While online learning has been widely adopted to substitute in-person schooling and sustain children's learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools have implemented offline distance learning instead of depending on technology. This case study documented how offline home learning focusing on child-centredness and authentic learning experiences was implemented through home and school involvement in a typical preschool in Hong Kong. This study aimed at examining the phenomenon of this home learning practice and its effectiveness from the perspectives of school administrators (n = 3), teachers (n = 8), and parents (n = 18). Qualitative data collected from interviews and supplemental school documents revealed that the effective implementation of offline home learning primarily depended on (1) a child-centred approach with individualized learning support and (2) family-based support tailored for diverse families. The findings also suggested that a connection among peers was lacking as a result of social distancing and limits on physical interactions. Based on the findings, implications for further studies and parent education for strengthening competence in home learning are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

The COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered an unexpected digital revolution, speeding up universities' digital transformation worldwide. It has brought heavy disruptions to travel and mobility worldwide, but it drives the opportunity for hosting region‐wide or even international academic exchanges through learning programs, workshops, and conferences via an alternative online mode. This study reports on a case study of a 1‐month online aviation learning program that engaged 108 university students from Mainland China and Hong Kong during the lockdown. At first, we first recruited students in Hong Kong; however, the program registration was unsatisfactory. This could be attributed to the students' perceived future aviation career prospects and readiness of emergent remote teaching during the pandemic. In the program, we designed an alternative blended learning approach to attract students to sustain their aviation learning. First, we transformed the activities from face‐to‐face (F2F) to online settings using digital technologies including flight simulation and virtual visits in a web‐conferencing environment. Second, we extended the reach of the event and attracted a larger audience in the neighbouring regions in Mainland China. It turned out that we could successfully recruit 108 students from 20 cities. In the end, students' interviews and motivational surveys indicated that this online learning experience could effectively enhance students' knowledge and motivational gain. Since the government has relaxed the policy of homeschooling, we organised two F2F meetings for students in Hong Kong to connect them together. This blended mode of teaching favoured the students in Hong Kong who showed a greater motivation than those in Mainland China. Furthermore, follow‐up interviews for teachers revealed how they invest in new technological equipment and knowledge to support the radical changes. Overall, the virtual event eliminates geographical barriers which successfully motivate

There is a strong need for educators to change the way they conduct aviation education to bring up future professionals in the industry. To cope with the COVID-19 challenge, creative online distance learning approaches become necessary. This article shows how an online lab approach offers social and cognitive support for engineering students to sustain their learning. A series of learning activities including flight simulation and virtual tours were held in an online lab setting by aviation professionals and lecturers at a university in Hong Kong to 35 undergraduate engineering students. The online lab encouraged students to apply knowledge into practice and develop their theoretical and conceptual knowledge through activities. Workshops focusing on aviation laboratory education aimed at students’ development of aviation theoretical and technical knowledge, collaborative skills, field-specific, and practical skills. A mixed research method was employed with the use of a motivational survey, teachers’ observation, and semi-structured interviews to understand students’ learning perceptions. This study found that the online laboratory activities could effectively motivate students to learn about aviation and improve their aviation knowledge cognitively and socially. It is recommended for online engineering educators to use lab technologies to teach aviation and related disciplines for future career preparation. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

Hong Kong was one of the first places hit with the COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020 and has since responded with several periods of full or partial school suspension, during which teaching and learning often occurred remotely using digital means. During this time, collecting research data and testing students have become more difficult than before. In this article, we report on a large-scale digital literacy (DL) performance assessment in Hong Kong that had to be conducted in a mix of modes--onsite, online supported, and online self-directed--during the pandemic. We discuss the administrative and methodological challenges of assessing DL, and explore preliminary data on the associations between student performance and the assessment mode adopted. We further discuss potential implications, including for high-stakes testing, and make recommendations for assessing DL remotely. Copyright © 2022 Wiley.

This study compares and contrasts teachers' and students' perceptions of online teaching and learning during the COVID-pandemic in higher education using the co-orientation model. Data were collected from 145 students and 31 teachers in two Hong Kong higher education institutions. The findings show that teachers were generally more negative about online teaching and learning than students, but such negative views should be reconsidered as students positively evaluated teachers' efforts to various degrees. It is suggested that during future online learning experiences (1) teachers and students set up expectations together to evaluate online interactions, (2) teachers should not be overly concerned about the potential embarrassment of using camera for class activities, and (3) teachers pay more attention to feedback delivery. Understanding these gaps will provide teachers with insights into more strategic communication and planning to manage the expectations and optimise the online experience for both parties. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier.

