Michelene Chi of Arizona State University Wins the 2023 Yidan Prize for Education Research

Michelene “Micki” Chi, a Regents Professor and the Dorothy Bray Endowed Professor of Science and Teaching in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, was awarded the 2023 Yidan Prize for Education Research, an international honor recognizing her innovative approaches that help learners reach their full potential and break down barriers to higher education.

Dr. Chi will receive the award in a special ceremony in December in Hong Kong, where she will receive a gold medal and a $3.8 million award to fund her research. A scholar in cognitive science, Professor Chi’s widely adopted theory of cognitive engagement, called ICAP (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive), has set a benchmark for defining active learning, giving teachers a stronger understanding of how students learn, and how to design lesson plans and activities to better engage them.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a 2023 Yidan Prize Laureate for Education Research, as it has been my life’s work to advance a greater understanding of how people of all ages learn,” Dr. Chi said. “This award supports these efforts to further expand research in the role that cognitive science of learning plays in teaching, while also fulfilling a goal of mine to make this knowledge accessible to educators globally.”

Dr. Chi holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
\