Demystifying AI: How Smart Are Machines Really?
Ever wonder why a brilliant AI model can ace a practice test but fail in the real world? This workshop pulls back the curtain on how machine learning actually works.
We'll move past the jargon to explore the core challenge: getting AI to perform well on new, unseen data (not just what it was trained on). We'll unpack common pitfalls, like an AI that "memorizes" instead of "learns," and discover surprising modern findings that defy traditional logic.
Walk away with a clear, intuitive understanding of what makes AI reliable and robust. This session will also offer a sneak peek into the key concepts from the new book, Deep Learning Generalization.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Liu Peng, Assistant Professor of Quantitative Finance, Lee Kong Chian School of Business. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Legal Research Methods Part 2: Approaching Legal Research
Building on the foundational knowledge from Part 1, this session equips participants with practical strategies and methodologies for conducting effective legal research. Participants will learn about a suggested systematic approach to formulating a research question, selecting appropriate sources as starting points, and embarking on a comprehensive search. The workshop will cover techniques for efficient information retrieval, evaluation of legal authorities, and synthesis of research findings. Participants will develop a structured workflow for tackling legal research problems: from initial issue identification through to final analysis.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Bryan Leow, Senior Librarian, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 3, Kwa Geok Choo Law Library.
When AI Goes Wrong
We've all read the misadventures when AI technology has been used as a tool to unexpected results e.g, hallucinations, misclassifications, etc. - sometimes humorous, sometimes disastrous. Developed with the Centre for Digital Law and meant for the curious layperson, this 1-hour lecture will delve deeper to discover why this happens, the points of failures and biases, how it is influencing our intellectual and environmental landscapes, and the questions we can ask when we choose to interact with AI. This lecture will not cover how to use specific tools but will explore underlying ethical conundrums and the socioenvironmental impact of AI.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Samantha Seah, Librarian, User Services & Experience. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. [Research Ready] "Spark to Insight": Leveraging Tools to Ignite Ideas for Assignments and Projects
This 1-hour course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and tools of ideation, focusing on generating ideas for assignments, presentations, projects, and research. Participants are able to learn the methods, process, and tools to generate ideas using a combination of traditional tools, AI-powered academic research tools, and Gen AI chatbots. Through hands-on activities participants can engage with tools, discover information, analyze the outputs, evaluate the information, and organize key information to form a topic.
(Complete any 3 workshops in the Research Ready Series to earn a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!).
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Wei Xia, Principle Librarian, Instruction and Learning Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Presentation Slide Design
Learn to create clear and effective deck of slides to support your verbal presentation.
Great for students on Writing & Reasoning!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Justyn Olby, Student Success Centre. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Design and Create Surveys with Qualtrics
This hands-on 90-minute workshop introduces you to Qualtrics - a powerful online survey platform used by researchers and professionals to design, distribute, and analyze surveys with advanced features for data collection and participant management. SMU subscribes to Qualtrics.
In this session, we will learn:
- Essential question types and when to use each for optimal data collection.
- How to implement randomization and question order to mitigate bias in your surveys.
- Best practices for survey design that streamline data cleaning and analysis workflows.
- Setting up automated thank you emails and creating public reports for sharing.
Who Should Attend:
This workshop welcomes participants of all experience levels - no prior Qualtrics experience necessary. The session will be conducted online with hands-on activities, so participants should ideally come prepared with survey questions or a research topic in mind to practice with during the workshop.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Bella Ratmelia, Senior Librarian, Research and Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. [Research Ready] Level Up Your Internet Search
Search smarter, not harder! In this hands-on workshop, we will unlock the power of Google search operators to find what we need, faster, and time travel with the Wayback Machine to uncover hidden gems on the web.
(Complete any 3 workshops in the Research Ready Series to earn a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!).
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Li Zhenyan, Librarian, Instruction & Learning Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Now You See It: Interactive Data Visualisation for Data Discovery
Learn how to visualise data from library databases (e.g. CEIC, REALIS) using software like Tableau.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Computing and Information Systems. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
[Python Series] Tinkering with LLMs via API: Claude, OpenAI, and more
This hands-on 90-minute workshop introduces you to Large Language Model APIs that let you programmatically interact with AI models like Claude and Gemini for automation and experimentation.
In this session, we will learn:
1) Understand what APIs are and how to make your first API calls to language models
2) Navigate API playgrounds and explore different LLM providers (Claude, OpenAI, and others)
3) Understand common settings: context windows, max tokens, temperature, top-k, and top-p, and system prompts
4) Explore use cases in academia, such as using LLMs to classify text sentiment.
Who Should Attend:
This in-person workshop welcomes participants with basic Python knowledge, including those new to APIs. No prior API experience required - we'll start with fundamentals before diving into LLM-specific features.
Note: Examples will be taught primarily in Python, with a brief R demonstration at the end for those interested.
(Complete any 3 workshops in the Python 101 Series to earn a digital badge for your Lin…
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Bella Ratmelia, Senior Librarian, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. GIS Concepts and QGIS Methods
Learn more about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Prof Kam and its applications for work and play.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Computing and Information Systems. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Scholarly Literature Review - Going beyond keyword searching - citation chasing, semantic search, and more
Go beyond simple keyword searching! Learn how to enhance your searching with the latest semantic search and citation searching. Discover the unexpected connections between papers in your lit review using latest tools like ResearchRabbit, LitMaps, Consensus and more. Great for students on Capstone Projects, postgraduates, and researchers!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Aaron Tay, Head, Data Services, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. LaTeX 101: Creating Your First LaTeX Document
Always wanted to learn how to use LaTeX? In this workshop, we'll use Overleaf to show you the basics of formatting text, writing mathematical formulae, inserting figures and tables, and adding references to create your first LaTeX document. Beginners and non-coders welcome!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Samantha Seah, Librarian, User Services & Experience. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Economic Data & Statistics
Learn where you can find key statistics on the economy for a variety of countries, including Singapore.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Melody Chin, Senior Librarian, Instruction & Learning Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. Incoming PG Students.
