Lingnan University Hosts Chinese New Year Media Reception and Announces Campus Development Plans

Lingnan University held its 2026 Chinese New Year media reception on the Tuen Mun campus today, 17 March, hosted by Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science; Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing; Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning; Mr Ernest Chan Chi-man, Vice-President (Administration); Prof Sam Kwong Tak-Wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence, and Prof Lau Chi-pang, Special Advisor to President on Publicity cum Director of Communications and Public Affairs. They announced the University’s most recent news and its strategic development blueprint for the coming years, which includes a series of campus development initiatives which will continue to improve teaching, research, and innovation.

Lingnan University hosts its Chinese New Year media reception. From the left: Mr Ernest Chan Chi-man, Vice-President (Administration); Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing; Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science; Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning; and Prof Sam Kwong Tak-Wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence. Photo source: Lingnan University

President S. Joe Qin said that to meet Lingnan’s growing need for more space, the University recently acquired a new 3,600-square-metre facility, Lingnan T-Plus, which will support the main campus by providing additional teaching venues and classrooms. Conveniently located and about 15 minutes’ walk from the main campus, Lingnan T-Plus is expected to be operational in the 2026/2027 academic year. Students and staff will be able to commute to the main campus easily and stay involved with campus life.

President S. Joe Qin announces campus development initiatives to further improve teaching, research and innovation. Photo source: Lingnan University

The expansion of Lingnan’s main campus in Tuen Mun has begun with the construction of the seven-storey Lingnan Education Organization Building, the University’s first dedicated science building, which will have a floor area of approximately 8,000 square metres and house the School of Data Science (SDS) and the interdisciplinary research hub. It is scheduled to be completed in 2028, and will upgrade University teaching and research facilities.

The Tuen Mun Main Campus will have a new 200-square-metre lecture theatre in the Lau Chung Him Building with seating for about 200 people, which will provide another venue for teaching, academic lectures, and large conferences. It is intended to come into use in the 2026/2027 academic year, improving the educational environment and strengthening support for academic events and the exchange of ideas.

In addition, a new 150-square-metre, 110-seat, multi-purpose venue with a large-scale LED display will be built on the Main Campus near the landmark Wing On Plaza for campus activities, academic seminars, press conferences, providing a high-quality space for teaching and discussions. It is scheduled for completion in 2027.

The University has recently acquired a new facility, Lingnan T-Plus. Photo source: Lingnan University

Looking back at 2025, President S. Joe Qin said that Lingnan University achieved several “No. 1 in the Hong Kong SAR” and “Only one in the Hong Kong SAR” distinctions across key indicators, demonstrating that the University’s strengths in teaching and research, as well as its commitment to whole-person education, have received international recognition. These accolades include coming first globally in “SDG 4: Quality Education” in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, and becoming the first university in Asia to partner with the United Nations University (UNU) to establish the UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University. The UNU Hub plans to commence operations in the middle of this year, and will promote interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering, data science, and design innovation, encouraging faculty members and students from different disciplines to co-design humanitarian technologies to address real-world challenges in a practical and sustainable way.

President Qin also noted that in recent years, the University has implemented the “Liberal Arts + Technology” innovative education model, solidifying its position as a leading research-oriented liberal arts university, comprehensive in arts and sciences, in the digital era. More than 20 per cent of its faculty members were on the 2025 Stanford University “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list. As its 60th anniversary approaches in 2027, the University has launched the “Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment” campaign to attract 60 leading scholars. As of February 2026, 33 top scholars have joined the University, strengthening Lingnan’s engineering and research capabilities in interdisciplinary fields such as industrial data science, smart infrastructure, carbon neutrality technologies, and sustainable energy and materials. This will enable the University to take a leading role in major cross-disciplinary, high-impact engineering projects related to the Hong Kong SAR’s re-industrialisation and carbon neutrality.

President Qin also announced that the University will officially launch the Samuel C.C. Ting Elite Class (CCT Class) in the 2026/27 academic year. Named in honour of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Prof Samuel C.C. Ting, the class will select a group of top talents from its outstanding undergraduate students, who receive full University Entrance Scholarships, and will offer them comprehensive learning opportunities and support. The CCT Class symbolises the University’s commitment to an educational philosophy grounded in Creative and Critical Thinking. Through this initiative, the University aims to nurture a new generation of globally minded academic leaders, carrying forward Prof Ting’s legacy of bold innovation and rigorous research integrity, while further strengthening the University’s leading position as a research-oriented liberal arts university comprehensive in arts and sciences.

