Dr Lee Cheng

Courses taught:

• Games Development (Art) (Postgraduate)
• Games Development (Programming) (Postgraduate)

Lee Cheng is a researcher and software developer. His research interests include serious games, music, technology, education, immersive and interactive media, digital and sonic arts, law and policy.

[email protected]

Visit Lee's website

Background

Lee Cheng joined Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in 2022 as an Associate Professor and currently serves as Course Director for the MA Games Development (Art) and MSc Games Development (Programming) programmes. Prior to joining ARU, he was a Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University and an Assistant Professor at The Education University of Hong Kong.

Lee holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Laws, Postgraduate Diploma in Music Therapy, Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Engineering, and Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Hong Kong and The Education University of Hong Kong.

In addition to his academic roles, he holds a range of positions across professional and scholarly organisations. These include serving as a REF2029 sub-panel member for UoA33 (Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies); Theory Examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music; Arts Education Examiner for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council; Associate Editor of the Journal of Music, Technology and Education; Communication Editor of Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy; Consulting Editor of Educational Psychology; and editorial board member of Music Education Research, International Journal of Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

Spoken Languages

• English
• Cantonese

Research interests

• Serious games
• Augmented/Virtual reality
• Interactive design
• Music technology
• Music education

Areas of research supervision

• VR/AR and serious games development for education and therapy
• Music technology and education

Teaching

Lee currently teaches on the following modules:

• Major Project for Games (Level 6 & 7)
• Games Programming (Level 7)
• Technical Development for Games (Level 5)
• Complex Systems for Games (Level 5)
• Development for Game Engines (Level 5)
• Software Engineering for Games (Level 4)

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy, The Education University of Hong Kong
• Master of Law (Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law), The University of Hong Kong
• Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Professional and Vocational Education), The Education University of Hong Kong
• Postgraduate Diploma in Music Therapy, The University of Hong Kong
• Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Sciences), The University of Hong Kong
• Bachelor of Business Administration (Information Systems), The University of Hong Kong

Memberships, editorial boards

• REF2029 Sub-panel Member for UoA33 (Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies)
• Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Advance HE
• Associate Editor, Journal of Music, Technology and Education (JMTE)
• Communication Editor, Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy
• Consulting Editor, Educational Psychology
• Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Music Education
• Editorial Board Member, Arts Education Policy Review
• Editorial Board Member, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
• Guest Editor, Special Collection - Arts integration in education, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Accessible digital musical instruments for inclusive and social practices (2025) to Lee Cheng (PI), Chiying Lam, Ellie Ruddock, Jennifer Todd (Co-Is), £72913

Selected recent publications

Cheng, L., & Tang, M. H.-Y. (Eds.) (2025). Hong Kong Arts: Historical inquiry through creative lens. Palgrave Macmillan.

Todd, J., Woolford, K., Cheng, L., Lee, M. C., de Villiers, E., Finn, D., & Aspell, J. A. (2025). XR body illusion for managing pain in fibromyalgia: Examining optimal duration. Virtual Reality.

Cheng, L., & Holland, M. (2025). The impact of emergency remote teaching on computer games students’ self-efficacy and readiness for online learning during COVID-19 lockdown. Cogent Education.

Cheng, L., Pang, W. Y. J., & Kong, A. (2025). A virtual reality game for older adults’ immersive learning. Scientific Reports.

Cheng, L., & Lam, C. Y. (2025). Developing communicative competencies in children with functional diversity through music technology: A posthuman perspective. Music Education Research.

Cheng, L. (2025). The impact of generative AI on school music education: Challenges and recommendations. Arts Education Policy Review.

Cheng, L., Yip, J., & He, S. Y. (2025). Affordances in music education. Musicae Scientiae.

Cheng, L. (2025). Hong Kong in video games: Cultural representation in the ludic space. In L. Cheng, & M. H.-Y. Tang (Eds.), Hong Kong arts: Historical inquiry through creative lens. Palgrave Macmillan.

Cheng, L., & Lam, C. Y. (2024). Digital musical instrument mobile app for children with sensorimotor impairment. Journal of Music, Technology and Education.

Yip, J., & Cheng, L. (2025). Teaching music in Tkaronto: The relationship between indigeneity and place of practice. In C. Cayari, J. D. Thompson & R. S. Rajan (Eds.), If Colors Could Be Heard, They'd Paint the Most Wondrous Tunes: Narratives about Music Education, Race, Ethnicity, and Identity. Intellect.

Cheng, L. (2024). The use of digital technology in school music education: Artificial intelligence and emerging practices. In J. L. Arostegui, C. Christophersen, K. Matsunobu, & J. Nichols (Eds.), Sage Handbook of School Music Education. Sage.

