled “Experiences with AI in Marine Education” featured four invited speakers: Tsui-Ling Lu, principal of Simen Experimental Elementary School in Tainan and a recipient of the Ministry of Education’s Marine Education Contribution Award; Shang-Hui Tseng, principal of Sanduo Junior High School in New Taipei City and a recipient of the Gold Award for Teaching Excellence; Ching-Liang Tseng, a director at Yongchun Senior High School in Taipei with expertise in instructional design using emerging technologies; and Dong-Lin Li, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan Ocean University, whose expertise includes AI and ecological surveys. Representing elementary, junior high, senior high, and university education, the speakers shared their practical experiences and explored a range of possibilities for integrating AI into marine education.

The keynote address and case-sharing session were moderated, respectively, by Cheng-Chang Chen, a director at New Taipei Municipal Hsin Tien Senior High School, and Yuan-Pin Chang, associate professor in the Department of Oceanography at National Sun Yat-sen University. Both are Yellow Level (Advanced) Marine Educators and facilitated further exchanges between the speakers and participants. The forum concluded with a panel discussion featuring the two moderators and Chin-Kuo Wu, director of the Taiwan Marine Education Center. Building on the keynote address and case presentations, the panel focused on international connections, curriculum implementation, and future directions for integrating AI into marine education. The discussion broadened the exchange of practical experiences into an interdisciplinary dialogue, offering further insights into marine education policy and teaching innovation.

Across international developments and classroom practice, AI is opening up new possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration and educational development in marine education, alongside advances in teaching methods. Through the exchanges at this forum, the center hopes to sustain interest across sectors in integrating AI into marine education, bring together experiences from different educational stages and professional fields, and collectively explore the next steps for marine education in the AI era.