Online Teaching and Learning for Final Weeks of Semester 1, 2019-20

Online Teaching and Learning for Final Weeks of Semester 1, 2019-20

Dear students

Thank you for working with us to transition to online teaching and learning for these final weeks of Semester 1, 2019-20. I am writing to you now about assessment.

Our core principle for all course assessment is fairness to each and every member of the class, whether in Hong Kong or outside. To deliver on this principle in the current circumstances, we believe we need to offer you an array of choices for each course you are taking. Just occasionally this is not possible because of professional requirements. For the vast majority of our courses, however, it is possible and we intend to make it happen.

Full-year courses

As final examinations are scheduled for May 2020, these courses will continue without amendment.

Single-semester courses: teachers

We are giving teachers the flexibility to make changes to their assessment arrangements and inform their students through Moodle and/or by email by Friday 29 November 2019:

–          Scope of course assessment: This may be adjusted in some cases.
–          Summative/final assessments: Most proctored final examinations will be converted to alternative tasks submitted via Moodle or HKU email with Turnitin reports.

Single-semester courses: students

We are giving students the flexibility to choose one of the following for each of their courses by completing a simple form and submitting it to their Faculty Office:

–      Continue with Letter grading for the entire course (contributing to GPA).
–      Change to Pass/Fail grading for the entire course (not contributing to GPA).
–      Opt out of the course entirely through a new Late Drop option.

When thinking through these options, students should bear in mind several issues (if you are in doubt about any of them, please seek academic advice from your teachers, course coordinators, programme leader or academic adviser):

–      Some of the above options cannot be made available for some courses, mostly for reasons of professional accreditation.
–      Core or compulsory courses have to be completed by all students taking a programme, so the Late Drop option should be exercised with extreme caution.
–      Courses that are prerequisite for subsequent courses within a programme affect academic progression, so again the Late Drop option should be exercised with extreme caution.
–      The Common Core Special Proviso for GPA calculation operates only when there are six graded courses (https://commoncore.hku.hk/special-proviso/).

To process your course choices, we will ask you to complete and submit a simple form by 5:00pm, Friday 6 December 2019. Your Faculty will contact you soon about online submission arrangements. No late submissions will be accepted. Any student who does not submit a completed form by the deadline will have unchanged course assessment arrangements for all courses taken in Semester 1, 2019-20.

I appreciate your understanding as we seek to fulfil our teaching commitments and facilitate your learning in the closing weeks of the semester. As ever, please feel free to contact me with any queries.

Best wishes, Ian

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong

 

Seminar Series: Learning as Boundary Crossing

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

Seminar Series: Learning as Boundary Crossing

In this complex world, teaching and learning has been expanding rapidly from classroom study to various learning opportunities in the real world and the virtual space. Many precious learning opportunities exist in the process of crossing boundaries. It becomes important for educators to identify and create such opportunities that will enable our students to learn as they cross boundaries between classroom learning and real-world experiences, the physical world and virtual community, theory and practice, and local and global engagement. In this series, we have included six seminars that will introduce a number of approaches to creating learning opportunities for our students in various boundary-crossing processes.


Seminar 1: Crossing the cultural boundaries: Designing meaningful intercultural interactions

Details of the workshop:

Date : November 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Mr. Kevin Sites and Dr. Jason Pun
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Our classroom is becoming increasingly diverse with students from different countries and cultural backgrounds. Leveraging the cultural diversity will help create many precious learning opportunities among students. Mr. Kevin Sites and Dr. Jason Pun will share with us their approaches to encouraging meaningful intercultural interactions in journalism and science disciplines respectively. Examples include designing intercultural and interdisciplinary projects, facilitating in-class discussions and peer critiques, and organising group work. These approaches are also included in a guidebook on ‘Meaningful Intercultural Interactions’, as a deliverable of a completed Teaching Development Project. We will share the softcopy with all participants and prepare a few hard copies for interested colleagues.

About the Speaker

Award-winning backpack journalist and author Kevin Sites traded a high profile career as a network news producer and correspondent (ABC, NBC and CNN) to become the first Internet correspondent for Yahoo! News. In his groundbreaking Hot Zone project, he covered nearly every war in the world in one year earning the 2006 Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism.

He’s the author of three books on war, all published by Harper Collins imprint, Harper Perennial. The latest, Swimming with Warlords: A Dozen-Year Journey Across the Afghan War, was released October 2014. He’s also the author of, In the Hot Zone: One Man, One Year, Twenty Wars and The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won’t Tell You About What They’ve Seen, Done or Failed to Do in War.

