TL/DR –
Shai Reshef, founder of the tuition-free University of the People, and Michelene Chi, a professor at Arizona State University who developed a framework to enhance student learning, have been announced as the 2023 winners of The Yidan Prize—the biggest award in education—in recognition of their contributions to the field. Each winner will receive 30 million Hong Kong dollars ($3.8 million) from the Yidan Prize Foundation to further their educational initiatives. Reshef plans to use the financial support to expand language offerings and job placement services at the University of the People, while Chi hopes to use her prize money to train teachers worldwide based on her research findings and to create a practitioner’s manual.
Yidan Prize 2023 Winners Announced
The Yidan Prize, the largest educational award in the world, has named University of the People President Shai Reshef and Arizona State University researcher Michelene Chi as its 2023 winners. Both laureates will each receive HKD 15 million ($1.9 million) from the Hong Kong-founded Yidan Prize Foundation and an additional unrestricted HKD 15 million ($1.9 million) to further their work.
Working for Global Educational Impact
Yidan Prize Foundation’s secretary-general Edward Ma highlighted the laureates’ commitment to improving education globally. Reshef and Chi will join past winners to discuss potential advancements in education at a summit in December.
Expanding Access to Education
Reshef aims to use the prize to increase awareness of the University of the People (UoPeople) – a tuition-free, online higher education institution with over 137,000 students worldwide. He plans to use the prize funds to offer classes in Spanish and job placement services for graduates. He also hopes others will replicate the UoPeople model, providing affordable education to many more students globally.
Improving Learning through Research
Michelene Chi, director of Arizona State’s Learning and Cognition Lab, won the Yidan Prize for her ICAP theory, which aids teachers in designing more engaging lesson plans. Chi plans to use her award funds to offer training based on her findings to teachers worldwide and explore ways to design lesson plans incorporating her research.
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