Cecilia K.Y. Chan

• Doctor of Philosophy PhD
• Professor at The University of Hong Kong

Despite the importance of holistic competencies, universities have not yet been able to successfully embrace holistic competencies (HC) as part of students’ assessment in their curricula. HC are often part of a hidden curriculum – they tend to be assessed together with academic knowledge, and not assessed explicitly. Based in Hong Kong, this resear...

There is widespread consensus that internships provide great opportunities for engineering students to develop diverse knowledge and competencies. Yet, compared to learning in the classroom, learning in the workplace is less predictable. This study aims to address the research question "What are engineering students' perceived learning outcomes fro...

Background Holistic competencies comprise various holistic skills (e.g., communication) and positive values and attitudes (e.g., empathy). There have been increasing efforts worldwide to foster students' holistic competency development within engineering curricula. While recent studies indicate a positive shift, it remains unclear whether such effo...

In recent years, there have been increasing efforts to formally assess holistic competencies. These efforts tend to be policy and expert driven, overlooking students’ subjectivities in being assessed. Questions remain about how prepared students are for holistic competency assessment. To address this research gap, we conducted 2150 surveys and 17 f...

Given that existing research on teacher assessment literacy has focused on teachers’ ability to evaluate students’ academic achievements, this study aims to develop a conceptualization of teachers’ assessment literacy in holistic competencies. Guided by four dimensions of teacher assessment literacy (knowledge, attitude, practice, socio-emotional m...

This novel study explores AI-giarism, an emergent form of academic dishonesty involving AI and plagiarism, within the higher education context. The objective of this study is to investigate students’ perception of adopting generative AI for research and study purposes, and their understanding of traditional plagiarism and their perception of AI-pla...

Recent years have seen a surge in higher education educators employing technology to support students' holistic competency development. A rigorous evaluation is essential to ensure these technological interventions achieve their intended outcomes. This systematic review of 37 studies from January 2008 to March 2024 evaluates how technology assists...

This study explores the phenomenon of "AI guilt" among secondary school students, a form of moral discomfort arising from the use of AI tools in academic tasks traditionally performed by humans. Through qualitative methodologies, the research examines the factors contributing to AI guilt, its social and psychological impacts, and its implications f...

Purpose This research aims to understand employers' views and preferences on the assessment of holistic competencies (HCs) in graduates, a topic with existing gaps in literature. With the disparities between higher education practices and employer expectations concerning HC assessment, the study focuses on what employers wish to see in graduates' r...

Despite the rise of entrepreneurship education within higher education, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education remain overlooked in the arts discipline. Existing research in arts entrepreneurship education is scarce. The current study aims to investigate stakeholder perspectives towards conceptualisations of arts entrepreneurship education...

Awareness and interest in engineering entrepreneurship education has been steadily increasing, yet questions remain on what should be taught. There is a need for research to examine the impact of engineering entrepreneurship education with reference to existing theory and research, and from perspectives of different stakeholders. This study investi...

This study examines the relationship between student perceptions and their intention to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education. With a sample of 405 students participating in the study, their knowledge, perceived value, and perceived cost of using the technology were measured by an Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) instrumen...

This study aimed to explore the experiences, perceptions, knowledge, concerns, and intentions of Generation Z (Gen Z) students with Generation X (Gen X) and Generation Y (Gen Y) teachers regarding the use of generative AI (GenAI) in higher education. A sample of students and teachers were recruited to investigate the above using a survey consisting...

This study explores university students’ perceptions of generative AI (GenAI) technologies, such as ChatGPT, in higher education, focusing on familiarity, their willingness to engage, potential benefits and challenges, and effective integration. A survey of 399 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various disciplines in Hong Kong revealed a...

This study aims to develop an AI education policy for higher education by examining the perceptions and implications of text generative AI technologies. Data was collected from 457 students and 180 teachers and staff across various disciplines in Hong Kong universities, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Based on the findings...

Intensive research attention has focused on developing students’ evaluative judgement within the higher education curriculum, but little has addressed how it can be measured. The contextual nature of evaluative judgement makes it difficult to generate an encompassing instrument, highlighting the need for situated measurement tools. Against this bac...

