London–New York–Hong Kong: The Journey of Education Technology Innovator Shiyong Chen

From London to New York and then Hong Kong, Shiyong Chen has charted a path from student and researcher to entrepreneur. She pursued her studies and research at University College London in the UK and Columbia University in the United States. Today, she leads an education technology company in Hong Kong. Her career has spanned the study of Education Studies and Instructional Technology and Media, followed by founding a company and bringing technology into practice. Throughout this journey, Chen has developed a cohesive approach that integrates education and technology. She has translated her understanding of education into products, systems, and publications, applying it across a range of real-world settings as smart education moves beyond the classroom and into industry.

Education: From Educational Theory to Instructional Technology

Shiyong Chen’s academic journey has taken her across Europe and North America, where she studied at two leading universities and explored both educational theory and instructional technology. As an undergraduate at University College London, Chen studied Education Studies, developing a strong foundation in curriculum design, instructional assessment, and educational principles. She later moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media at Columbia University, shifting her focus from what to teach to how technology can transform the learning experience. This cross-disciplinary education has shaped Chen into an education practitioner who understands both the principles underpinning effective education and the technologies that can bring them to life—combining theoretical knowledge with technical expertise.

While studying at Columbia University, Shiyong Chen played a key role in the design and development of Pocket Poem, an augmented reality (AR) application created as part of a course project. The app addressed a persistent challenge in elementary and secondary education: classical Chinese poetry is often taught through exam-driven instruction and rote memorization, leaving students with little opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the texts. Using AR technology, Pocket Poem brings the landscapes, figures, and historical settings depicted in the poems to life before students’ eyes. It also incorporates four key features: modern translations, historical background, emotional interpretation, and cultural stories. Together, these features help students move beyond simply understanding the words to engaging with the historical context and the poets’ perspectives and emotions. Equally significant was Chen’s systematic application of dual coding theory, multimedia learning theory, and situated learning theory in the product’s design. The app enabled students to develop an initial understanding of the poems at home through AR, then deepen that understanding through classroom discussions and critical analysis. In this way, it connected at-home preparation with in-class discussion, creating an integrated learning experience that bridged home and school. More than a technological experiment, Pocket Poem represented an early, practical application of learner-centered smart education. The project also foreshadowed Chen’s later efforts to translate innovative educational methodologies into practical solutions for industry.

Practice: Bringing Education Technology to Life

After earning her master’s degree, Shiyong Chen founded VIM LEE ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY LIMITED in Hong Kong and became its general manager, turning academic ideas into commercial solutions. Guided by her integrated approach to education and technology, Chen established education and training as the company’s core business. She led her team in building a service model that combines educational product development with structured training programs. Drawing on the instructional design methods she learned at Columbia University, she transformed academic concepts into practical training products that could be delivered and replicated. She also extended the learner-centered approach beyond the classroom to serve a broader range of learners. Her transition from student and researcher to business leader marked a significant step in translating academic expertise into commercial value.

While focusing on educational product development and the professional creation of high-quality educational content, Shiyong Chen has consistently put governance at the forefront, guided by the principles of establishing clear standards and making compliance a priority. She has embedded institutional frameworks and quality controls throughout every stage of her business operations. This approach reflects her deeper understanding of what smart education requires. High-quality education technology, in her view, involves far more than putting courses on a screen. It requires a strong foundation of professionally developed content, a robust compliance framework to support innovation, and rigorous data security measures to earn users’ trust. Chen believes education technology companies have a threefold responsibility: to develop products that stand up to scrutiny, establish industry standards worthy of trust, and safeguard every learner’s growth and development. Since founding her company, she has never been content simply to operate a business that sells courses. Instead, she has aspired to help build a more trusted and responsible education sector.

Building on Experience: Setting Standards for Innovative Education

If products and institutional systems represent the practical tools of her work, then Guidelines for Innovative Education Quality Control and Teaching Practice Optimization, which Chen has devoted considerable effort to developing, represents the deeper principles behind it. The guide brings together her academic training, the business experience she gained as an entrepreneur, and her systematic thinking about smart education. It serves both as a methodology and as a practical roadmap for implementation. Designed for educational institutions, teachers, and administrators, the guide addresses some of the most common challenges in putting innovative education into practice: inconsistent quality standards, superficial implementation, insufficient integration of technology, limited assessment methods, and inadequate support mechanisms. Chen understands that innovative education cannot meaningfully benefit teachers and students if it remains at the level of ideas and slogans. Only by turning scattered experiences into industry standards that can be evaluated and replicated can innovation evolve from a one-off experiment into a sustainable, systematic capability.

Building on this approach, Chen developed an innovative quality control matrix spanning four dimensions: curriculum, processes, outcomes, and safeguards. She incorporated the PDCA cycle to establish an end-to-end quality management process, shifting the focus from after-the-fact fixes to a continuous cycle of prevention, in-process control, and post-implementation improvement. The guide also lays out a systematic approach to improving four key areas: curriculum design, teaching methods, practical learning activities, and assessment systems. These are supported by five essential pillars: organizational structure, faculty development, teaching resources, management policies, and collaboration among schools, families, and communities. Together, these elements form a complete cycle of diagnosis, optimization, and support. Far from being a theoretical exercise confined to the page, the guide offers actionable recommendations that schools can implement in day-to-day teaching. It translates quality standards into concrete practices that shape every classroom, every lesson, and every learner’s experience. By distilling accumulated experience into replicable industry standards, the guide provides a methodological foundation for moving smart education beyond appearances and toward measurable results. It also offers a concise expression of Chen’s guiding philosophy: advancing education through standards and developing talent through well-defined practices.

Looking back on Shiyong Chen’s journey, University College London gave her a foundation in education, Columbia University broadened her perspective on technology, and entrepreneurship gave her the opportunity to bring the two together. From using AR to breathe new life into the teaching of classical Chinese poetry, to establishing policies and guidelines for educational product development, to advancing smart education through industry standards, her work has consistently centered on one goal: ensuring that technology serves the fundamental purpose of education—helping learners grow and develop. As smart education continues to gain momentum, the need for clear standards and sound practices is becoming increasingly urgent. Innovators like Chen, who combine a strong grounding in education, the ability to translate technology into practical solutions, and a forward-looking understanding of the industry, represent a rare and increasingly vital force in shaping the sector’s future.