This paper presents a comprehensive survey of knowledge graphs in education. It covers the patterns and prospects of research in this area. A total of 48 relevant publications between 2011 and 2023 were collected from the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest for review. The findings reveal a sharp increase in recent years in the body of research into educational knowledge graphs which was mainly conducted from institutions in China. Most of the relevant research work adopted a quantitative method, such as performance evaluation, user surveys, and controlled experiments, to assess the effectiveness of knowledge graph approaches. The findings also suggest that knowledge graph approaches were primarily researched and implemented in higher education institutions, with a focus on computer science, mathematics, and engineering. The most frequently addressed objectives included enhancing knowledge representation and providing personal learning recommendations, and the most common applications were concept instruction and educational recommendations. Diverse data resources, such as course materials, student learning behaviours, and online encyclopaedia, were processed to implement knowledge graph approaches in different scenarios. Relevant technical means employed for the implementation of knowledge graphs dealt with the purposes of building knowledge ontology, achieving recommendations, and creating knowledge graphs. Various pedagogies such as personalised learning and collaborative learning are supported by the knowledge graph approaches. The findings also identified key limitations in the relevant work, including insufficient information for knowledge graph construction, difficulty in extending applications across subject areas, the restricted scale and scope of data resources, and the lack of comprehensive user feedback and evaluation processes.
This paper presents a study on the evaluation of hybrid learning and teaching practices by academics. A mixed research method involving a questionnaire survey and a focus group interview was employed to gather academics’ feedback on their experience in delivering hybrid instruction in a synchronous manner in which on-site and remote students attended classes simultaneously, their students’ hybrid learning effectiveness, and their suggestions for improvement. The questionnaire was administered to 76 academics from a university in Hong Kong where hybrid learning and teaching were implemented, and the focus group interview involved 10 academics. The findings reveal that the participating academics perceived themselves as having an overall high degree of readiness to handle technical issues. They expressed that the students from their hybrid classes had lower levels of interaction, engagement, and motivation than those from traditional face-to-face classes. The participants also reported their challenges regarding hybrid learning and teaching, including heavy workload for lesson preparation and face-to-face and online classroom management, unfamiliarity with interactive teaching design suitable for hybrid classes, and difficulties in monitoring students’ learning process. They provided suggestions for the improvement of hybrid classes, ranging from the provision of technological support to professional development for enhancing students’ online interaction and engagement. These findings contribute to revealing academics’ experience in practising hybrid learning and teaching and identifying ways to address their challenges.
This study explores undergraduate students’ attitudes towards generative AI tools in higher education and their perspectives on the future of jobs. It aims to understand the decision-making processes behind adopting these emerging technologies. A multidimensional model based on the technology acceptance model was developed to assess various factors, including perceived ease of use, perceived benefits, perceived concerns, knowledge of AI, and students’ perceptions of generative AI’s impact on the future of jobs. Data were collected through a survey distributed to 93 undergraduate students at a university in Hong Kong. The findings of multiple regression analyses revealed that these factors collectively explained 23% of the variance in frequency of use [(F(4, 78) = 5.89, p < 0.001), R2 = 0.23]. Perceived benefits played the most significant role in determining frequency of use of generative AI tools. While students expressed mixed attitudes toward the role of AI in the future of jobs, those who voiced concerns about AI in education were more likely to view generative AI as a potential threat to job availability. The results provide insights for educators and policymakers to promote the effective use of generative AI tools in academic settings to help mitigate risks associated with overreliance, biases, and the underdevelopment of essential soft skills, including critical thinking, creativity, and communication. By addressing these challenges, higher education institutions can better prepare students for a rapidly evolving, AI-driven workforce.
19 November 2019 in Globalisation, Societies and Education
English is a lingua franca of the world, and therefore English language teaching is an ideal means for global citizenship education. This paper aims to review existing theories and to make recommendations on second language teaching for global citizenship education. A Kantian perspective on global citizenships is adopted. Results of discussions suggest that Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT) offers a way out to the dilemma of inequality caused by native-speakerism and equality in global citizenship. Together with the notion of Linguistic Imperialism, GELT enables the blending of Kant’s cosmopolitan right and hospitality right which have been neglected in literature.
12 June 2021 in The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher
This paper discusses death education from an Hegelian perspective, with the aim to generate insights to complement existing literature on death education. Three Hegelian elements are identified. The first is the natural view, that is, death is a natural phenomenon. The second is the moral view, that is, death is significant in contributing to the ethical life and no individuals have the right to end their own life. The third is the ontological view, that is, the life-and-death struggles for recognition raises individuals’ consciousness, and death transforms the divine into universal and enables the ultimate realization of the spirit to Absolute Knowing.