Dr Li Ping Thong

As a digital media designer and senior lecturer, Dr Li Ping Thong has vast experience practicing, teaching and researching in a myriad range of digital media specialisations, including 2D/3D animation, interactive media, app development, motion design, digital illustration, serious games, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and the use of digital media technologies to augment teaching and learning experiences.

Dr Li Ping Thong was the Program Manager of the RMIT Bachelor of Design (Digital Media) program from 2018-2020 and led a dynamic team of academic staff in the future-focused delivery of one of the most successful digital media undergraduate degrees in Australia. An experienced design practitioner in the industry, she is also an experienced educator, having over 14 years of higher education teaching experience across Malaysia, Vietnam and Australia. Her internationalised teaching experience contributed to her deep knowledge of teaching and learning needs for culturally diverse classrooms. Having originated from Malaysia, Li Ping is strongly driven by her passion of wanting students to succeed in their learning journey and develop their global understanding of other cultures. Li Ping is also an advocate for women and young girls in STEM. She actively presents workshops and guest lectures through school visits to encourage young girls to consider careers in STEM fields.

A highly collaborative specialist in digital media, Li Ping's research projects are often cross-disciplinary, cross-campus, cross-school and cross-program, having successfully worked with colleagues at RMIT Vietnam, School of Education, School of Architecture and Urban Design, Industrial Design, School of Management and external partners such as Foodbank Australia, Porter Davis and Melbourne Girls Grammar School. Of core importance to Li Ping is research that entails in meaningful impact to society, education and the digital design discipline. She had been consistently successful in acquiring external and internal grants for research and teaching/learning.

If you seek a collaborator with Li Ping's digital media expertise, please feel free to get in touch for further discussion.

Key Roles

• Program Manager - Bachelor of Design (Digital Media) (2018 – 2020)
• Postgraduate Supervisor (Primary and Secondary) (2017 - current)
• Selection Officer (2016 – 2018)
• Year Level Coordinator (2015 – 2018)
• Course Coordinator (2015 – 2018)
• Educational Technology Committee Member (2015 – 2018)

Teaching Activities

Studio Courses

• Design for All studio with Foodbank and YWaste app (2020)
• Digital Media Creative Collaboration (2018, 2019) 
• Xperience VR (2017) 
• VR Storytelling (2017)
• Building Beautiful Websites (2016)

Selected list of core courses taught

• Digital Media Studio 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
• Interactive Media
• Advanced Electronic Imaging 
• Advanced Web Authoring 
• Imaging and Animation
• Advanced 3d Imaging and Animation 

Engagement

RMIT Cross-School Engagement

• Voice Story language learning app development – School of Education (2018 – 2019)
• Virtual Reality Simulation for Early Childhood Educators – School of Education (2018- 2019)
• Acupressure Framework website development - School of Health and Biomedical Sciences (2018)
• Sexual Harassment on Public Transport - app design workshop series - School of Economics, Finance and Marketing (2017 – 2018)

External Engagement

• "Foodbank Meals via Y Waste App - Collaboration with Foodbank Australia, Y Waste app and Fight Food Waste CRC (2019-2020)
• Technologist in Residence – Innovation Grant - Melbourne Girls Grammar School (2019)
• Digital Media Creative Collaboration – study tour and teaching collaboration with Taylor’s University, Malaysia (2019)
• CSIRO ON Prime program team (2018) 
• Digital Media Creative Collaboration – study tour and teaching collaboration with Multimedia University, Malaysia (2018)
• Science Week Guest Speaker - Digital Media Talk – Hazel Glen College (2018)
• STEM-in-situ – encouraging girls in STEM careers - Virtual Reality workshop series (2017-2018) 
• Virtual Reality workshop – Northcote High School (2017)
• Transhumanism workshop series - teaching collaboration with State University of New York (2017)
• INTERACT staff exchange – staff exchange with University of the Arts London and Danish School of Media and Journalism (2016) 
• International Games Concept Challenge – study tour and workshop collaboration with Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore (2016)

