This transformative initiative has significantly improved the after-school study experience for thousands of Hong Kong primary school students who cannot afford private tutors. By providing free access to original online teaching materials and interactive learning features, Dr Yung’s project is making a profound impact on these students’ educational journeys.

Developed collaboratively by Dr Yung and his IT team at EdUHK, the ACEiTeach learning system boasts a comprehensive question bank with over 10,000 questions. The innovative platform actively engages students by analysing their incorrect answers and generating targeted follow-up questions tailored to address their weaknesses. With practice questions customised to each student’s individual performance, this intelligent adaptive learning framework functions like a skilled human tutor, ensuring learners solidify their foundational knowledge before advancing to the next stage.

Currently, ACEiTeach offers quizzes in three core subjects: Chinese, English, and Mathematics, all meticulously aligned with Hong Kong’s school curriculum. After completing each quiz, students receive an automatic performance report, which is meant to enhance understanding of their individual progress and facilitate more effective support from parents and volunteer tutors.

With its user-friendly interface that appeals to children and encourages them to take initiative in their learning journey, the ACEiTeach platform fosters independent learning and empowers students with precious resources otherwise unavailable to them. In a world where educational equity is essential, Dr Yung’s work stands out as a beacon of hope for students in need.

This project forms the third phase of a charity-sponsored online learning platform launched at the peak of the COVID pandemic. Building on contributing to the categorisation of tutorial videos recorded by volunteer tutors in the first phase, and the development of a video-searching function alongside the equipment of a ChatGPT-powered chatbot for instant assistance in the second phase, Dr Yung is optimising AI deployment in this latest initiative.

Regarding the use of AI in education, Dr Yung, the recipient of this year’s President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching, emphasises the importance of users’ regular self-assessment and reflection. “We must regularly take a step back and critically look at how we are using it. It’s imperative to avoid overdependency,” he advises. As Associate Co-Director of the Academy for Educational Development and Innovation, and an Associate Professor and Associate Head of International and Local Engagement at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr Yung specialises in shadow education (i.e. supplementary tutoring), AI-enabled learning and English language education. His current research focuses on students’ learning motivation in shadow education and AI-enabled tutoring for underprivileged students.