Call for Submissions | QS Reimagine Education Awards

The Global Education Award winner receives a prize fund of 25,000 USD and Google Cloud credits worth 25,000 USD, which honours the most transformative and forward-thinking programs, technologies, and pedagogical approaches that are revolutionising education through 18 diverse awards categories.

• Categories: The awards cover 18 categories, including E-learning, Blended and Presence Learning, AI in Education, Innovation in Business Education, and more. Click here to learn more about each category and how to apply.

• Judging Criteria: Participants should choose one of four application pathways to ensure their project is evaluated accurately based on its type and stage.

• Prizes: The Global Education Award winner receives a prize fund of 25,000 USD and Google Cloud credits worth 25,000 USD. Shortlisted entries in the main competition are also eligible to receive a Regional Award if they are created by a team or an organization based and/or active in one or more of the following regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, and Oceania.

• Submission Deadline: September 1st at 24:00 BST (September 2nd at 07:00 Beijing time), 2024.

• Additional Content: All applicants have the opportunity to submit a 2-minute video pitching and/or demonstrating their project. While this is not mandatory, if your project is shortlisted, this video will be required by November 1st as it will be featured in the Innovations Directory.

• Application: click here to apply now (free of charge)

Additional Opportunities:

• Become a Judge: In 2023, submitted projects underwent a rigorous evaluation process by an esteemed panel of over 900 international expert judges. If you would like to become a judge, submit your application here.

• Join the Community Group:  A LinkedIn group has been created for the QS Reimagine Education Community (#Reimaginers).

TALES | Interdisciplinary Inquiry-based Learning in Higher Education: Why & How?

Organizer: HKBU-CHTL & Division of Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Programmes (DTUP)
Date & Time: 12:30 – 14:00, June 18, 2024 (Tuesday)
Venue: ACC209 (HKBU Campus)
Language: English
Facilitator(s): Professor Eva Bendix PETERSEN, Director, Research Centre for Problem-oriented, Project Learning (RUC-PPL), Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Denmark.
Abstract: Globally, institutions of higher education are moving towards educational approaches in which students are positioned as active co-inquirers and co-producers of knowledge. In addition, there is a growing interest in offering interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary programs as they are deemed more suitable for developing 21st-century skills. In this seminar, the speaker will introduce an educational model, utilised at Roskilde University in Denmark since 1972, that positions students as co-inquires in inquiry-based interdisciplinary programs. The speaker will provide the educational rationale for the approach, show how it is enacted in practice, and reflect on what types of support students and faculty need in order for the approach to work.

Call for Applications | Google Academic Research Awards (GARA)

The Google Academic Research Awards (GARA) program will support groundbreaking research in computing and technology, addressing global challenges such as climate change, education, quantum computing, the societal impact of AI, digital safety and infrastructure optimization.
On June 27, 2024, Google will open applications for the new Google Academic Research Awards (GARA) program. GARA aims to support groundbreaking foundational and applied research in computing and technology around the world.
Each funding cycle, Google will identify key research areas and invite proposals from academics who are advising students and conducting research in a variety of technologically-focused domains that have societal implications. Selected projects will receive unrestricted gifts up to $150,000 USD, enabling researchers to pursue their innovative ideas and contribute to challenges and opportunities that will benefit the scientific community and society.
In addition to receiving funding, recipients have the opportunity to join a community of practice, and are paired with a Google research sponsor who provides long-term support, mentorship, and acts as a liaison to Google's broader research community. This collaborative approach fosters deeper connections between academia and industry, accelerating innovation and knowledge exchange.
Each cycle, GARA's research areas will evolve to address global challenges. This year, GARA is inviting proposals in the following areas:

1. Creating ML benchmarks for climate problems: Developing data-driven solutions for climate action using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on robust benchmarks for model evaluation.

2. Making education equitable, accessible and effective using AI: Improving educational outcomes for all learners through AI, with a focus on equity, inclusivity and research on AI-powered learning systems, teacher empowerment and accessibility tools.

3. Quantum transduction and networking for scalable computing applications: Advancing distributed quantum computing through research on transduction of superconducting qubits, alternative platforms, and novel applications beyond parallel compute and quantum key distribution.

4. Society-centered AI: Harnessing AI's transformative potential for societal good through a multi-stakeholder approach, understanding diverse needs, and creating impactful solutions for underserved communities.

5. Trust & safety: Improving digital safety across the online ecosystem, tackling issues like scams, misinformation, child safety and generative AI through research from various disciplines.

6. Using Gemini & Google’s open model family to solve systems and infrastructure problems: Leveraging Gemini and Gemma to advance next-generation computing infrastructure, enhancing efficiency, security and sustainability with a focus on machine learning optimization.

Generative AI Empowering High-Quality Classrooms

Organizer: Shenzhen University
Date & Time: 14:30, June 21, 2024 (Friday)
Venue: Online via Tencent Meeting
Speaker: Dr. XIE Youru is a professor and doctoral supervisor at South China Normal University. She is a National Teaching Master and a State Council Special Allowance Expert. She has won the National Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award four times and was honored with the First National Textbook Construction Award.

Dr. Xie serves as an expert for the Ministry of Education's undergraduate teaching work audit and evaluation, a member of the National Teacher Education Curriculum Resource Expert Committee, the Chairperson of the Guangdong Provincial Online Open Courses Steering Committee for Undergraduate Institutions, and the President of the Education Technology Professional Committee of the Guangdong Higher Education Society.

GenAI in learning, teaching and assessment: Sharing from all 8 UGC-funded institutions

Organizer: The 8-university FITE-IICA project team on ‘Exemplary learning, teaching and assessment practices in UGC-funded institutions in the age of GenAI [ELTA G-AI]’
Date & Time: 10:00 - 12:30, June 18, 2024 (Tuesday)
Venue: Online via Zoom
Speakers: Prof. Esterina Nervino, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Department of Marketing, CityU; Dr Florin C. Serban, Lecturer, Communication Studies, School of Communication, HKBU; Prof. Stone Suntong Qi, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Marketing & International Business, LU; Prof. Collier Nogues, Assistant Professor, Department of English, CUHK; Mr Mike Hin Leung Chui, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Information Technology, EdUHK; Dr Lydia Yu, Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Optometry, PolyU; Prof. Joon Nak Choi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Management, HKUST; Dr Locky Law, Assistant Lecturer, Centre for Applied English Studies, Faculty of Arts, HKU
Facilitators:  Dr Julia Chen, Director, EDC; Dr Sean McMinn, Director, Center for Education Innovation, HKUST; Mr Leo Chon, Assistant Educational Development Officer, EDC

The advent of GenAI has brought unprecedented challenges to academia. Join this online sharing session to learn about good practices for integrating GenAI in learning, teaching, and assessment from each of the eight higher education institutions funded by the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong.