Lex Day 2026: Official Study Guide

Overview of Lex Day 2026: Theme and Opening Proceedings

• Event Context: Lex Day $2026$ is a broadcasted celebration focused on the English language experience, highlighting student achievements, interactive segments, and professional discourse.
• Theme: The theme for this year is "Lex: Preserving Human Interaction in the Age of AI," addressing the balance between technological advancement and authentic human communication.
• Master of Ceremonies (MCs): The event is hosted by Aziza Hashima Akbarbasha and Noin Pisakara.
• Introductory Sentiment: The MCs emphasized that despite the event being digital, the goal is to celebrate human connection, shared interests, and meaningful interaction.
• Official Ceremonies:
  • National Anthems: The event commenced with the playing of Negaraku and Putraang.
  • Dua Recitation: Led by Mr. Muhammad Aswan. The prayer asked for blessings for the success of Lex Day $2026$, knowledge that is beneficial, sustenance that is good, and acceptable deeds. Mr. Aswan prayed for the strength to worship in the best of manners, forgiveness, health, and guidance.

Leadership and Philosophical Framework: The Concept of Antifragility

• Opening Speech: Delivered by Mr. Amarusi, the Program Director for Lex Day $2026$.
• Evolution of Lex: Mr. Amarusi noted that Lex proved its resilience during the $COVID$ pandemic but has now evolved into something more robust in the face of Artificial Intelligence ($AI$).
• Defining Antifragility:
  • Mr. Amarusi contrasted "resilient" things, which merely survive a shock, with "antifragile" things, which grow stronger from it.
  • Lex is described as antifragile because it has become significantly more relevant as digital communication grows.
• The Limits of AI: While acknowledging $AI$ as a "brilliant tool," Mr. Amarusi asserted its inability to replace genuine human connection or replicate the "authentic messy but at the same time beautiful communication" that Lex activities foster.

Let’s Talk Professional Discourse: Designing Learning for Connection

• Segment Focus: This segment brought together academic and industry experts to discuss how human interaction remains irreplaceable in the workplace.
• Panelists:
  • Miss Rammit Kaur: An experienced language teacher at $CELK$ (UPM) with over $10$ years of experience; involved in writing course development and graduate employability blueprints.
  • Miss Adawya Binti Abu Abid: A professional with over two decades of experience across academia, Human Resources ($HR$) in an oil and gas company, media, and advertising.

Impact of Generative AI on Communication

• Miss Rammit's View: $AI$ allows less-proficient students to participate in communication, but it lacks the complexity of human interaction. Human communication requires empathy, negotiation, and an understanding of the interlocutor's feelings, which $AI$ cannot mirror.
• Miss Adawya's View: She expressed initial skepticism, preferring "old school" face-to-face interaction. She views creative traits as uniquely human but acknowledges $AI$ as a tool that can be used or abused.

Changes in Student Behavior and Attention Spans

• Attention Span Trends: Miss Rammit noted that students in the current fast-paced, multitasking environment have seen a drastic reduction in attention spans. Everything is expected at a "click of a finger."
• Educational Response: Teachers must move toward peer collaboration and group discussions to force connections. Using $AI$ in isolation completes tasks but fails to build the relationships necessary for society to grow.

Group Work and Professional Competency

• Efficiency vs. Value: Students often view group work as inefficient. Miss Rammit argued that university is a "playground" for collaboration skills that are essential in any future high-skilled career.
• Working Together vs. Connecting: Miss Rammit distinguished between "working in isolation" (dividing tasks without communication) and "connecting" (collaborative learning). Working in isolation is unsustainable for generating quality outcomes.
• Workplace Consequences: Miss Adawya noted that graduates often lack communication skills, lead to "working in silos," and struggle to get information or participate in meetings.

Industry Needs and Workplace Culture Shock

• Independence: The biggest shock for graduates is the shift from being "spoon-fed" to needing independence. In the professional world, supervisors do not have time for constant clarification.
• Presentation Skills: Miss Adawya emphasized that presentation skills are fundamental because they embody critical thinking, problem-solving, and research.

Let’s Talk Alumni: Applying Lex Skills in the Real World

• Moderator: Mohammad Mukrusakimi (Bachelor of $TESL$).
• Panelists:
  • Miss Shaa Simin: Sustainability Analyst; pursued postgraduate studies in the $UK$.
  • Miss Valerie Qu: Second-year Architecture student; participated in Poetic Society, After Five, and That So Bizarre.
  • Miss Alisa Hani: Intern at Gentari (Petronas subsidiary) in the Health, Safety, and Environment ($HSE$) department.

