For their services to international education, educators Michelene Chi and Shai Reshef received the Yidan Prize on Sunday (Dec. 3) in Hong Kong.
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 HK as an international hub for post-secondary education, and is determined to attract more outstanding talents to pursue studies and conduct research in HK.
Lee said that the HKSAR government will increase the quota of non-Hong Kong students studying in government-funded post-secondary institutions in HK, 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 US$3.8 million).
At the awards event, Chen praised the laureates and urged everyone to work toward a future in which the greatest concepts for enhancing education are implemented widely, assisting youth in learning, collaborating, and using what they have learned to solve real-world problems.
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