With the advances of technologies, possessing digital and information literacy is crucial for the selection of candidates by employers in this digital AI era. For most students, receiving and outputting electronic text has become the norm, and thus examinations with writing components done by hand may not accurately reflect their abilities. It seem...

This pioneering study explores students' perceptions of AI-giarism, an emergent form of academic dishonesty involving AI and plagiarism, within the higher education context. A survey, undertaken by 393 undergraduate and postgraduate students from a variety of disciplines, investigated their perceptions of diverse AI-giarism scenarios. The findings...

Over the past two decades, China has formulated a series of policies regarding how to assess students’ holistic development, aiming to transform its highly exam-oriented culture which traditionally emphasises knowledge transmission and book learning. Although the efforts have met with some success, various issues persist when bringing such policies...

The chapter presents short case studies of how universities and countries have adapted teaching and learning to deal with the Covid-19 era and how higher education has transformed towards a new normal. Case studies are presented for five universities in five countries: The University of Melbourne, Australia; Imperial College London, UK; Seoul Natio...

This study aimed to explore the experiences, perceptions, knowledge, concerns, and intentions of Gen Z students with Gen X and Gen Y teachers regarding the use of generative AI (GenAI) in higher education. A sample of students and teachers were recruited to investigate the above using a survey consisting of both open and closed questions. The findi...

This study examines the relationship between student perceptions and their intention to use generative AI in higher education. Drawing on Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT), a questionnaire was developed to measure students' knowledge of generative AI, perceived value, and perceived cost. A sample of 405 students participated in the study, and confirmat...

This paper explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, specifically its capacity to replace or assist human teachers. By reviewing relevant literature and analysing survey data from students and teachers, the study provides a comprehensive perspective on the future role of educators in the face of advancing AI techno...

This study explores university students' perceptions of generative AI (GenAI) technologies, such as ChatGPT, in higher education, focusing on familiarity, their willingness to engage, potential benefits and challenges, and effective integration. A survey of 399 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various disciplines in Hong Kong revealed a...

This study aims to develop an AI education policy for higher education by examining the perceptions and implications of text generative AI technologies. Data was collected from 457 students and 180 teachers and staff across various disciplines in Hong Kong universities, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Based on the findings...

A hybrid teaching approach that relied on combining Project Based Learning with Team Based Learning was developed in an engineering module during the past 5 years. Our motivation was to expose students to real‐world authentic engineering problems and to steer them away from the classical banking approach, with a view to developing their systems eng...

With the rise of accountability measures in education, many policymakers have also argued the need to record, assess, and certify students’ holistic development. However, using China as a case, we caution how a policy-driven reform on the assessment of holistic development might fall into the pitfall of performativity. Borrowing from Ball’s (Ball,...

For students to sustain their learning beyond higher education, it is important for them to develop their evaluative judgement. Although the importance of evaluative judgement is well-established, the process through which students make such judgements remains contested. This study explores students’ evaluative judgement process by asking 20 engine...

The development of students’ holistic competencies is a key imperative of higher education. This study formulated and tested a conceptual framework that models (a) the acquisition of holistic competencies as the outcomes of students’ approach to develop the competencies in out-of-classroom contexts and (b) the approach as in turn affected by the ch...

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only brought about sociocultural, psychological and economic challenges, but also educational problems that have entailed radical policy changes to allow universities and colleges to fulfil their role. Before the pandemic, the majority of university courses were designed for face-to-face settings; but under the social...

With the increasing interest in entrepreneurship education within engineering education, there are questions on what engineering entrepreneurship education should include. As engineering entrepreneurship education aims to foster entrepreneurial individuals who will contribute to knowledge-based societies and economic growth, student perspectives ar...

Hong Kong went through a complete reform in its higher education curriculum, incorporating opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and holistic competency development. Almost eight years have passed since the reform, yet little is known about the current state of students’ holistic competency development across different disciplines. Students’...

This chapter provides an anthology of real-life experiential learning assessment examples from institutions around the world. These authentic and detailed case studies range from community service, field trips and internships, to hands-on practicum programmes, and were sourced from top universities from around the globe, including Hong Kong, Canada...

Previous chapters have implied a range of ethical concerns surrounding experiential learning, its pedagogy, and assessment, all of which are addressed with examples in this thought-provoking chapter. This chapter covers the concerns and dilemmas that educators should consider during design and other decision-making processes of experiential learnin...