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
[Python Series] Practical Data Exploration with Python and AI
Learn how to explore and make sense of data using Python, with AI as a coding assistant. This hands-on workshop focuses on simple visualisations and practical workflows to help you spot patterns, trends, and surprises in your dataset.
(Complete any 3 workshops in the Python 101 Series to earn a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!).
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Dong Danping, Senior Librarian, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. Generative AI Powered Search Engines for Literature Search - When to Use and What to Look Out For
Using Generative AI powered search engines for literature review is the latest thing - even Google Scholar now has Scholar labs and SMU libraries subscribes to Scite assistant and Deep Research tools like Undermind.ai, Consensus and more. Learn how they differ from conventional search engines such as Google Scholar, when to use them, and what to watch out for! Great for students on Capstone Projects, postgraduates, and researchers!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Aaron Tay, Head, Data Services, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Friday, February 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. Key Presentation Skills
Learn key elements of both verbal and non-verbal public communications. Explore and practice how to engage and interest your audience. Great for students on Writing & Reasoning!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Justyn Olby, Student Success Centre. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Monday, February 9, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Basics of Citations with Zotero Reference Manager
Join us for a 1.5-hour workshop on the basics of Zotero, a practical tool for organizing and citing your research sources. This session will cover the fundamental features of Zotero, including setting up your library, adding references, and generating citations in Word. Zotero is also useful for integrating with AI tools like Researchrabbit, Scispace, and others to enhance your research workflow. Whether you're a student, researcher, or anyone needing to manage multiple sources efficiently, this workshop will provide you with the essential skills to get started with Zotero. Please note: Session will be conducted using Windows Machine using Zotero 7.0. Zotero may not be well-suited for those in the law discipline due to its limited support for legal citation formats.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Aaron Tay, Head, Data Services, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. [Research Ready] Scanning the Horizon: Business Environment�Research
Identify key trends, risks, and opportunities that shape business decisions. Join us to find resources you can leverage from SMU Libraries.
(Complete any 3 workshops in the Research Ready Series to earn a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!).
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Sumita Govindan and Melody Chin, Senior Librarians, Instruction & Learning Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
R Ep.1: Making Your Research Reproducible with Quarto in RStudio
Learn intermediate-level R tools and concepts. (No prior R programming experience is needed as long as you are willing to learn.) You are recommended to attend R Ep.1 before any other workshops in this R series.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Computing and Information Systems. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
R Ep.2: Creating Awesome Web Slides in Quarto with Revealjs
Heard about reveal.js? Tired of creating PowerPoint slides? Learn how to create awesome web slides using R in this hands-on workshop. A basic understanding of R programming is required for this hands-on workshop. You are recommended to attend R Ep.1 before this!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Computing and Information Systems. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Learning Lab 1, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
[Research Ready] Keep Calm and Read Laterally!
It is easy to go down the rabbit hole of online information when it first hits you. Instead of going deep, let�s go lateral. Learn about lateral reading strategies and media literacy tips, flex your fact-checking muscles and effectively engage with digital information.
(Complete any 3 workshops in the Research Ready Series to earn a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!).
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Li Zhenyan, Librarian, Instruction & Learning Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Statista: A Deep Dive Beyond the Data!
Do you use Statista?
Have you ever wondered about the research quality, processes, and publishing standards behind Statista and its data?
Statista is one of the most widely used databases within the SMU community. In this workshop, participants will gain exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into Statista�s research department and how its content is created. We�ll also explore recent AI-driven enhancements and provide hands-on practice with advanced search techniques.
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Rajendra Munoo, Advisor, Learning Programs & Global Relations and Brenda Lim, Head of Sales, Asia. Statista. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. Incoming PG Students.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
Citation Metrics 101: Journal Rankings, Impact Factors, Altmetrics and more
Impact Factor, h-index, Altmetrics, Google Scholar metrics� You may have heard about them, but what are they, actually? Join us to demystify citation metrics and try out tools available. Great for faculty, postgraduates, and researchers!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Aaron Tay, Head, Data Services, Research & Data Services. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students.
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Online via Zoom.
For more info visit smu-sg.zoom.us. R Ep.3: Happy Git and Github with RStudio
Using R for data analysis? Join this workshop which introduces the synergy between R and GitHub and gain practical tips. A basic understanding of R programming is required for this hands-on workshop. You are recommended to attend R Ep.1 before this!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Computing and Information Systems. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.
R Ep.4: Building Website and Blog with Quarto
Starting a Quarto web post? Join us for this hands-on workshop to create one in R from scratch. A basic understanding of R programming is required for this hands-on workshop. You are recommended to attend R Ep.1 before this!
Contact: library@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Computing and Information Systems. RSVP: . Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Learning & Professional Development. Audience: Academic Community. Current Student. Incoming Students. Incoming Freshmen. SMU Faculty & Staff. Incoming PG Students. Alumni.
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Learning Lab 2, Li Ka Shing Library Level 5.