EdUHK delegation visits Graduate School of Education of Peking University
Representatives from EdUHK take photos with their counterparts at the Graduate School of Education (GSE) of Peking University. From left to third from right, front row: Dr Franco Huang Lingyun, Assistant Professor from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) of Faculty of Education and Human Development (FEHD), Dr Annie Li Yixun, Assistant Professor from the Department of Early Childhood Education of FEHD and Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho, former Head of Department of Mathematics and Information Technology of FLASS and Associate Director of the University Research Facility of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Professor Jia Jiyou, Head of the Department of Educational Technology of GSE of Peking University, Professor Yan Fengqiao, Dean of GSE from the Peking University, and Professor Lim Cher-ping, Associate Dean (International Engagement) of FEHD.
EdUHK’s delegation visits the campus of the affiliated high school of Peking University, posing with Vice Principal Mr Jing Zhiguo, fifth from the right, and other teachers from the school.
To further actualise the academic cooperation agreement signed between EdUHK’s Graduate School and the Graduate School of Education (GSE) of Peking University in March 2023, the EdUHK sent a delegation to visit the GSE of Peking University to discuss various cooperation opportunities. During the trip between 31 October and 3 November 2023, scholars and researchers from EdUHK delivered talks to audiences from the GSE of Peking University. The delegation also visited the campuses of Peking University and its affiliated high school, and a high-tech AI enterprise in mainland China.
The EdUHK delegation included Professor Lim Cher-ping, Associate Dean (International Engagement), Faculty of Education and Human Development (FEHD); Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho, the then Head of Department of Mathematics and Information Technology of FLASS ; Dr Annie Li Yixun, Assistant Professor from the Department of Early Childhood Education of FEHD; and Dr Franco Huang Lingyun, Assistant Professor from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) of FEHD. Research assistants Ms Cha Yingying and Ms Zhou Jingyi also joined the tour.
On 31 October, Professor Jia Jiyou, Head of the Department of Educational Technology of Graduate School of Education of Peking University, chaired the seminar on cooperation opportunities. Attendees included all members of EdUHK’s delegation, Professor Yan Fengqiao, Dean of Graduate School of Education from the Peking University, Wu Xiaomeng, Associate Head of the Department of Educational Technology of Graduate School of Education of Peking University, Associate Professor Wang Aihua, Assistant Professor Fan Yizhou, and seven postgraduate students from the same department.
Professor Yan Fengqiao opened the seminar by extending a warm welcome to the visiting scholars from EdUHK. He gave a brief introduction about the history of the Graduate School of Education of Peking University, spoke about its latest developments, and expressed hope that the two parties would collaborate closely in the future. Professor Lim Cher-ping gave the audience at the seminar updates on how the cooperation agreement between EdUHK and Peking University’s Graduate School of Education has been progressing, noting how cutting-edge technologies like AI have been aiding students’ growth, discussing the professional development of teachers, and pointing out advances made in curriculum reform. Several postgraduate students from the Graduate School of Education introduced their research projects to the audience as well.
In his lecture, Professor Philip Yu talks about how the rapid evolution of AI is accelerating the development of personalised STEM education.
Professor Philip Yu takes questions from the floor, as listeners show great interest in research about how the rapid evolution of AI is creating new means for language learning.
Professor Philip Yu, who took up a new role as the Associate Director of the University Research Facility of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence of the University in December 2023, delivered the first lecture of the seminar, titled “Research Trends on AI-enabled Personalised STEM Education: Systematic Review and Content Analysis”( AI支持的個性化STEM教育研究趨勢：系統綜述和內容分析). Through a literature review, Professor Yu conducted a landscape review on AI-facilitated personalised STEM education in K-12 settings* from 2014 to 2023. His talk also examined the most widely-used AI-enabled tools for STEM education, as well as the advantages and limitations of the research on AI-enabled personalised STEM education for K-12.
Currently, AI tools in education have mainly been in the areas of learning behaviour prediction, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), project-based learning and collaborative learning robots, and so on. There are also AI-assisted research projects related to emotion, principally about students’ attitudes, motivations, interests, and perceptions. Regarding the general skills of students, AI tools are used to improve students’ computational, algorithmic and practical thinking. In light of the current situation, Professor Yu said more attention should be paid to the cultivation of mathematical and engineering abilities in STEM education, 21st century skills, student engagement, and self-efficacy in AI in STEM education.
Professor Yu also shared with the audience his team’s other recent research projects, including an automatic scoring model for picture-cued writing tasks, a picture-cued writing website with automated feedback, GPT-supported language learning, personalised virtual teachers, and more.
In the second lecture, Professor Lim Cher-ping and Dr Franco Huang Lingyun gave a report on the “Technology-Enabled Professional Development of Teachers During the Epidemic”( 疫情期間技術賦能教師專業化發展). Dr Annie Li Yisun gave the third lecture titled “Technology-Enabled Chinese Language Learning Across the Globe: A Scoping Review of Empirical Studies between 2000 to 2022” (2000年至2022年全球科技驅動型漢語學習實證研究).
EdUHK’s Graduate School and Peking University’s Graduate School of Education signed a partnership agreement on 21 March 2023 to further their academic collaboration on various fronts. Under the new partnership, both universities will undertake scholarly exchange and research collaboration in the five years from 2023 to 2028 to facilitate inter-university research initiatives, and jointly organise academic conferences and professional training courses. Summer exchange opportunities will also be explored to broaden the horizons of students from the two universities.
*Note: K-12 education refers to kindergarten, six years of primary school, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school. This education system is generally seen in the US and Canada.