Cheng, L., & McGegor, I. (2024). Pedagogical approaches in music and audio education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Organised Sound.

Cheng, L., Lau, L. K. P., & Pang, W. Y. J. (2024). Augmented reality book design for teaching and learning architectural heritage: Educational heritage in Hong Kong Central and Western District. ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage.

Cheng, L., & Pang, W. Y. J. (2024). Making activities for competency development in informal learning among school-age children. IEEE Transactions on Education.

Cheng, L. (2024). Education affordance of music gaming mobile apps and video games. Technology, Pedagogy and Education.

Pang, W. Y. J., Leung, B. W., & Cheng, L. (2024). The motivational effects and educational affordance of serious games on the learning of Cantonese opera movements. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

Cheng, L. (2024). Storytelling cultural heritage through a video game: Conflict in the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. In I. Saloul & B. Baillie (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict. Palgrave Macmillan.

Cheng, L., & Isikguner, B. (2024). Community of practice in game art and design education with Discord application. In B. Andrews (Ed.), Arts education: A global affair. Brill.

Cheng, L., Leung, C. H., & Pang, W. Y. J. (2023). Audience’s perceived expectancy and authenticity of classical music performance by digital musical instrument mobile apps. Music Perception.

Cheng, L., & McGregor, I. (2023). Practices and educational affordances of sound in the postcolonial Hong Kong protests. Contemporary Music Review.

Cheng, L., Lam, C. Y., & Leung, C. H. (2023). Digital competencies of music teachers under the ‘new normal’ in Hong Kong. Interactional Journal of Music Education.

Cheng, L., & Lam, C. Y. (2023). Empowering children with a digital musical instrument mobile app: Perspectives of early childhood educators. Interactional Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

Cheng, L. (2023). Exploring the low enrolment of music as a subject within Hong Kong senior secondary school education. International Journal of Music Education.

Cheng, L. (2023). Media arts as political advocacy in Hong Kong's social movements. In A. Knochel & O. Sahara. (Eds.), Global media arts education: Mapping global perspectives of media arts in education. Palgrave Macmillan.

Yip, P. K., Cheng, L, & Cheung, P. (2023). The association of children’s motivation and physical activity levels with flipped learning during physical education lessons. European Physical Education Review.

Lam, C. Y., Cheng, L., & He, S. Y. (2023). Buskers as agents of change in Hong Kong. Interactional Journal of Community Music.

Pang, W. Y. J., & Cheng, L. (2023). Acceptance of gamified virtual reality environments by older adults. Educational Gerontology.

Pang, W. Y. J., Leung, B. W., & Cheng, L. (2022). The motivational effects and educational affordance of serious games on the learning of Cantonese opera movements. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

Tsang, S. C. S., Lam, C. Y., & Cheng, L. (2022). From intermedia to interculturalism: Practitioners’ perspectives on an interactive theatre for young ethnic minority students in Hong Kong. Language and Intercultural Communication.

Cheng, L., & Lam, C. Y. (2021). The worst is yet to come: The psychological impact of COVID-19 on Hong Kong music teachers. Music Education Research.

Cheng, L., & Lee, H. Y. (2021). Arts and culture without policy: Non-governmental and civil spontaneous initiatives in Hong Kong. In B. Bolden & N. Jeanneret (Eds.), Visions of sustainability for arts education: Value, challenge, and potential. Springer.

Cheng, L., Wong, W. Y. P., & Lam, C. Y. (2020). Learner autonomy in music performance practices. British Journal of Music Education.

Cheng, L., & Leung, B. W. (2020). Motivational effects of immersive media on adolescents’ engagement in Cantonese opera. In W. W. Ma, K. Tong & W. B. A. Tso (Eds.), Learning environment and design: Current and future impacts. Springer.

Cheng, L. (2019). Musical competency development in laptop ensemble. Research Studies in Music Education.

Cheng, L. (2018). Teaching live coding of electronic dance music: A case study. Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture.

CLeung, B. W., Mok, M. M. C., Kuo, B.-C., Liu, Z.-Y., Lam, S. M., Ng, G. W. T., Cheng, L., Ma, K. H. H., & Choi, T. W. (2018). An assessment of learning Cantonese opera movement in Hong Kong: Application of the computerised kinetic chain assessment and learning system. K. J. Kennedy & J. C. K. Lee (Eds.), Routledge international handbook on schools and schooling in Asia. Routledge.

Cheng, L., & Leong, S. (2017). Educational affordances and learning design in music software development. Technology, Pedagogy and Education.

Cheng, L., & Leong, S. (2017). Knowledge management ecological approach: A cross-discipline case study. Journal of Knowledge Management.

Leong, S., & Cheng, L. (2014). Effects of real-time visual feedback on pre-service teachers’ singing. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.