Li Ping's research projects are often cross-disciplinary and applied research by nature, with existing and emerging digital media technologies being designed and developed across a diverse array of contexts, such as education, health, architecture, etc. Her recent project involves collaborating with Foodbank Australia, YWaste and Fight Food Waste CRC to work alongside Industrial Design/Digital Media students and staffs to redesign UI/UX design of YWaste app and campaign strategies for nationwide adoption of the app, with the aim of solving the food insecurity and food wastage crisis in Australia. 

Li Ping’s PhD study investigated the learning effectiveness of digital role-playing games (RPG) to accomplish learning outcomes in digital media education, in which she interrogated how situated learning could be achieved through game-play in an immersive 3d environment. She designed and developed a serious game – Virtual Designer. Utilising non-linear scenarios, the 3d game simulates a design studio. Students role-played as designers and were confronted with various situations typically faced by design practitioners, in which they apply their design knowledge into workplace contexts. 

Li Ping's research interests include:

•     Virtual Reality (VR)
•     Augmented Reality (AR)    
•     Serious Games
•     Interactive Media
•     Interactive Storytelling
•     2D/3D Animation 
•     User experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design 
•     Digital Environments
•     Technology-based teaching and learning with digital media technologies
•     Innovative Digital Media Projects

Research Grants

• Foodbank Meals via Y Waste App - Collaboration with Foodbank Australia, Y Waste app and Fight Food Waste CRC (Phase 2) - 2021 (aud 70,000)
• The Space We Live, The Air We Breathe - Augmented Reality Contemporary Art Trail, funded by Moreland City Council - 2021 (aud 3,000)
• Foodbank Meals via Y Waste App - Collaboration with Foodbank Australia, Y Waste app and Fight Food Waste CRC - 2019-2020 (aud 30,000)
• Technologist in Residence – Innovation Grant - Melbourne Girls Grammar School - 2019 (aud 10,500)
• Voice Story Language Learning App - RMIT Research Translation Seed Fund (Second Round) – 2018 (aud 25,000)
• XperienceVR (2017) - Industry Partnered Design Studio (aud 30,000)
• Voice Story Language Learning App - RMIT Research Translation Seed Fund (First Round) – 2017 (aud 25,000)

Mobility Grants

• New Colombo Plan (NCP) Mobility Grant - Digital Media Creative Collaboration – Taylor’s University, Malaysia - 2019 (aud 49,500)
• New Colombo Plan (NCP) Mobility Grant - Digital Media Creative Collaboration - Multimedia University, Malaysia - 2018 (aud 49,500)
• RMIT Mobility Grant – Vietnam study tour – 2019 (aud 10,000)

• PhD in Computing (Serious Games), Coventry University
• Master of Multimedia (E-Learning Technologies), Multimedia University
• Bachelor of Multimedia (Film and Animation), Multimedia University
• Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, RMIT University
• Autodesk 3d Studio Max End User Certification
• Final Cut Pro End User Certification

• 2015 – Current: Senior Lecturer (Digital Media), RMIT University (Melbourne)
  
• 2018 – 2020: Program Manager (Digital Media), RMIT University (Melbourne)
• 2008 – 2015: Senior Lecturer (Design - Multimedia Systems), RMIT University Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh)
• 2006 – 2008: Lecturer, Taylor's university (Kuala Lumpur)
• 2005 - 2006: AV Application Specialist, Taylor's University (Kuala Lumpur)
• 2005 – 2008: Designer, Hunter Studios (Kuala Lumpur)
• 2005: Photographer/Graphic Designer, Fotorex Holdings (Kuala Lumpur)
• 2004 – 2005: Animator/Graphic Designer, Flextronics Asia (Kuala Lumpur)
• 2004: Animator/Line Artist, FAT Lizard (Kuala Lumpur)