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“Made in HKU” Seminar Series

Event Details

Stay tuned for more GenAI and EdTech Toolkits workshops coming in Spring 2026!

Date : 2 Sep (Wed), 11 Sep (Fri) & 23 Sep (Wed) 2026

Time : Varies

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS321, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Abstract

Many tools offer exciting possibilities in the ever-evolving fields of GenAI and educational technology (EdTech). To help educators harness the power of these tools, we offer a series of workshops focused on the most commonly used GenAI and EdTech tools. Participants will better understand and integrate these tools into their teaching practices through these workshops. They will be provided with practical examples of their application in real-world scenarios. This is a unique opportunity to explore and leverage these tools to enhance the educational experience for both teachers and students.

[2 Sep 2026] Seminar 1 : From Learners to Creators: Gamifying Chinese Learning through Student-Centered Game Co-Creation

Date : 2 Sep 2026 (Wed)

Time : 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS 321 Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Speakers :

Dr. Connie Poon, Lecturer, CLEP, School of Chinese, HKU
Mr. Bryan Pong, IT Technician, CLEP, School of Chinese, HKU
Student game developers:
- Miss Ho Nga Man, Student, Faculty of Science, HKU
- Miss Lam Wing Yin, Student, Faculty of Science, HKU
- Mr. Cheng Ka Tsung Alex, Student, Faculty of Science, HKU
- Mr. Cheng Chun Yin Adam, Student, Faculty of Science, HKU

Facilitator : Dr. Carson Hung, Lecturer / E-learning Technologist, TALIC, HKU

Abstract

What happens when strategic curriculum design and technical expertise power student creativity? In this inspiring seminar, the speaker will showcase a groundbreaking, student-centered Chinese online game project. As the project leads, the speaker conceptualized the overarching storyline and structured the operational workflow, while working hand-in-hand with a dedicated technical team and game manager to mentor students through complex game mechanics and digital tools. Under this dual-guided framework, students took ownership of designing individual game levels from scratch—not only sharpening their Chinese language proficiency, but also building critical problem-solving, digital literacy, and teamwork skills. Adding a firsthand perspective, the student game designers will share the creative vision behind their levels, the real-world technical and narrative challenges they faced, and how they successfully overcame them. Attendees will gain actionable insights on how to balance structured teacher leadership, technical scaffolding, and student-centered innovation to elevate language pedagogy.

About the Speaker

Dr. Connie Poon has over 25 years of experience working in tertiary institutions, possessing extensive expertise in curriculum development and programme coordination. Her research interests include Zuo Zhuan, Chinese philology, Ancient Chinese classics, Chinese for Professional Communication, AI in Chinese teaching and learning, Innovative Chinese Language Teaching and IT in Education.

Mr. Bryan Pong is an IT Technician at School of Chinese and a Computer Engineering graduate from HKU. He develops Unity-based learning applications and interactive web, mobile, and VR/AR experiences. His work spans AI-assisted VR speech training, wearable-integrated VR research, and STEM innovation through Project Matchbox 1.

[11 Sep 2026] Seminar 2 : Prompt, Pause, Prove: Building students' critical AI literacy

Date : 11 Sep 2026 (Fri)

Time : 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS 321 Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Speakers :

Dr. Alice Yau, Lecturer, CAES, HKU
Ms. Ellen Seto, Senior Lecturer / Senior Instructional Designer, TALIC, HKU

Facilitator : Dr. Carson Hung, Lecturer / E-learning Technologist, TALIC, HKU

Abstract

The use of generative AI in universities is transitioning from a limited novelty to an essential utility. Institutions now regard AI literacy as a core competency. While human-AI collaboration is encouraged and practiced in academia, students must ensure the originality of their work, utilize reliable sources, and verify the accuracy of their work. Many first-year students often lack the skills to distinguish AI-generated misinformation from credible scholarship, unknowingly building their learning on unreliable foundations. While institutional responses focus predominantly on academic misconduct and detection, a critical gap remains: how do we equip students to critically verify and responsibly engage with AI-generated content?

This seminar addresses that gap by introducing practical strategies and customised AI tools to guide students in source verification and critical AI literacy. Participants will explore methods for in-class integration and out-of-class learning support. The session concludes with a facilitated open discussion where instructors can share challenges and collaboratively explore how to help students develop sustainable critical evaluation practices when engaging with AI.

About the Speakers

Dr. Alice Yau is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and coordinates a first-year academic English course. Her work focuses on English for Academic Purposes and technology-enhanced language learning, including digital tools, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality applications.

Ms. Ellen Seto is a Senior Instructional Designer at TALIC. She specializes in online course design and collaborates with the university’s faculties and teachers in developing online learning modules. A trailblazer at the university’s MOOCs project, she has played a pivotal role in supporting the creation of 50 global online courses and 20+ SPOCs for blended/flipped learning.

[23 Sep 2026] Seminar 3 : AIMPAC: A University-Wide Online Hub for Supporting Students’ Academic Presentations

Date : 23 Sep 2026 (Wed)

Time : 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS 321 Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Speakers :

Dr. Ken Lau, Senior Lecturer and Associate Director, CAES, HKU
Dr. Vivian Kwan, Lecturer, CAES, HKU
Dr. Alice Yau, Lecturer, CAES, HKU

Facilitator : Dr. Carson Hung, Lecturer / E-learning Technologist, TALIC, HKU

Registration Deadline: 3 Mar 2026 (Tue) - 5:00pm

Abstract

AIMPAC is a university-wide online hub that supports students’ development of AI-Powered Multimodal Presentations in the Academic Context (aimpac-caes.hku.hk). At its core is a curated collection of student presentation exemplars spanning diverse disciplines, genres, topics, and contexts. To promote active viewing, AIMPAC offers a range of learning features, including annotations, picture-in-picture (PiP), and interactive activities embedded in videos. Students can respond to videos using instant emoji reactions, generate word clouds, and contribute to comment boards. These features support students’ independent learning while fostering classroom interaction.

AIMPAC enables all HKU teachers across disciplines to create customised course pages to share course videos and presentation exemplars with students and to promote video-based learning using interactive features. Another highlight of AIMPAC is a series of diagram-generation chatbots that support brainstorming, draft planning, presentation storyboard development, and infographic creation.

In this seminar, participants will explore how to incorporate AIMPAC’s learning resources and diagram-generation chatbots into their courses to promote active learning, stimulate classroom discussion, and strengthen students’ AI literacy for academic communication.

About the Speakers

Dr. Ken Lau is Associate Director of the Centre for Applied English Studies at the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include academic literacy, language education, and applied linguistics. He serves as Co-Principal Investigator of the AIMPAC project.

Dr. Vivian Kwan is a lecturer at CAES. She has led the development of AI and visual literacy components as part of the University’s first-year English language course. She is leading the AIMPAC project as co-principal investigator.