This dedicated chapter digs into reflection as a common but tricky assessment for experiential learning, particularly as evidence for higher-order thinking processes before, during, and after an experiential learning activity. Drawing from prominent interdisciplinary studies on reflection as a practice, this chapter explores this complex topic and...

To prepare readers for a thorough discussion of the nuances that exist in experiential learning, this chapter offers an introduction and digestible breakdown of helpful theories and frameworks that address the fundamentals of the educational phenomenon. It also touches on holistic competency models, which are highly helpful in understanding the non...

From a scholarly definition of experiential learning to a practical interpretation of it from the lenses of educators and students around the world, this chapter offers a tangible definition and typology of experiential learning in relation to its stakeholders. It also includes a list of benefits and challenges for different parties involved in exp...

There are numerous similarities and differences between assessing academic knowledge and holistic competencies. Deeply understanding the former gives us insights into the basics of assessment, including concepts like formative and summative assessment, assessment literacy, and students as partners, which are highly useful for and applicable to asse...

Technological advancements inspire innovations in every field, and education is not an exception. This chapter showcases how technology can be effectively utilised to enhance students’ experiential learning process either as a main or support tool. I also remind readers of the challenges that may come with the misuse or inappropriate adoption of te...

Following the big-picture discussions in the previous chapters, this chapter serves as a detailed guide to assessment design in experiential learning. The chapter begins with a list of essential questions for educators to ask oneself when deciding on assessment types and when designing the actual tasks in their programmes. Enriched with real-life e...

Chan’s book explores the challenges in assessing experiential learning, deepens our understanding and inspires readers to think critically about the purpose of assessment in experiential learning. Experiential learning has been studied and proven to be effective for student learning, particularly for the development of holistic competencies (i.e....

Quality assurance and evaluation of learning and impact are both crucial to a programme’s success and sustainability, and potentially messy and intimidating. This chapter draws from my experience as a teaching and learning expert in higher education and a wide range of educational research to guide readers – especially potential grant applicants, a...

A number of methods have been recorded in the literature with regard to assessing intercultural competence, but extant reviews tend to focus on self-report instruments in which students' responses can be easily quantified. To address the gap, this paper provides an overview of qualitative methods used to assess students' intercultural competence in...

Learning to make informed evaluative judgement of holistic competencies prepares students for well-rounded development on a lifelong and self-directed basis. However, a review of the literature reveals that empirical studies framed under evaluative judgement have not yet explicitly acknowledged the judgement of these competencies. If we are to furt...

There is a widespread belief that youth mentoring contributes to students’ holistic competency development, but research has not yet provided enough clarity on how exactly this contribution is made possible. To address this gap, in the current study we explore different mentoring strategies and their impacts on mentees’ holistic competency developm...

There has been a longstanding discussion in the literature on employers’ dissatisfaction with the engineering curriculum in preparing work-ready graduates. Given that the development of engineering students’ holistic competencies is important to their employability and whole-person-development, Hong Kong has placed much emphasis on students’ holist...

Shadow education, also widely known as private tutoring or supplementary education, has attracted increasing research attention in the past two decades. The global expansion of shadow education, as well as its penetration to different educational stages and social classes, are believed to have far-reaching implications for the overall educational l...

Holistic competency development is rarely certified in practice, and the assessment of holistic competencies remains an under-researched topic in the education literature. The primary aim of this systematic mixed studies review is to explore students’ perceptions on the recognition of holistic competencies. The review found very few studies that sp...

A hybrid teaching approach that relied on combining Project Based Learning with Team Based Learning was trialled in an engineering module during the past five years. Our motivation was to expose students to real-world authentic engineering problems and to steer them away from the classical 'banking' approach, with a view to developing their systems...

Reflection has been increasingly used to enhance student development in higher education, in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Learner autonomy is essential on reflection, particularly on how learners interpret their learning experiences. The learner has to take initiatives in making meaning of their learning by examining their experienc...

Universities around the world are encouraging teachers to provide more constructive feedback to support student learning, but do teachers know how to distinguish constructive feedback? What pedagogical practice is considered as feedback and what is not? For example, is a rubric a type of feedback? To date, very limited research has answered these q...

