Professor, online university founder receive world-renown prize on education in Hong Kong

John Lee (C), chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Yidan Prize Foundation Secretary-General Edward Ma (1st L), Yidan Prize for Education Development winner Shai Reshef (2nd L), Yidan Prize for Education Research winner Michelene Chi (2nd R), and Yidan Prize founder Chen Yidan, pose for a group photo at the awards ceremony in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 3, 2023. (Information Services Department of the Government of the HKSAR/Handout via Xinhua)

HONG KONG, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two educators Michelene Chi and Shai Reshef were awarded the Yidan Prize on Sunday in Hong Kong for their contributions to global education.

Chi, a professor from Arizona State University of the United States, was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Research. She is an expert in cognitive and learning sciences, well known for creating a widely applicable and accessible framework for active learning -- the Interactive, Constructive, Active and Passive (ICAP) framework, which provides a robust structure for promoting critical and creative thinking at all levels of education, empowering educators to create more effective educational experiences for students.

Reshef, founder and president of the University of the People, won the Yidan Prize for Education Development. Through his pioneering university, which is a tuition-free, non-profit, accredited online university, he is making higher education accessible to all, regardless of the students' backgrounds.

John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said at the awards ceremony that the HKSAR government is committed to developing Hong Kong as an international hub for post-secondary education, and is determined to attract more outstanding talents to pursue studies and conduct research in Hong Kong.

Lee said that the HKSAR government will increase the quota of non-Hong Kong students studying in government-funded post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong, and offer more scholarships for outstanding students from participating countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Founded in 2016 by Chen Yidan, co-founder of the Chinese internet giant Tencent, the Yidan Prize is intended to help create a better world through education. It consists of two awards, one for education research and another for education development. Each winner will receive a gold medal and 30 million HK dollars (around 3.8 million U.S. dollars).

Chen at the awards ceremony congratulated the laureates and encouraged people to strive for a world where the best ideas for improving education are put into place on a large scale, helping young people learn, collaborate, and apply what they learn into solving problems in the real world.