In 2010, Kevin was chosen as a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University and in 2012, he was selected as a Dart Fellow in Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. He’s a contributor to many print and online publications, including Vice, Aeon, Men’s Health, Parade, and Salon.

Dr. Chun Shing Jason Pun is currently Principal Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Since 2012, Dr Pun has served as the course coordinator for Fundamentals of Modern Science, a core science course required for all HKU science students which adopts an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to introduce the students to the broad landscape of science. Dr Pun has also been involved in multiple Teaching Development Grants, ranging from developing observational astronomy, promoting public interest in science through experimental science videos, developing first-year experience and initiating a peer-learning system for science students. He is also the recipient of the Teaching Exchange Fellowship 2017-18 to visit Yale-NUS College, Singapore.


Seminar 2: Creating a cross-city and inter-disciplinary student-based learning environment for Urban development-related disciplines

Details of the workshop:

Date : 7 November 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Ms. Alice Lee and Dr. L.H. Li
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Conventional teaching in professional courses such as real estate development and legal studies requires classroom teaching or small group tutorial discussions where the teaching staff can interact with students directly to convey the necessary knowledge and to understand how students are absorbing the latest changes in professional practices. In order to maximize learning experience in these professional curricula in an ever-changing society, it is necessary to draw on different international resources of knowledge to add value to the programme, but this is usually constrained by timetabling and availability of students, guest speakers and staff. In this presentation, we will illustrate how teaching technology helps to create an online collaborative and interactive discussion platform that enhances the learning outcomes of students in different faculties within HKU as well as students in another city in Mainland China. Our experiment shows that with the help of the innovative online discussion system, constraints such as physical contacts can be circumvented which leads to more opportunities in cross-city and cross-discipline collaborations in teaching and learning. Our experience shows that technology-supported online teaching and discussion platform allows students to understand academic and professional knowledge in other curricula as well as other cities in a more time-effective way. This teaching mode also enriches their learning experience in an internationalized and interdisciplinary environment via a virtual platform. Applying technology in building up an interactive discussion platform makes inter-institution and inter-discipline collaboration easier and more efficient.

About the Speaker

Ms. Alice Lee is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Academic Affairs) of the Faculty of Law, a member of the University Teaching and Learning Quality Committee and other teaching-related committees, and chairman of the HKU Teaching Exchange Fellowship Sub-group as well as the Law Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award panel. She specializes in real property and intellectual property (“IP”) education, and co-launched the IP Ambassador Programme with the HKSAR Intellectual Property Department for students to connect with the industry and reach out to the public. She has received two University-level teaching awards and a student-led Teaching Feedback Award, and has been practising and promoting the core values of the UK Higher Education Academy (“HEA”) since she became an HEA Senior Fellow in 2017.

Dr. L. H. Li is currently an Associate Professor and the Programme Director of the BSc in Surveying in the Department of Real Estate and Construction, the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Li was the Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Architecture, the University of Hong Kong between 2016-2018. A Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar in 2006, Dr. Li has a wide range of research interests in social and economic aspects of land use policy, more specifically in the areas of urban land regeneration; impact of the built environment and urban development. Dr. Li has written over 50 refereed journal papers in these areas, in addition to a number of academic books. Dr. Li has extensive teaching experiences in undergraduate, taught postgraduate and RPG levels both locally in Hong Kong and in Mainland China including Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou. In September, 2018, Dr. Li was awarded Senior Fellow status by the Higher Education Academy.


Seminar 3: Connecting the classroom and the community through authentic assessment and learning activities

Details of the workshop:

Date : 20 November 2019 (Wednesday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Prof. Rick Glofcheski, Ms. Alice Lee, Mr. Kelvin Kwok
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Conventional legal education emphasises on textbook reading and lecturing, with written examinations as the major means of assessment. However, law is supposed to be a practical subject. A student who knows what the law is and how to analyse hypothetical legal questions does not necessarily know how to apply legal principles to everyday life. In order to equip law students with the skill of solving real life problems, legal education has to break boundaries and connect students with the real world. In this seminar, the speakers will show how student-driven and interactive learning and assessing activities can increase students’ engagement in learning and encourage them to apply their legal knowledge.

