Transforming Mental Health Education: SOLO-Based AI Chatbot for Hong Kong University Students
The modern university experience, while intellectually enriching, is increasingly shadowed by a silent crisis. With more than half of Hong Kong’s students reporting symptoms of stress and anxiety, the need for robust mental health support has never been more urgent. Yet, a critical gap persists: while digital clinical tools and therapy apps are proliferating, there is a profound lack of pedagogical frameworks that actually teach students how to understand and navigate their own psychological landscape. The challenge is no longer just providing a safety net, but empowering students with the literacy to build their own resilience.
To meet this head-on, Dr Wynants HO, Lecturer of Department of Applied Social Science has united a visionary cross-institutional team from PolyU, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Shue Yan University to pioneer a transformative approach that integrates AI and service learning to enhance university students’ mental health literacy (MHL) and personal well-being. At the heart of this initiative is the development of SOLA—the SOLO-based Learning Assistant. Unlike traditional chatbots that mimic therapists, SOLA is designed as a relational learning partner. Built upon the SOLO taxonomy, this AI companion diagnoses a student’s depth of understanding in real time. Whether a student’s grasp of mental health is superficial or integrative, SOLA uses natural-language interaction to provide personalised feedback and reflective prompts that turn a clinical concern into a journey of self-directed growth.
The brilliance of SOLA lies in its role as an active co-educator within the Service-Learning curriculum. Through a rigorous three-phase design—ranging from initial pilot testing to full-scale integration across diverse subjects—the project utilises advanced linguistic analysis to track a student’s progression. This ensures that the AI is not just a repository of information, but a mirror for reflection that builds empathy and self-awareness. By shifting the focus from passive self-help to active pedagogical engagement, the project equips students with the tools to not only survive their university years but to truly flourish within them.
This initiative represents a vital heartbeat within PolyU Education 4.0. By weaving AI-guided reflection into the very fabric of the student experience, we are championing a model of education that values psychological well-being as much as academic rigour.
This project is awarded under the Teaching Development Grant 2025–28 in the Theme-based Projects category (Individual Project).
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