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Our programmes are delivered by academic and business experts at the forefront of their fields
With the guidance of our education team, when you graduate from AIC, you are ready to work and succeed in your chosen career. We are committed to building a safe, positive and inclusive higher learning environment that celebrates diversity, skills and cultural perspectives. Our lecturers and support staff come from a range of cultural backgrounds and countries themselves. Expect lots of discussion in class and learning through real-life experiences and reflection. Classes are taught in English however there are staff available who speak other languages should you need it.
Our Staff
Academic
IT
Asanthika is an experienced lecturer with a strong passion for empowering novice programmers and IT students. She holds a BSc, Master's, and PhD and has been in academia for nearly a decade, teaching at tertiary institutions in Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Sri Lankan institutes affiliated with Australia and the United Kingdom.
She is a professional member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and a member of the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF).
Asanthika’s research primarily focuses on computer science education, with a keen interest in understanding the challenges faced by novice designers, how they learn, and how research-informed teaching strategies can enhance student success. Her broader research interests include UX engineering and large language models (LLMs), exploring how these technologies can improve learning experiences, software design, and human-computer interaction.
As an academic, she is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice to create meaningful and impactful learning experiences for the next generation of IT professionals.
Qualifications:
PhD, Computer and Information Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Master's, Information Systems Management, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
BSc (Hons), Information Technology (SE), Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Teaching Areas:
Databases, Software analysis and Design, Programming (CS1)
Research Interests:
Computer Science Education, UX Engineering
Recent Publications:
Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XvvHYScAAAAJ&hl=en
Dowdeswell, B., Khan, T., Imbulpitiya, A., Hewage, W., Ganeshan, K., & Mehdipour, F. (2024). Object-Early versus Object-Late: Perspectives on concept acquisition in Undergraduate Software Engineering courses. Rere Āwhio - the Journal of Applied Research and Practice, 4, 72–80. https://doi.org/10.34074/rere.00408
Whalley, J., Imbulpitiya, A., Clear, T., & Ogier, H. (2024). From student to working professional: A graduate survey. arXiv (Cornell University). https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2410.07560
Imbulpitiya, A., Whalley, J., & Senapathi, M. (2024). A Qualitative Study of Novice Experiences with Database Normalisation. https://doi.org/10.1145/3636243.3636254
Imbulpitiya, A., Whalley, J., & Senapathi, M. (2023). Reflections on Conducting Online Think-Alouds. ACM Inroads, 14(2), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.1145/3596917
Imbulpitiya, A.M. Understanding the Development of Knowledge in Novice Database Modellers. Diss. Auckland University of Technology, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/17326
Samarakoon, U., Manathunga, K., & Imbulpitiya, A. (2022). Theory or Practice: Student Perspective on Project Based Learning Versus Module Based Learning to Improve Technical Skills Among IT Undergraduates. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 968–979. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93907-6_103
Samarakoon, U., Manathunga, K., & Imbulpitiya, A. (2022). Enhancing the Quality and Student Attitude on Capstone Projects Through Activity-Based Learning and Reduced Social Loafing. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 336–358. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14756-2_17
Imbulpitiya, A., Whalley, J., & Senapathi, M. (2021). Examining the Exams: Bloom and Database Modelling and Design. Australasian Computing Education Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3441636.3442301
She is a professional member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and a member of the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF).
Asanthika’s research primarily focuses on computer science education, with a keen interest in understanding the challenges faced by novice designers, how they learn, and how research-informed teaching strategies can enhance student success. Her broader research interests include UX engineering and large language models (LLMs), exploring how these technologies can improve learning experiences, software design, and human-computer interaction.
As an academic, she is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice to create meaningful and impactful learning experiences for the next generation of IT professionals.
Qualifications:
PhD, Computer and Information Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Master's, Information Systems Management, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
BSc (Hons), Information Technology (SE), Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Teaching Areas:
Databases, Software analysis and Design, Programming (CS1)
Research Interests:
Computer Science Education, UX Engineering
Recent Publications:
Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XvvHYScAAAAJ&hl=en
Dowdeswell, B., Khan, T., Imbulpitiya, A., Hewage, W., Ganeshan, K., & Mehdipour, F. (2024). Object-Early versus Object-Late: Perspectives on concept acquisition in Undergraduate Software Engineering courses. Rere Āwhio - the Journal of Applied Research and Practice, 4, 72–80. https://doi.org/10.34074/rere.00408
Whalley, J., Imbulpitiya, A., Clear, T., & Ogier, H. (2024). From student to working professional: A graduate survey. arXiv (Cornell University). https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2410.07560
Imbulpitiya, A., Whalley, J., & Senapathi, M. (2024). A Qualitative Study of Novice Experiences with Database Normalisation. https://doi.org/10.1145/3636243.3636254
Imbulpitiya, A., Whalley, J., & Senapathi, M. (2023). Reflections on Conducting Online Think-Alouds. ACM Inroads, 14(2), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.1145/3596917
Imbulpitiya, A.M. Understanding the Development of Knowledge in Novice Database Modellers. Diss. Auckland University of Technology, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/17326
Samarakoon, U., Manathunga, K., & Imbulpitiya, A. (2022). Theory or Practice: Student Perspective on Project Based Learning Versus Module Based Learning to Improve Technical Skills Among IT Undergraduates. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 968–979. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93907-6_103
Samarakoon, U., Manathunga, K., & Imbulpitiya, A. (2022). Enhancing the Quality and Student Attitude on Capstone Projects Through Activity-Based Learning and Reduced Social Loafing. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 336–358. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14756-2_17
Imbulpitiya, A., Whalley, J., & Senapathi, M. (2021). Examining the Exams: Bloom and Database Modelling and Design. Australasian Computing Education Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3441636.3442301
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