On March 24, 2026, the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) successfully hosted the eleventh session of the "Beyond Boundaries" Teaching and Learning Lecture Series. Around 30 people attended this engaging session on the evolving challenges of capturing students’ attention in higher education. Prof. Johnston Hong-Chung WONG, Professor of FST and Head of the MSW Programme at BNBU, and Dr. Tianhao ZHI, Assistant Professor of FST at BNBU, delivered a joint lecture titled Challenges to Teaching in AI era – the Competition for Students Attention, offering complementary perspectives on the crisis of student engagement and the future of education in the age of AI.

Prof. WONG opened by describing a classroom crisis: declining attendance, fragmented attention, and teachers questioning whether teaching is still meaningful. He introduced a new model rooted in Carl Rogers and Lev Vygotsky, which reverses conventional instruction. Students begin with what they already know, using AI to explore topics before moving through phases of experimentation and exposition. Throughout his talk, he emphasized the need to shift the focus from teaching to learning and to embrace the educator’s role as a facilitator.

Prof. Johnston Hong-Chung WONG Speaking at the Lecture

Dr. ZHI challenged the teaching of economics as a purely technical discipline, arguing it has lost its foundation in moral philosophy. Tracing Adam Smith’s work, he emphasized that economics was originally rooted in human connection and wellbeing, critiquing the tendency in modern education to treat people as abstract components of a system. Turning to AI, he envisioned a future where AI enables perpetual innovation and democratizes knowledge, requiring education to cultivate agency and collaboration beyond technical skills.

Dr. Tianhao ZHI Speaking at the Lecture

Both speakers addressed the theme of competition for students’ attention from distinct yet converging angles. While Prof. WONG focused on pedagogical design and the need to restructure the learning experience, Dr. ZHI turned to the deeper question of what is worth teaching in an era where knowledge is increasingly accessible through AI. Together, their talks highlighted a shared concern: that meaningful learning requires not only new methods but also a renewed commitment to human connection and intellectual purpose.

Participants listened to the lecture attentively

The session concluded with a lively Q&A, during which attendees engaged the speakers in thoughtful discussion on issues related to student attention, engagement, and the evolving role of educators. The exchange reflected a strong interest among faculty and students in reimagining teaching practices to meet the demands of a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Q&A Session

This dual-lecture session bridged pedagogy, economics, philosophy, and technology, offering a transdisciplinary reflection on what it means to educate in the AI era. By emphasizing learner autonomy, human connection, and moral inquiry, it equipped faculty and students with practical strategies and a renewed sense of purpose. Going forward, CTL will continue to deliver thought-provoking, transdisciplinary dialogues through the "Beyond Boundaries" Lecture Series, steadily advancing teaching quality and the holistic development of the academic community.