Lingnan attends 2026 World Digital Education Conference to discuss digital transformation practices

The 2026 General Assembly of the World Digital Education Alliance (WDEA) was held on 11 May. As a member of the Alliance, Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning, was invited to represent Lingnan University, and he listed the five key practices in AI-empowered educational transformation:

• rolling out a university-wide AI popularisation initiative to provide free access to advanced generative AI tools for all faculty and students

• developing an independent GenAI Assessment System (GAAS) to build a human-in-the-loop teaching evaluation model

• establishing the Lingnan HPC NexT, a high-performance centre delivering computing power support for interdisciplinary innovation

• restructuring the curriculum, making Generative AI a mandatory core undergraduate course and launching interdisciplinary programmes such as Creative Media Industries and Social Data Science

• upholding humanistic values, cultivating core human competencies such as critical thinking and empathy, and harmonising technological innovation and liberal arts education

All of which were understood and appreciated by the audience.

On 13 May, Prof Yao and the Lingnan delegation visited Zhejiang University (ZJU)’s Zijingang Campus and were welcomed warmly by Prof Chen Gang, Vice President of ZJU. The two universities held in-depth discussions on AI-empowered education, joint research platforms and alliance building, and reached a broad consensus.