University Awards
Recognising Excellence

Outstanding Educator Award

The fundamental yet powerful act of asking questions is utilised by all of us since birth to understand the world. Embracing this innate faculty, I developed Contextualised Learning via Enquiring, Answering, and Reflecting (CLEAR) to train inquisitive students, enabling them to engage in intellectual discourse while being effective team members. These qualities are essential in an ever-changing landscape, especially in the age of AI. ”
Associate Professor Stephen Tay En Rong
Department of the Built Environment,
College of Design and Engineering

Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS)
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Current Teaching Portfolio

  • Built environment engineering principles and practice
  • Sustainable energy management
  • Continuing education professional training

Teaching Achievements

  • Associate Professor Tay developed scenario-based student generated questions and answers (sb-SGQA), a pedagogical approach in which students utilise a real-life context to develop questions and answers based on the learning outcomes instead of relying on examples and questions set by the instructor. The approach was subsequently enhanced to include a reflective component, resulting in Contextualised Learning via Enquiring, Answering, and Reflecting (CLEAR).
  • Beyond universities, he has since further extended the impact of CLEAR across polytechnics, SkillsFuture programmes, and schools under the Ministry of Education, while mentoring educators to foster curiosity, critical thinking, and collaborative learning among students.
  • As Programme Director of two undergraduate programmes, he also led the launch of the Specialisation in Sustainable Green Buildings, as well as the Green Mark Associate accreditation by the Singapore Green Building Council, representing the first undergraduate degree in Singapore to be recognised under the accreditation.

Publication Credits

  • Authored and co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed articles / conference presentations on active learning, interdisciplinary education, and andragogy.
  • Led a research project as Principal Investigator that is funded by the National Parks Board Singapore (NParks) in collaboration with the Building and Construction Authority on co-location of solar photovoltaics (PV) and greenery. The work was published and featured in national media.
  • Contributed to national publications such as the Green Mark 2021 Certification Standard (3rd Edition), code of practice for renewable energy certificates, and Super Low Energy Building Technology Roadmap.

International Standing

  • Extended the implementation of CLEAR through collaborations in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, and Thailand. Some of these collaborations have secured internal funding within the respective universities to deploy CLEAR.
  • Programme Committee Chair for the IEEE 50th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, where he established the conference's first dedicated track (after 49 years) focusing on education in institutes of learning to focus on innovative solar education and workforce development.

Awards and accolades

  • NUS Teaching Academy (AY24/25 – AY25/26)
  • NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Honour Roll (2024–2028)
  • College Educator Award Honour Roll (AY24/25), College of Design and Engineering
  • College Educator Award (AY21/22 – AY23/24), College of Design and Engineering
  • NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (AY19/20 – AY21/22)
  • School Teaching Excellence Award (AY19/20 – AY20/21), School of Design and Environment 

Education

  • PhD (Imperial College London)
  • BEng (Nanyang Technological University)
 Honour Roll Recipients