About the Speaker

Prof. Rick Glofcheski’s primary areas of teaching and research are tort law, labour law and higher education. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Hong Kong Law Journal. He is the author of Tort Law in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Sweet and Maxwell Asia, 4th edn, 2017, 850 pp), co-editor and co-author of Employment Law and Practice in Hong Kong (Sweet & Maxwell Asia, 2nd edn, 2016, 950 pp), and co-editor and co-author of Scaling Up Assessment for Learning in Higher Education (Springer, 2017). After teaching tort law for many years to a large cohort (250+) of students, Rick identified some failings in conventional law teaching. To address these, he designed and introduced over a period of years a series of measures oriented toward a more learner-centered, more authentic and more sustainable learning in which students play an active role in the construction of their learning. His work is the subject of analysis in D. Carless, Excellence in University Assessment (Routledge, 2015). In recognition of his achievements, Rick was awarded the inaugural HKU University Outstanding Teaching Award (2009), the inaugural HKU University Distinguished Teaching Award (2010), the inaugural sector-wide University Grants Committee Teaching Award (2011), and the HKU University Distinguished Teaching Award (2015). Rick has presented his work at conferences, workshops and seminars at universities around the world.

Ms. Alice Lee is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Academic Affairs) of the Faculty of Law, a member of the University Teaching and Learning Quality Committee and other teaching-related committees, and chairman of the HKU Teaching Exchange Fellowship Sub-group as well as the Law Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award panel. She specializes in real property and intellectual property (“IP”) education, and co-launched the IP Ambassador Programme with the HKSAR Intellectual Property Department for students to connect with the industry and reach out to the public. She has received two University-level teaching awards and a student-led Teaching Feedback Award, and has been practising and promoting the core values of the UK Higher Education Academy (“HEA”) since she became an HEA Senior Fellow in 2017.

Mr. Kelvin Kwok is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong. His research and teaching interests lie in competition law, business/commercial law and the interdisciplinary areas of law and technology, law and economics, and law and philosophy. In recognition of his teaching excellence and leadership as BBA(Law)&LLB Programme Co-Director and International Mooting Director, he was awarded the Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award 2016 and the University Early Career Teaching Award 2017. He has been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2019. He has successfully coached HKU student teams for international mooting competitions, winning championship on three occasions. He is active in knowledge exchange through his media appearances and involvement in the work of the International Competition Network and the Consumer Council.


Seminar 4: Join-the-Conversation: Nurturing Global Citizens: How Far Have We Gone?

Details of the workshop:

Date : 25 November 2019 (Monday)
Time : 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Ms. Jessie Chow, Mr Paul Myers, Prof. Davis Bookhart
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou (HKU), Dr. Lisa Law (HKBU), Dr. Beatrice Chu (HKUST)
Organiser : Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU
Co-organisers : Center for Education Innovation, HKUST; Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning, HKBU

Abstract

Being globally minded, culturally competent and socially responsible are some essential attributes for students to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. While developing global citizenship is often placed high on the agenda for many higher education institutions around the world, there are still questions and issues worth exploring. For example, what makes a global citizen? How do we define global citizenship in our contexts? Can global citizenship be developed through a significant experiential learning experience? Or do we need a pathway to guide students steadily toward such a goal? In this Join-the-Conversation event, our three speakers from different institutions will share their approaches and practices while engaging the participants in further discussion.

About the Speaker

Ms. Jessie M.L. Chow is a lecturer (experiential learning) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong where she has been instrumental in the establishment of local and overseas experiential learning projects across undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes. She is a trained teacher and educational psychologist with extensive experience in working with schools and NGOs, and organising service-learning projects. She has published an online guidebook for facilitators in EL with her research team (http://bit.ly/HKU_EL_guidebook). Miss Chow is also a recipient of the Faculty’s and University’s Outstanding Teaching Awards (team award).

Mr. Paul Myers has been a lecturer in the Hong Kong Baptist University Language Centre since 2013. Prior to his time there he taught English as a foreign language in several international locations. Just to name a few: Universities in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, English language tutorial centres in Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Non-profit organisations in Seattle, Washington where he worked closely with newly arrived refugees to the United States. He also regularly runs training sessions for new teachers (English as a second language) in Vietnam and Thailand. Paul also is a registered speaking test examiner for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). During his time teaching, Paul has met and worked with thousands of students from ‘all walks of life’. Therefore, he has a unique perspective on ‘cultural sensitivity’ and how being aware of this phenomenon develops a more internationalised classroom. With this understanding, the ideology of the ‘global citizen’ can be further understood and expounded on in educational contexts.

