KOTA SAMARAHAN: A 48-hour hackathon brought developers, educators and AI enthusiasts together to re-imagine the education sector through Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions.
The HackWknd Kota Samarahan 2024 which began on Dec 6 was organised by the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), partnering with Borneo Digital, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), and supporting partner ZOHO Corporation.
The event, themed “AI for Education”, showcased the potential of AI to tackle accessibility, engagement, and personalised learning challenges.
Participants worked alongside industry experts from Borneo Digital, ZOHO Corporation, Pandai, Krenovator Technology, ARX Media, Stinablis, and Redseed Technology, who served as mentors and judges.
SDEC Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Hamadlan Hj Hamdan, said HackWknd showcases the transformative role of AI in education, with the event’s innovative solutions having the potential to significantly impact the future of educational technology.
“HackWknd exemplifies how AI can transform education, and we are proud to support initiatives that foster innovation and talent development.
“The solutions developed here have the potential to make a lasting impact in education technology,” he said.
This year’s HackWknd concluded with remarkable achievements, showcasing the creative and technical talents of the participants.
Team Ballin’ claimed first place, winning the AI Innovation Award and RM3,000 for their solution Quiz Quest; an AI-powered education platform which generates personalised questions from study materials, aiming to improve learning habits and reduce test anxiety.
Team Spectakuler secured second place with the Educational Impact Award and RM2,500, while Team Visionaries 2.0 finished third for the Technical Excellence Award, receiving RM1,000.
Several teams were also awarded special prizes of RM500 each, including Team For Fun, which won the People’s Choice Award; Team Ainspire, which was recognised for the Most Accessible Solution; and Team EduSolve, which was honoured for the Best Use of Large Language Model.
