EdTech Innovations Claim 10 iCAN Awards | The Education University of Hong Kong Foundation

The Education University of Hong Kong won 10 awards at the 6th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN), with three gold medals, one silver, one bronze and five special prizes, in August 2021.

With a commitment to creating a positive impact on learning and teaching, EdUHK scholars exhibited extensive expertise in scientific research and implementation of technology. These awards acknowledge the University’s solid reputation for research output and innovative technologies.

The five award-winning innovations cover different application areas, including language learning, life education and early childhood development. They are:

1. VocabGO – An Augmented Reality English Vocabulary Learning App

Principal investigator: Dr Song Yanjie, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Information Technology
Awards: Gold Medal, Organiser’s Choice Award
A mobile app which uses augmented reality technology to help students learn English vocabulary. The app contains several learning modes and encourages users to practise and expand their English vocabulary through the gamified in-app activities.

2. Audio-Tactile Chinese Characters: Bringing Multisensory & Novel Learning Experience to the Visually Impaired

Principal investigator: Dr Hung Keung, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Arts
Awards: Gold Medal, Best 10 Invention Designs Award
A multi-sensory learning kit tailor-made for learners with visual impairment. It helps users understand the structural formation of Chinese characters and appreciate the beauty of traditional Chinese calligraphy through feeling, touching and hearing.

3. Tree Assessment for Life Education (TALE) Project

Principal investigator: Professor Jim Chi-yung, Department of Social Sciences, and Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Academic) and Provost
Awards: Gold Medal, International Special Award
A project which aims to raise public awareness of urban tree preservation and to cultivate users’ appreciation of life and other species. A mobile app is developed to facilitate learning of basic botanical knowledge and help users conduct tree assessments using the Visual Tree Assessment technique. The app also gathers georeferenced data which can be used for research and environmental education purposes.

4. The Chinese Inventory of Children’s Socioemotional Competence (CICSEC)

Principal investigator: Professor Kevin Chung Kien-hoa, Department of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Dr Ian Lam Chun-bun, Associate Professor at ECE
Awards: Silver Medal, International Special Award
An evidence-based assessment system which can quickly evaluate children’s level of socioemotional competence. It is the first culturally responsive assessment system developed in Asia, targeting Chinese children. The CICSEC is also a conceptual framework and reliable indicator which can be easily used by kindergarten teachers.

5. Dramaflow – Ideas Generation Dice for Planning Process Drama Lessons

Principal investigator: Dr Pansy Tam Po-chi, Assistant Professor at ECE
Awards: Bronze Medal, Best 10 Woman Inventors Award
A toolkit equipped with design strategies to assist teachers in developing compelling Process Drama (PD) lessons for the early childhood education curriculum. Since most PD class activities rely on picture book storytelling, this toolkit encourages teachers to break out from the confined narratives and look for innovative ways to retell a story. As a creativity booster, it helps teachers overcome creative blocks and stimulate active exploration and imagination of PD class activities to achieve teaching objectives.