Bina Rai
Fellow
Biomedical Engineering
College of Design & Engineering
My teaching approach is shaped by my commitment to restore “joyland” in the classroom by reintroducing play as a central component of learning. Inspired by Johan Huizinga’s philosophy— “Let my play be my learning, and my learning be my playing”—I strive to create a “magic circle” in my lessons, whether in physical classrooms or digital spaces. This environment is a safe and imaginative space, demarcated by playful rules, where students can learn and grow without the undue pressures that often characterize university life in Singapore. Drawing on Dr. Anthony DeBenedet’s concept of playful intelligence, I work to instill qualities such as imagination, sociability, humor, spontaneity, and wonder in my students. Through this approach, my hope is to equip students not only with knowledge but also with the adaptability and mindset needed to continually learn and thrive in rapidly evolving industries.
Dr Bina Rai is a microbiologist, bio-engineer and a community-engaged educator. She is the Associate Head (FYP) and Associate Professor with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, NUS. She is the course lead for three modules, BN3402 – Bioanalytical Methods for Engineers, BN4701 – Serious Games for Health and BN5304 – Biomedical Engineering Practice and Innovation. She views herself as an educational innovator and instructional designer dedicated to bringing joy and play back into the classroom. Dr Rai is passionate about the advancement of science and engineering undergraduate interdisciplinary teaching. Dr Rai actively teaches and conducts research on gamification, virtual reality simulations and serious games for education and healthcare applications. As a member of bGood, Health District Initiative, and Centre for Environment and Aging Well, she conducts co-design workshops and guides the translation of student bespoke solutions for engaged and inclusive communities. Aligned to her interest in scientific communication, she has published about her teaching efforts on various online platforms. She is on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching and guest editor for special issues in the Virtual Worlds and Applied Sciences journals.
I am grateful to be part of the Teaching Academy and excited to connect with other passionate educators at NUS. Drawing from my expertise in technology-enabled learning, learning via play, community-engaged learning, codesign, and interdisciplinary approaches, I hope to collaborate on innovative teaching initiatives and gather meaningful evidence from our collective practices. By providing evidence-based feedback on educational policies at the university level, I hope to help shape a learning environment that is adaptive, engaging, and inclusive.
- SCDF Star Customer Award, SCDF: 2024
- Annual Teaching Excellence Award, NUS: 2023, 2024
- College Educator Award, NUS: 2023
- InnovPlus Award, IAL/SUSS:2020
- Tertiary Educator of the Year, Edutech Asia Awards: 2017