We are Renaissance College Hong Kong’s Research Institute, the first of our kind in the Asia-Pacific Region. Over two years, we have collaborated with other peers to conduct a self-directed research project regarding how online learning impacts student engagement during home-learning classes. Though we coordinated with teachers, experts, and university professors, our research is self-driven and a project-based learning experience. From the conception of our project ( brainstorming topics, learning about the process, researching methodologies) to its actualisation (carrying out research, data analysis, report writing), we have grown and learnt tremendously throughout the experience. In our presentation, we would like to present our process and findings, talk about the importance of students doing social research in schools, and discuss the many ways in which project-based learning has allowed us to grow as independent learners.

A note from our facilitator: This experience has been eye-opening for me as an educator, and I believe myself and the students themselves can offer a number of interesting models and key learnings around creating authentic student voice, student-led projects, and the importance of student research, as well as the challenges of conducting university-level work in a school environment.

Note: This is a student-led presentation that will last 15-20 minutes and be followed by questions.