This paper seeks to investigate teachers’ and students’ perceived value and grading preferences for holistic competency assessment. Using a mixed methods approach, quantitative data was collected from 2150 undergraduates and 215 academics from six Hong Kong universities with a validated Perception on Assessment of Holistic Competencies questionnair...

It is well established that the use of reflections influences and supports learning in important ways. However, student-learning, teacher-pedagogical, institutional, and sociocultural factors can hinder initiatives to promote student reflection in universities. This literature review aims to provide an overview of the challenges of encouraging refl...

Scholars are calling increasingly for educational reform to embed meaningful out-of-class events in the current curriculum, in order to enhance students’ generic competency development. Towards this goal, featuring self-confidence as an important generic competency, this mixed-method study explores key characteristics of extracurricular activities...

Background Given the well‐documented benefits of internship experience to the training of future engineers in the literature, internship courses have become an integral part of the engineering curriculum in many universities around the world. Current evaluation of engineering internship courses in higher education relies mainly on surveys developed...

Past studies revealed that Resident Assistants' (RAs) behavioural patterns are related to experiences and life outcomes of student residents. In this paper, the researchers aimed to investigate the struggles that new RAs encounter in university residential halls in Hong Kong, and to provide practical recommendations based on the findings. Photovoic...

In recent years, reflective writings have been increasingly incorporated into the higher education curriculum to enhance students’ deep learning and to help assess their experiential learning outcomes. However, as reflective practices gain momentum worldwide, an under-researched question arises regarding whether teachers know how to assess reflecti...

There is a need to develop an instrument for undergraduate students to evaluate their holistic competencies. Such an instrument can not only be used as a tool for benchmarking but can also be used to enhance students’ awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, and to inform teaching by improving teachers’ understanding of their students. This stu...

As many universities worldwide have incorporated holistic competency development into their course goals, developing assessment literacy in these competencies is placed high on the agenda. Yet, existing literatures on assessment literacy tend to focus on disciplinary knowledge, with little reference to holistic competencies. Based on 29 focus group...

With society increasingly valuing soft skills and competencies, reflective practices are more commonly adopted in higher education, particularly for experiential learning. As reflective writing is becoming a part of official assessments in many courses, an overarching question arises as to how teachers are currently assessing reflections. This stud...

While recent years have seen increasing initiatives to engage students as partners in higher education, some students tend to be privileged yet others are excluded based on certain selection standards. This paper situates near-peer mentoring within the ‘students as partners’ context, and investigates the mentoring experience of 3 student mentors wh...

This study questions whether Hong Kong (HK) students’ engineering aspirations are facilitated within their secondary school STEM curriculum or elsewhere. HK students perform strongly on international science and mathematics assessments, although its economy is reliant on a dwindling number of engineers. We consider STEM education metaphors, recent...

Mass media and previous research tend to label Asian parents as “academic-obsessive” in their parenting, which can be reflected in the primary-school choice for their children. While some extant Hong Kong studies conducted a decade ago corroborated the above contention, we aim to provide an updated account of the general criteria considered by pare...

Can residential experiences help undergraduates develop holistic competencies? To answer this question, a study was conducted based on the insights of 211 residents in Hong Kong. Deductive and inductive content analyses were respectively used to examine residence life outcomes, particularly in holistic competencies, and to categorise the types of r...

In response to the global imperative of nurturing all-round students, educational institutions and schools worldwide have been developing learning activities targeting holistic competency development of students. However, there have been resistance and challenges on how to develop such competencies. Extending the Presage-Process-Product (3P) framew...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of utilising rubrics in reflective writing by investigating the effect on students’ work and the perceptions of the students and instructors. A hundred and thirty-four undergraduates attended a one-hour reflective writing workshop. All undergraduates were randomly assigned to three groups r...

While many career development theories (e.g., Gottfredson, in: Brown SD, Lent RW (eds), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work, Wiley, Hoboken, 2005) posit that occupational perceptions are fundamental for understanding youngsters’ career aspirations, research relating school students’ perceptions of engineers and st...

This systematic literature review is to find and showcase studies that detail the design of student-centered in-class undergraduate courses that target the development of generic skills in a discipline-specific context. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were among the 25-year search span. A summary of the selected studies and their findin...