National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore

Current Appointments

• Dean, Teacher Education
• Professor, Psychological Studies
• Editor-in-Chief, Educational Research for Policy and Practice (ERPP)
• Vice-President (Asia & Pacific), International Association for Cognitive Education & Psychology (IACEP)

Previous Appointments

• Head, Psychological Studies
• Associate Professor, Psychological Studies
• Director, Temasek Centre for Problem-based Learning, Temasek Polytechnic
• Deputy Director (Research), School of Applied Science, Temasek Polytechnic
• Deputy Director, Human Resource and Staff Development, Temasek Polytechnic

Introduction

Professor Tan Oon Seng is Dean of Teacher Education, overseeing the administration and development of all Initial Teacher Preparation (ITP) programmes at the National Institute of Education. Prof Tan received his BSc and MEd from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and his PhD from Nanyang Technological University. He attended the Stanford-NUS Management Development Program in 1998 and the Harvard Management Development Program in 2004.

Prof Tan's areas of research include cognitive psychology and problem-based learning (PBL) for which he is known internationally. He is the main co-author ofEducational Psychology: A Researcher-Practitioner Approach (Asian Edition), a worldwide university textbook and reference published by Thomson Learning which has been translated into Chinese  教育心理学:实践者-研究者之路(亚洲版) by the Shanghai People's Publishing House (上海人民出版社). He is the author ofProblem-based Learning Innovation: Using Problems to Power Learning in the 21st Century. He is also editor of the international collections entitled Enhancing Thinking through Problem-based Learning Approaches: International Perspectives;  Problem-based Learning in E-learning Breakthroughs;  and Problem-based Learning and Creativity. His other popular international publications in psychology include Enhancing Cognitive Functions: Applications Across Contexst (with Seng) and Mediated Learning Experience with Children: Applications Across Contexts (with Seng and Poh). His most recent books include Cognitive Modifiability in Learning and Assessment: International perspectives (with Seng) and What West Can Learn from East: Asian Perspective on Psychology & Motivation (with McInerney, Liem & Tan). Prof Tan is a board member and reviewer of many international journals based in the UK, USA, Australia and Asia. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Educational Research for Policy and Practice published by Springer.

Prof Tan is the Immediate Past President of the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA). He is also the Immediate Past President of the Educational Research Association of Singapore (ERAS). He is Vice-President (Asia and Pacific Rim) for the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology. He is also a governing board member of SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development and also a director of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board.

Prof Tan has been a keynote speaker at many key international conferences on PBL in USA, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. He delivered the National Science Foundation (NSF) Education & Human Resource (EHR) Distinguished Lecture in Washington, D.C. He also delivered presidential sessions at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meetings in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2000, Prof Tan won The Enterprise Challenge (TEC) Innovator Award from the Prime Minister’s Office of Singapore for co-pioneering a project on Innovation for the Knowledge-based Economy.