Dear All,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you and invite you to try out and experience a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with a difference.

This rich environment allows you to share posts through 'updates' while following your other collegues and members of this learning community as they share and curate content & knowledge with you and all.

The complete program for these sessions is as follows:

During the first session I will be sharing some videos with you that you can access here too ...

... and another about Generative AI

It is also possible to share Youtube videos through the 'Enbed Media Content' with all the other members in the community ... like this one ...

A short bio about myself is only done for you to get to know the educator in me and how I have been involved in Education since my undergraduate studies. My full name is Matthew Montebello and I'm a full professor at the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of ICT, University of Malta, as well as an adjunct professor at the College of Education at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign, Illinois, USA. Before joining the University in 1999 with a PhD in Computer Science I was already heavily involved in Education in secondary schools after graduating in 1990 at the University of Malta B.Ed.(Hons) degree. Having obtained an extensive teaching experience and having been involved with the introduction of computer labs through the Ministry of Education, I proceeded to switch to the Computer Science domain when I pursued further post-graduate studies obtaining a Masters and a Doctorate at the Cardiff University in Wales in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Furthermore in 2009 and 2016 I also completed an M.A. and an Ed.D. (Higher Education) specialising in the application of Artificial Intelligence to e-learning.

Initially our department formed part of bigger department called CSAI (Computer Science & Artificial Intellignece) within the Faculty of Science, and in 2007 we formed the AI department within the ICT faculty. Since 1999 i had been teaching a variety of undergraduate and postgradute courses as well as supervising numerous thesis with masters and doctorate students. In 2014 I was appointed head of department and two years later I was granted a 2-year sabbatical to dedicate more time to my writing and research which by this time was mainly converging on the application of AI to educational settings. 

What follows is my official professional bio that can also be found on the University site.

"Professor Matthew Montebello is a distinguished academic and the Head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Malta, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI education and research. With a career that seamlessly blends computer science and education, he has developed a unique interdisciplinary expertise, specializing in the application of artificial intelligence to e-learning. His international influence is evident through his visiting academic status and adjunct professorship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he collaborated on cutting-edge projects with both the Computer Science department and the College of Education. A pioneer in education technology, Professor Montebello has developed a next-generation Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that integrates social media concepts, revolutionizing how education is delivered in the digital age. His commitment to professional development is reflected in his active involvement with the University of Malta’s Web Editorial Board, Digital Education Committee, and other key committees. Since November 2022, he has been at the forefront of addressing the impact of Generative AI and Large-Language Models on higher education, co-authoring guidelines and facilitating workshops to prepare academics and students for the evolving educational landscape. With a robust portfolio of publications and research in AI, e-learning, and computer science, he is widely recognized as a thought leader in these fields. Additionally, his extensive teaching experience, dating back to his early career in secondary schools, has allowed him to mentor countless students and junior academics, shaping the next generation of professionals in ICT and AI."