Two courses from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)'s Center for Education Innovation (CEI) have won three prestigious international education awards for their achievements in integrating AI and education and enhancing in-class engagement and self-learning incentives for students, underscoring HKUST's leadership in pioneering innovative education in the era of AI.
Among these accolades is a Silver Award in the "Blended and Presence Learning" category at the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2024. Known as the "Oscar" of the education sector, the awards honor pioneering pedagogical approaches that boost learning outcomes, with over 1,300 submissions from institutions worldwide, marking a record high this year. The same team also received the eLFA 2024 Gold Award for Exemplary Teaching and Learning. Moreover, HKUST is also the only university in Hong Kong to receive the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance (GMA) Awards 2024, which honors excellence in online course design and technology-enhanced education in STEM subjects.
The two recognized courses are "Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education" and "AI and Society: Ethics, Cognition, and Critical Analysis". The former, led by Dr. Beatrice CHU, Head of Professional Development, employs a blend of AI Chatbots and a gamified flipped classroom approach to inspire research postgraduates to rethink the future of education, thereby equipping them with the ability to drive innovative education for the next generation. The latter, co-designed by CEI Director Dr. Sean McMINN and Prof. CHOI Joon Nak, Adjunct Associate Professor of the Department of Management, incorporates AI tools for real-time assessment of essays and in-class responses, aiming to bolster students' critical thinking abilities while emphasizing the optimization of AI advantages and the mitigation of associated risks to promote self-directed learning.
Dr. Sean McMINN said, "As a pioneer in innovative education, HKUST has always actively advocated for the use of innovative pedagogies and advanced teaching and learning technologies to foster learning motivation and teaching effectiveness. We're thrilled to see that the courses led by the CEI team have received international recognition, reaffirming our commitment to embracing the era of AI and preparing for the future of education. We look forward to continuing this journey of innovation to shape the next generation of learners."
HKUST is the first university in Hong Kong to adopt generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) in response to its increasing prominence. Early on, in alignment with trends like augmented reality, the metaverse, and Web 3.0, the University has persistently evolved its educational approaches. Initiatives such as virtual labs and gamified teaching have been introduced to enrich teaching effectiveness and engagement. Additionally, HKUST also allocated HKD 10 million last year to establish the Education and Generative AI (EDGE-AI) Fund to encourage their academic staff to apply AI in teaching.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class university that excels in driving innovative education, research excellence, and impactful knowledge transfer. With a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy approach, HKUST was ranked 3rd in the Times Higher Education's Young University Rankings 2024, 19th Worldwide and No.1 in Hong Kong in Times Higher Education's impact Rankings. Twelve of HKUST's subjects were ranked among the world's top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, with "Data Science and Artificial Intelligence" being ranked first in Hong Kong and 10th in the world. Our graduates are highly competitive, consistently ranking among the world's top 30 most sought-after employees. In terms of research and entrepreneurship, over 80% of our work was rated "Internationally excellent" or "world leading" in the latest Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong's University Grants Committee. As of October 2024, HKUST members have founded over 1,800 active start-ups, including 10 Unicorns and 14 exits (IPO or M&A).
