Bringing together experts from language education - HKUST Center for Language Education and HKU Centre for Applied English Studies, VR and AI in education - HKUST Visualisation Research Lab, and EduTech development - Trumptech, the project "AI-assisted Virtual Reality English Speaking Program for Secondary Students" has received funding of HKD 30 Million from the Quality Education Fund (QEF) e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme, with the aim to revolutionize English language education for secondary students.

The Project will provide a self-directed learning solution with an immersive VR English speaking training program and AI feedback system. By incorporating gamification and blended learning elements, students will have a student-centered approach to language learning. Teachers will also benefit from the AI feedback system, which reduces their workload by providing useful feedback for students in speaking tasks.

Prof. Huamin QU, Dean of Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS), plays a crucial role in overseeing the development of the VR program and AI feedback system as the Principal Investigator of Technology Development Management of this Project. His expertise lies in visualization and human-computer interaction, with a focus on areas such as urban informatics, social network analysis, e-learning, text visualization, and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). His leadership and expertise will ensure that the Project leverages the latest advancements in technology while aligning with the specific needs of English language education.