Reflections on Lex Activities

• Safe Zone for Practice: Miss Shaa described Lex as a platform to practice English in a safe, informal setting without the pressure of marks. This built the confidence she needed to speak with native speakers in the $UK$.
• Escapism: Miss Alisa viewed Lex as a form of "escapism" from her science-heavy studies. She highlighted Poetic Society as a way to engage with her interest in William Shakespeare.
• Perception of Assignments: While the panelists admitted Lex felt like an assignment during their studies, they now recognize its long-term impact on confidence and professional planning.

Skill Acquisition

• Planning and Management: Miss Alisa credited Lex with teaching her to plan effectively, manage time, and coordinate with team members while balancing her final year studies and internship.
• Communication Clarity: Miss Shaa noted that English was her third language. Lex taught her that effective communication does not require "extravaganza" vocabulary but rather clarity and conciseness.
• Articulation: Miss Valerie noted that in Architecture, articulating ideas to panels and lecturers is vital; Lex provided an informal space to practice this.

The Role of AI in Student Life

• AI as an Assistant: Miss Alisa insisted that $AI$ should remain an "assistant" and not a replacement for human essence in writing. She values when her essays sound personal rather than like a textbook.
• The Downside of AI: Miss Valerie argued that $AI$ reduces creativity and curiosity. When a "perfectly phrased sentence" is one click away, students become afraid to make mistakes and stop acquiring the language naturally.
• Historical Comparison: Miss Shaa, who graduated $5$ years ago, noted that her experience was purely physical ($pen/paper/no AI$). She suggests that while $AI$ can help non-native speakers mimic structures, educators must remind students to keep the "human touch."

Let’s Talk UPM Sarawak: Student Perspectives on English and Technology

• Moderator: Robin.
• Panelists: Brian and Leonard Gabriel (Bachelor of Science Bio-Industry), and Olivia (Bachelor of Science Human Development with Management).
• AI Platforms Used:
  • ChatGPT: Used by Brian for convenience and feedback on grammar/writing.
  • Grok AI: Used by Brian for gaining more information.
  • Gemini: Used by Leonard and Olivia for accuracy, speed, and citation information.

Debate: AI vs. Human Teachers

• Emotional Intelligence: Brian argued that $AI$ cannot replace teachers because teachers understand feelings and specific struggles. $AI$ communication feels "flat."
• Confidence Levels: Leonard noted that relying on typing and social media/$AI$ reduces confidence in real-life interactions, causing people to hesitate and feel that they are "talking nonsense."
• Loss of Expressiveness: Olivia observed that human-to-human interaction is required to learn how to express emotions and achieve "natural" communication.

Future Outlook on Language Learning

• Open Questions: The panel agreed that learning should not become fully individual or $AI$-based.
• Recommendations: Students should join clubs like the English Club and take Lex courses to talk to real people.
• Final Preferences: All panelists preferred face-to-face classes over online classes for better focus and natural interaction. Brian preferred teachers over $AI$, and Leonard preferred speaking over typing to improve active vocabulary.

Interactive Segment: Lex Puzzle—"The Case of the Last Presentation"

• Scenario Summary: A group of final year students (Ana, Jason, Mailing, and Fared) failed an important presentation despite having several days to prepare.
• The Team Dynamics:
  • Ana: Responsible leader but felt time pressure.
  • Jason: Confident/efficient; preferred using tools ($AI$) to work quickly.
  • Mailing: Quiet and detail-oriented.
  • Fared: Creative but struggled with clear explanations.
• The Conflict:
  • $2$ days before, Jason used $AI$ to generate all content quickly.
  • Mailing felt the content was too general; Fared did not understand the logic of the slides.
  • The group ignored these concerns and skipped their rehearsal.
• The Result: During the presentation, members read directly from slides without understanding them. The language was "professional" (formal) but the ideas were unclear. The lecturer noted the lack of clarity.
• Problem Identification: The team relied on content they did not understand, failed to discuss ideas clearly, ignored member concerns, and did not practice together.

Closing Keynote: The Pedagogical Value and Future of Lex

• Speaker: Dr. Azima Abdul Aziz, Head of the English Language Proficiency Division, $CELK$.
• Lex's Longevity: Part of the English Language Experience ($LX$) package since $2013$.
• The Role of Repetition:
  • Dr. Azima addressed the potential for "AI-scripted" discussions.
  • She argued that regardless of the source, the act of discussing forces the student to listen, respond, agree/disagree, and paraphrase.
  • Formula: A student required to complete $24$ hours of Lex activities completes $24$ separate discussions.
  • Outcome: Repetition converts "effortful practice into effortless skill," making the language automatic and intuitive.
• Conclusion: Dr. Azima officially closed the event, reiterating that while $AI$ may assist, the human aspect remains essential for competent workplace communication.
• Competition Winners: Winners were announced for Lex categories such as Get Groomed ($207$), Language Arts ($209$), My Comic Strip ($2011$), and DIY Project ($2019$).