HKD 30 Million Funding Secured for AI-assisted Virtual Reality English Speaking Program
Bringing together experts from language education - HKUST Center for Language Education and HKU Centre for Applied English Studies, VR and AI in education - HKUST Visualisation Research Lab, and EduTech development - Trumptech, the project "AI-assisted Virtual Reality English Speaking Program for Secondary Students" has received funding of HKD 30 Million from the Quality Education Fund (QEF) e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme, with the aim to revolutionize English language education for secondary students.
The Project will provide a self-directed learning solution with an immersive VR English speaking training program and AI feedback system. By incorporating gamification and blended learning elements, students will have a student-centered approach to language learning. Teachers will also benefit from the AI feedback system, which reduces their workload by providing useful feedback for students in speaking tasks.
Prof. Huamin QU, Dean of Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS), plays a crucial role in overseeing the development of the VR program and AI feedback system as the Principal Investigator of Technology Development Management of this Project. His expertise lies in visualization and human-computer interaction, with a focus on areas such as urban informatics, social network analysis, e-learning, text visualization, and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). His leadership and expertise will ensure that the Project leverages the latest advancements in technology while aligning with the specific needs of English language education.
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 research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated “Internationally excellent” or “world leading” in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. We were ranked 3rd in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2022, and our graduates were ranked 23rd worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking and Survey 2021.