The Lingnan Education Organization Building is scheduled for completion in 2028. Photo source: Lingnan University

The evolution of higher education in the digital era has attracted global attention, and Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, recently published a paper titled “AI for education: The digital transformation of a liberal arts institution – implementation at Lingnan University” in a leading international journal Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. The paper’s in-depth analysis of the role artificial intelligence (AI) plays in education uses Lingnan as a case study to examine the success of its pilot initiatives.

Prof Qin notes that higher education is undergoing an “AI revolution”, not merely reinforcing teaching with technology, but driving the “digital-intelligent transformation” of both teachers and students. Future curricula will shift from a traditional emphasis on memorisation and content mastery towards the application and navigation of knowledge, and students will be trained in prompt engineering in order to validate outputs generated by generative AI, and understand the ethical implications of such automated systems.

At the pedagogical level, repetitive tasks such as administrative duties, classroom management, and marking assignments will increasingly be handled by AI, allowing educators to focus more on their primary role of instruction and mentorship. This shift enables teachers to expand stronger data analytics and technological integration capabilities, permitting them to make higher-level decisions based on data, and to advise students more effectively.

Using Lingnan University as an example, Prof Qin highlights the development and application of a “Generative AI Assessment System (GAAS)”, an AI-driven learning platform capable of examining student performance in real time and making individual recommendations. Final oversight remains with teachers, so that this moves away from a one-size-fits-all model, and lecturers can shape instruction to individual progress and needs. The system was awarded a Bronze Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in March this year.

The pilot study shows that the system reduces the time spent on mechanical marking significantly. Traditionally, students often wait weeks for a response, whereas the new system enables a rapid turnaround, improving student engagement. It also ensures consistent application of marking criteria, and minimises discrepancies caused by human fatigue or bias. By delegating mechanical tasks such as grammar and structural checks to AI, instructors can focus entirely on students’ arguments and intellectual abilities, leading to better guidance.

Prof Qin stresses that educators are not replaceable. “At its core, education is a social and emotional process, and AI is currently unable to perceive student frustration, demonstrate empathy, mediate peer conflicts, or give emotional support. These forms of ‘emotional value guidance’ are inherently human and beyond the capacity of algorithms. Students must shift from being passive consumers of AI-generated content to active editors and critical thinkers. For example, they should debate AI, identify flaws in logic, and generate multiple solutions using AI, and then evaluate and rank them independently. The key lies in asking the right questions and appraising the quality and accuracy of the responses.”

The paper also notes that, given AI’s strength in processing large volumes of information, tasks that require high accuracy and speed but involve limited complex judgement are more susceptible to automation. These include data entry, basic translation, routine programming, software operation, and format-driven content generation, all repetitive and rule-based cognitive tasks. Such changes are more likely to replace specific tasks than entire professions. For instance, legal assistants may spend less time gathering information, and more on strategic legal work.

Prof Qin explains that as anyone can now create grammatically correct text or digital images within seconds, technology itself is no longer in short supply. What becomes truly beneficial is human intent, philosophical thinking, and flair in evoking emotional resonance. In an age saturated with generated content, whole-person education focusing on critical thinking and authentic human expression will become the most important standard and benchmark.

He also points out that the widespread adoption of AI will increase the importance of interdisciplinary learning. “Cognitive flexibility, complex problem-solving skills, and emotional intelligence - all fostered by whole-person education - provide students with a solid foundation so they can remain adaptable in rapidly evolving technological environments. By integrating knowledge across disciplines such as history, philosophy, and science - in essence, learning how to learn - students can continue to grow amid constant change.”

The paper expresses how disciplines such as literature, history, and philosophy offer an “ethical perspective”, and how the study of classical works, particularly those rooted in the Chinese cultural heritage, is essential for independent thinking. By understanding a historical context and moral framework, students can apply AI more judiciously, minimise algorithmic bias, and ultimately take a leading role in shaping technological progress.

Read the full study here: AI for education: The digital transformation of a liberal arts institution – implementation at Lingnan University

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, has published a paper titled AI for education in a leading international journal.