PolyU is committed to driving technology innovation by integrating technologies to its course curriculum and establishing artificial intelligence teaching and learning facilities, cultivating talents with technological and digital capabilities. The University’s efforts were recognised at the EdTech Heroes Award, where PolyU received the Grand Award (Higher Education) and the Learning Experience Award in Adult Learning Track. The Award is launched by a charitable organisation Esperanza in 2023, which aims to celebrate early adopters of education technology in Hong Kong.

PolyU’s winning projects are:

Transforming Education: Embrace and Unleash the Power of Student-led Education via Expanding Horizons with Compassionate Tech-Education

The project team has been at the forefront of developing innovative pedagogies and implementing immersive learning activities using Hybrid Immersive Virtual Environment (HiVE) at PolyU. Through the HiVE platform, the team has successfully integrated the concepts of blended learning and flipped classroom modes into their teaching approach and have empowered students to take ownership of their own learning.

Funded by the PolyU Large Equipment Fund and recognising the importance of student engagement, peer support and staff-student partnership in creating a vibrant and interactive learning environment, this initiative aims to benefit all PolyU staff and students.

The project team includes Dr Rodney Chu, Senior Teaching Fellow from the Department of Applied Social Sciences; Dr Helen Law, Associate Professor from the Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI); Dr Shara Lee, Associate Professor from HTI; Dr Mark Kai Pan, Educational Development Officer from the Educational Development Centre (EDC); and Dr Jacky Chung, Senior Engineering Manager from the Industrial Centre.

A Pioneering Learning Analytics Platform for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Hong Kong

The Learning Analytics Platform (LAP) is an advanced educational tool designed to collect data from different sources and connect these to provide a holistic view of student learning to different stakeholders, including management, teachers, students and support staff. LAP consolidates data and simplifies the processes of data collection and analysis by integrating seamlessly with the institution’s infrastructure to enable an effective and efficient data reporting environment.

The platform not only provides data and visualisations but also guides stakeholders to use the data provided systematically for quality assurance. The LAP reports cover subject, departmental, faculty and university levels. Stakeholders can leverage these reports to understand where the strengths and weaknesses of learning may lie and address the latter with timely and relevant enhancements. As such, LAP fosters an evidence-based approach to continuous improvement of pedagogy.

The project team includes Dr Julia Chen, Director of Education Development; Mr Dick Chan, Educational Development Officer; and Ms Ada Tse, Educational Development Officer, all from EDC.