PolyU implements innovative, personalised healthcare pedagogies with AI and frontier technologies to advance the PolyU Education 4.0 initiative
In response to rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and a changing educational landscape, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has launched its PolyU Education 4.0 initiative, aiming to transform learning and teaching by integrating frontier technologies including AI, the metaverse and immersive experiences into a student-centred approach that fosters innovation and promotes the widespread use of AI and cutting-edge educational technologies in learning and teaching.
In the field of healthcare education, there is a growing global shift towards competency-based and interprofessional education, creating a pressing need for more effective and innovative educational models. The PolyU Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) is proactively leveraging AI and various frontier technologies to reshape healthcare technology education and implement the PolyU Education 4.0 initiative.
Prof. CAI Jing, Head and Chair Professor of Medical Physics and Intelligent Oncology of HTI, said, “The PolyU Education 4.0 initiative represents a major shift in how we approach education, emphasising personalised, interactive and flexible teaching that enables students to achieve autonomous learning. Transformative technologies like AI are fundamentally reshaping healthcare education and clinical training. We are committed to integrating these cutting-edge technologies into learning and teaching to overcome the limitations of traditional clinical education and to elevate both the effectiveness and quality of healthcare technology training. Our goal is to nurture a new generation of healthcare technology professionals who combine technical expertise with innovative thinking and practical capabilities — graduates who will drive sustainable advancement in the healthcare technology sector across Hong Kong, the Nation and the world.”
Among the Department’s initiatives is the AI-powered Learning Activity Management System (LAMS), led by Prof. WONG Chi-ming, Associate Professor of HTI. LAMS transforms the traditional approach of providing identical materials to all students by offering personalised, syllabus-aligned learning pathways for each student. The system maintains full instructor control throughout the entire teaching process, from defining learning outcomes to approving materials, while leveraging AI to generate personalised content, provide real-time performance analytics, and offer automated feedback and progress tracking. This enables students to study independently, collaborate with peers or receive AI-guided tutoring while enabling teachers to maintain comprehensive oversight of the learning process. Early evaluation indicates that LAMS effectively enhances student engagement and learning outcomes.
In the realm of immersive pedagogy, the Metaverse Imaging Anatomy Gallery, created by Prof. Helen LAW Ka-wai, Associate Head of HTI, is reimagining anatomical education. The platform harnesses the metaverse, dialogue and gamification to transform passive study into an active, three-dimensional virtual reality experience that facilitates authentic collaborative learning, breaking through the limitations of traditional two-dimensional online learning. Students can explore an interactive digital learning environment at their own pace, moving beyond static diagrams to engage with educational content in innovative ways. For instance, they can navigate through the medical imaging anatomy module, visualising the human body layer by layer in ways impossible with textbooks. The platform features an integrated AI chatbot that serves as a 24-hour guide, answering questions and providing instant feedback. This innovative approach is enhancing student engagement and deepening their understanding of complex anatomical concepts.
The Hybrid Immersive Virtual Environment Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (HiVE CPR) Drill, jointly developed by Prof. Shara LEE Wee-yee, Associate Professor of HTI, and a research team of the PolyU Industrial Centre, challenges the common misconception that immersive environments are unsuitable for large-scale practical skills training. This immersive skills training system provides a highly realistic simulation of a mass casualty traffic accident on Nathan Road, complete with ambient street noise and up to eight wireless manikins, each with individually configurable physiological conditions. This innovative approach enables a cohort of 120 students to complete high-quality, hands-on CPR practice within a single two-hour session by rotating through multiple training stations in small groups, achieving a scale of clinical training that conventional approaches simply cannot match. Students must complete multiple tasks in simulated emergency and high-pressure scenarios, including calling for emergency assistance, performing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator. Upon completion, the system displays real-time performance data immediately and provides each student with individualised feedback on their compression depth, rate and interruptions. Participating students report that the simulation effectively enhances their confidence in performing CPR and significantly increases their willingness to voluntarily assist casualties in future emergencies. This attitudinal shift holds great significance for safeguarding public health and safety.
HTI focuses on academic excellence in its “4M” core educational areas: medical laboratory science, medical imaging and radiation science, medical physics and medical data science. With state-of-the-art teaching facilities and advanced technologies, the Department is fully committed to enhancing teaching quality and strengthening clinical education, providing solid support for the transformation of healthcare education and continuing to implement the PolyU Education 4.0 initiative through multiple innovative pedagogical approaches.
Prof. Cai added that all innovative teaching initiatives implemented by the Department were driven by clear educational objectives, aimed at extensively applying emerging technologies to improve the quality and effectiveness of learning and teaching. The Department will continue to deepen the practical application of the PolyU Education 4.0 initiative, further refine its teaching facilities, platforms and pedagogical approaches, provide exemplary practices for the future development of healthcare and clinical education, and make greater contributions to nurturing the next generation of healthcare technology professionals.
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