Making online education effective and engaging has been a policy priority in the higher education (HE) sector since the COVID-19 pandemic arose in 2020. Based on an online survey and qualitative interviews, we examine experiences of HE students and teachers in Hong Kong, and provide recommendations that can enable countries/economies to leverage on the good practices of online education to rejuvenate HE in the post-COVID era. We find a need for greater institutional support beyond its current availability. Students’ perception of online education is less optimistic than what such labeling as “digital natives” suggests. However, with time, online education is being viewed more positively. Teachers find their online education workload to be higher. More female teachers cite difficulties in balancing work and life, while older teachers report more technological difficulties. Since many respondents come from public affairs programs, which emphasize interaction in the classroom, the findings suggest that a rethinking of pedagogical strategies of public affairs education is required. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s).

Despite the increasing number of studies on educational leadership during COVID-19, little attention has been paid to the intersections of different educational experiences and perspectives of school leaders, students, and their families that occur both inside and outside of schools. Drawing on eight case studies of public primary schools in Hong Kong, this article explores the challenges and strategies of online learning with a focus on effective leadership practices for supporting economically disadvantaged students during COVID-19. To incorporate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, a series of questionnaires were distributed to principals (n = 8), teachers (n = 150), parents (n = 775), lower primary students (n = 855), and upper primary students (n = 850) and interviews were conducted with principals (n = 8), teachers (n = 37), parents (n = 32), and students (n = 62). Findings indicated that school leaders and teacher teams demonstrated strategic leadership practices prioritising and responding to the needs and constraints of economically disadvantaged students and their families. The present study draws attention to leadership encouraging collaboration among schools, families, and the wider community, which has become necessary during the shift to online learning during COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s).

This chapter describes a small case study of differentiated instruction and inclusive design practices during a COVID-19-forced migration to online learning at a university in Hong Kong. Fourteen higher education instructors were interviewed, and their responses analyzed thematically. The participants reported that they felt overwhelmed with the workload to consider differentiated instruction initially; their sole focus was on delivering an online teacher-centred class. As they become more confident and familiar with a range of technologies, they started to differentiate instruction. They used student response systems to facilitate learning and focused on engaging learners in smaller groups. Their experiences suggest ways to facilitate differentiated instruction and design inclusive online classes in the higher education sector. Copyright © 2022 Rhona Sharpe, Sue Bennett and Tünde Varga-Atkins.

香港自2012年推出新高中學制之後，除了考試制度的改革，非正規教育的改革亦馬不停蹄，生涯規劃教育與職業教育的變化特別明顯。自2014年開始，香港全面推行生涯規劃教育，以求改善舊有升學及就業輔導之弊，2015年則開始重塑職業教育為職業專才教育，將職業教育重新納入主要的教育政策議題之中。相對下，生命教育的發展較為停滯不前。直至2019年，香港政府委託顧問就生涯規劃教育推行成效發表研究報告，並建議將生涯規劃教育結合生命教育一同推行，推動學生的全人發展，生命教育方重新成為整個教育改革藍圖的一部份。同年，香港政府提出進一步推動價值觀教育的發展，尤其優先重視生命教育，可見生命教育與價值觀教育將成下一步非正規課程改革的重心。明顯地，生涯規劃教育、生命教育與職業教育三者的拓展似乎正在呼應《教育行動計劃2030》宣言的提倡。有鑑及此，本文將申論三者其實應該如何貫穿實踐，以切合香港實況，並以香港一項大型生涯規劃的項目為切入點作深入分析。Since the introduction of the New Academic Structure in 2012, policy reform in non-formal education was implemented along with a structural change of the public examination system. In 2014, Life Planning Education was launched to optimize the problem in the over-reliance on career counselling and guidance, while Vocational Education was officially rebranded as Vocational Professional Education and Training in 2015, and it is now regarded as one of the main agendas in the current Hong Kong education policy. In comparison, the development of Life Education has stalled for a long time until the publication of one policy consultancy research report in 2019, which recommended the possible merge of Life Education with Life Planning Education in the future implementation. In the same year, the Hong Kong government proposed the strengthening of support on Values Education in schools through prioritizing Life Education in the policy. This implies that critical role of Life and Values Education in the forthcoming non-formal curriculum reform. It is apparent that the newest development of Life Planning Education, Vocational Education and Life Education are all well-aligned with the initiative of ＂Education 2030＂ proposed by UNESCO. In light of this, this paper will examine how these three components have developed and implemented in the local Hong Kong context, with the support of an analytical case study based on a large-scale youth programme for Career and Life Planning for illustration. Copyright © 2020 台灣教育研究院社.