Service-Learning for Educators

Dr. Grace Ngai is a transformative leader in higher education who serves as the Head of the Service-Learning and Leadership Office and Associate Professor at the Department of Computing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. After earning her Sc.B. in Engineering from Brown University and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, she has dedicated over two decades to revolutionizing experiential learning through service-learning initiatives. Under her leadership, PolyU's service-learning program has grown from 6 subjects with 200 students in 2012 to over 60 subjects serving more than 4,500 students annually, contributing over 180,000 hours of community service. Her innovative approach has established impactful international service projects across multiple countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, and Rwanda, where her team has installed over 1,200 solar power systems in remote communities. Her contributions have earned prestigious recognitions including the Hong Kong University Grants Committee Teaching Award in 2016, and under her guidance, PolyU's Service-Learning program received the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2022 for Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year and the 2020 International Research Award from the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Her work focuses on integrating technology, human interaction, and global citizenship, particularly through her course "Socially Responsible Global Leadership in a Digital World," while maintaining research interests in human-computer interaction and computer science education.