The research project titled "Construction of the 'Deep Classroom' Teaching Model and Study on the Current Status and Development Strategies of Digital Competence among University Students in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," led by Associate Professor Peng Jun and Assistant Professor Dai Yi of the School of Education at the City University of Macau, has recently entered its concluding phase following successful empirical investigations across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region. Spanning a year and a half, the project focuses on cutting-edge topics in educational informatization and digital talent cultivation. Its research findings have been published as a series of high-level academic papers in renowned domestic and international journals, providing vital theoretical support and practical references for the digital transformation of education in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Funded by the Macao Foundation with a grant of MOP 150,000 (Project No.: MF2342), the project aligns with the digital development needs of higher education in the GBA. Addressing core issues such as the "insufficient integration of technology and pedagogy" and the "lack of assessment systems for students' digital competence," the team constructed a theoretical framework for the "Deep Classroom" teaching model and conducted systematic research on the current status of digital competence among GBA university students. Collaborating with more than 10 universities in cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai, the project team utilized methods including questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and classroom experiments to collect over 3,000 valid data sets, forming a panoramic analysis of the regional educational digitalization landscape.
The project team focused on key issues such as "Deep Classroom model construction," "digital competence assessment," and "synergetic educational development in the GBA," publishing six academic papers in journals indexed by SSCI, CSSCI, and ESCI, including Scientific Reports, Applied Sciences, Knowledge Management & E-Learning, Journal of Educational Technology and Innovation, and the Journal of Shenyang Sport University. Furthermore, four papers were published in provincial-level journals and five high-level conference papers were presented, with achievements far exceeding expectations. The study introduced the "Five-Dimensional Evaluation Model of Digital Competence" for the first time, revealing the current development status of GBA university students in digital technology application, critical thinking, and cross-cultural collaboration. Based on the "Deep Classroom" model, the team proposed a development strategy of "Technology Empowerment – Evaluation Leadership – Regional Synergy." Meanwhile, project members were frequently invited to participate in domestic and international academic conferences, which not only promoted the results of the "Deep Classroom" model and digital competence research on broader academic platforms and facilitated dialogue with international cutting-edge educational theories, but also provided diverse perspectives for the optimization of research results through cross-disciplinary and cross-regional intellectual exchanges, promoting the radiation of GBA educational digitalization experiences to a national and even global scale. Such high-frequency academic interaction has enhanced the project's international academic influence and established a crucial bridge for deepening regional educational synergy and aligning with international educational innovation trends, effectively demonstrating the guiding value of scientific research in educational practice.
The project successfully developed the "Deep Classroom" teaching model with digital textbooks at its core, forming a three-dimensional architecture of "Cloud Service Classroom - Cloud Interactive Classroom - Cloud Collaborative Classroom." This breakthrough overcomes the limitations of traditional classroom technology applications, upgrading digital textbooks into a core engine that supports all-scenario teaching. It establishes a "triad" application framework of "hardware environment - software functions - teaching models," filling a research gap in classroom evaluation models within technology-rich environments.
In terms of instructional innovation, the project proposed tiered application strategies for three types of classrooms: the Cloud Service Classroom establishes models for resource lecturing and situational creation; the Cloud Interactive Classroom develops efficient interaction and flipped learning modes; and the Cloud Collaborative Classroom implements remote teaching modes for cross-regional resource sharing. By utilizing the MFSGrowth algorithm to analyze teaching behavior data, the team verified the model's effectiveness in optimizing instructional behaviors, forming efficient teaching sequences such as "knowledge presentation → interactive generation."
In practical application, the project facilitated remote collaborative teaching mechanisms among more than 10 schools across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Through tiered training of teachers' capabilities in utilizing digital textbooks, 82% of participating teachers are now able to independently design interactive courses. As a case study integrating "regional characteristics and academic innovation" in the GBA, this project has laid a solid foundation for enhancing the academic influence of Macao’s higher education institutions in the field of educational digitalization.
The project innovatively applied educational behavior data analysis methods and published multiple academic papers, creating a closed-loop academic influence of "Theory - Practice - Radiation." This provides replicable practical experience for classroom teaching reform under the background of educational modernization.
Associate Professor Peng Jun, the project leader, stated: "This study integrates the 'Deep Classroom' concept with the unique educational characteristics of the GBA for the first time. It not only enriches the theoretical system of digital education but also provides a feasible path for universities to cultivate versatile talents suited for the intelligent era. In the future, the team will further deepen research on the integration of artificial intelligence and pedagogy to promote the large-scale application of these achievements within the region."
Deepening the Integration of Industry, Academia, and Research to Promote the Transformation of Academic Achievements
With the further advancement of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the outcomes of this project will continue to provide theoretical and practical support for high-quality regional educational development, assisting in the creation of an internationally competitive education and talent hub.