Learning and Assessment for Digital Citizenship is an interdisciplinary research project to study the impact of digital media on the everyday life of children and youth, and on their development as citizens in an increasingly technology-intensive and globally-connected world. This is a longitudinal project study cohort study involving 4 age cohorts: 7-10, 11-14, 15-18, 19-22, with main data collection to be conducted in the second half of 2018 and 2020. This is the first education-focused project awarded under the Theme-based Research Scheme of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, an indication of the importance of the theme and the quality of the research proposal.

The project brings together an interdisciplinary team of local researchers at the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as well as international experts, from fields including education, humanities, information science and computer engineering. The theoretical contributions and the tools and instruments developed through the project will have significant impact on educational policy and practice, parent education, social policy, as well as the e-learning industry.

In order to understand the development of learners growing up in a highly connected and technologically sophisticated world, this study employs a range of innovative research methods to gain holistic and authentic understanding of students’ learning contexts and outcomes, which would not be achievable using conventional methods alone. The range of research components include:

1. Assessment and survey: Assessment of key 21st century skills, including digital literacy, self-regulation and collaborative problem solving; Survey on students' personal, family and school background.
2. Understanding students' learning lives within and outside of school using mobile and wearable devices: Participants will be invited to wear a digital devices such as smart watches to automatically collect data about their daily activities, physical (such as movement, exercise and sleep) and digital (e.g. time spent on various computer applications, social media, etc. for learning and entertainment).
3. Collaborative problem solving games tournaments: The study will organize inter-school game tournaments to study students’ behavior and learning outcomes when engaging in collaborative problem solving game situations.
4. Understanding students' learning environments using location and interaction tracking:Students will be invited to wear an indoor location sensor in the form of a badge and be video-/audio-taped while attending classes during a selected time period. The badge and video-/audio- data will be de-identified and machine analyzed for activity and interaction patterns.

We hope to set up channels to communicate our research findings to the wider community during this five year project (2016-2021), and explore partnership with different sectors on translating the findings to benefit society.

This project is funded by the Research Grants Council of the HKSAR Government, #T44-707/16N, under the Theme-based Research Scheme.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, face-to-face lessons in classrooms have been supplanted by long periods of home-based online lessons in Hong Kong schools. During this challenging period of time, many schools, families, and students have struggled to cope with this New Normal of teaching and learning. Understandably, there are widespread concerns in Hong Kong society that student learning and wellbeing may have been adversely affected. It is therefore imperative to take stock of the impact of the New Normal on students’ learning and wellbeing.

Building on the strengths of the eCitizen Education 360 Project (2020) which has yielded valuable findings and practicable actions fruitfully used by stakeholders, this project, e360 (2022), is underpinned by the understanding that teaching and learning opportunities and outcomes during (and after) the fifth wave of school suspension are continuously influenced by a comprehensive range of factors (or enablers) at the school, teacher, parent, and student levels. By gathering information about students’ digital learning, wellbeing and relevant self-evaluation data available in schools, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of students’ learning and socioemotional wellbeing after multiple waves of school suspension and to support different stakeholder communities including policy-makers in developing evidence-based action plans that build capacity and resilience to support student learning in the New Normal.

Growth Partner and Funder: The D. H. Chen Foundation

Supporting Organizations: The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited; The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools; Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters; The Hong Kong Association for Computer Education; Hong Kong Playground Association; Hong Kong Education City (HKedCity); Union of Government Primary School Headmaster and Headmistresses; Association of Principals of Government Secondary Schools.

eCitizen Education 360 stems from the initial findings of the “Learning and Assessment for Digital Citizenship” Project, with widespread support from academia, parents, professionals and community organizations. By gathering information about the experiences and needs of primary and secondary schools during the periods of school suspension and resumption, we aim to enhance our comprehensive capacities to act as a community to improve the education opportunities, digital competence and well-being of students. These would also enable them to cope with various aspects of life in a fast-changing world in which digital technology plays a pervasive role. The study adopted a multi-level survey-based design to investigate the experiences and needs, before, during, and after the school suspension, of different stakeholders in Hong Kong, including school leaders, ICT coordinators, teachers, students and their parents in primary and secondary schools.

This project is a comprehensive 360-degree survey study with widespread support from academics, The HK Jockey Club Charities Trust, parents, professional and community organisations. We aim to enhance our comprehensive capacities to act as a community to reduce the negative impact of school suspension as well as to realise the vision of eCitizen Education 360.

Supported by: Jockey Club Self-directed learning in STEM Programme

Supporting Organization: Association of I.T. Leaders in Education; The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited; The Hong Kong Association for Computer Education; Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters; The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools; Hong Kong Education City (HKedCity); Hong Kong Playground Association; Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council; Union of Government Primary School Headmaster and Headmistresses