Prof. Davis Bookhart joined HKUST in 2013 to develop the university’s first comprehensive sustainability master plan (the HKUST 2020 Sustainability Challenge). After adoption by University Council, Bookhart now serves as the steward of the Plan’s implementation, and has an academic appointment in the Division of Environment and Sustainability. Bookhart came to HKUST after eight years as the founding director of the Office of Sustainability at Johns Hopkins University, following six years as Senior Research Director at the Consumer Energy Council of America. He is Chair of the Task Force on Sustainability Progress of the HK Sustainable Campus Consortium, and serves as Advisory Board member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).


Seminar 5: A connected virtual community for learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 29 November 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Pauline Luk, Mr. Francis Tsoi, Dr. Sarah Chan
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Beginning in 2018-19, all third year medical students at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong embark on a mandatory, credit-bearing enrichment year of their own choosing. This novel initiative allows students opportunities for substantive engagement in their personal areas of interest related to research, service or humanitarian work, pursuit of higher degrees, or university exchange anywhere in the world. A commercially developed online virtual community of learning is engaged to provide learning and social support to students and to help them link their diverse experiences with the common goal of being a doctor. This serves as a platform to connect students, mentors, and the Faculty. In this seminar, the experience of using social media for cross-boundary learning would be shared by examining the nature, pattern and content of online interactions and identifying features which support learning and personal growth, from project management, technical and mentorship perspectives.

About the Speaker

Dr. Pauline Luk received her PhD in Communications and New Media from the National University of Singapore. She is currently a Project Manager at the Bau Institute of Medical and Health Sciences Education (BIMHSE) of The University of Hong Kong. She coordinates a cross-institutional project, connect*ed, which aims at connecting and engaging undergraduate medical and educational students in a virtual environment. She is mainly responsible for the overall management and administrative work of the project, with development of educational initiatives and research as the key components.

Mr. Francis Tsoi is a Project Officer of connect*ed project. He obtained his BA and MSc (Information technology in Education) from The University of Hong Kong. He has rich experience in eLearning projects and involved in various e-Learning research and evaluation projects in The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Institute of Education (now The Education University of Hong Kong). He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator.

Dr. Sarah Chan is a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is a part-time lecturer at the Bau Institute of Medical and Health Sciences Education (BIMHSE) of The University of Hong Kong. To broaden her knowledge and skills, she has completed diploma courses in Dermatology, Child Health and Family Medicine after graduation from medical school. Since June 2018, she has been a mentor in the connect*ed project. Moreover, she is currently a member of the Enrichment Year Sub-Committee (Service/ Humanitarian Work).


Seminar 6: Bored by sitting in rows? Explore new learning spaces at HKU (Details to be confirmed)


HKU staff and invited guests only.

Registration

For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Moving Beyond the Classroom: Using Flexible Approaches to Support Teaching and Learning in Uncertain Circumstances (2)

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 22 October 2019 (Tuesday)
Time : 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Susan Bridges, Ms. Tanya Kempston, Prof. Samson Tse
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Learning nowadays is not confined to the classroom. Using flexible approaches and adopting some easy technology solutions can enable students to learn everywhere and anytime. This is particularly useful in uncertain circumstances (e.g. unstable weather conditions, transportation delays) when students and teachers may not be able to gather together physically. In this seminar, the three speakers will share with us their approaches to facilitating flexible learning. Participants will be able to explore in what ways these approaches might be relevant to their own teaching.

About the Speaker

Dr. Susan Bridges is Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Teaching & Learning) with the Faculty of Education and the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and Adjunct Professor with the Australian Catholic University. She supports curriculum re-design, innovation and staff development at HKU with a particular focus on professional programmes (health professions and teacher education). Her research explores the ‘how’ of effective pedagogy and health communication through interactional and ethnographic approaches. She is the principal investigator of 4 HKSAR General Research Fund (GRF) grants and was awarded teaching excellence awards in Hong Kong in 2012 (Team Award) and at the QS Wharton Re-Imagine Education Awards in 2016 (Bronze Asia; Health Sciences). She currently serves on the Steering Group of the Universitas21 (U21) Educational Innovation Cluster which supports excellence and innovation in higher education across this international network. Her latest co-edited volume, Interactional Research into Problem-based Learning will be published with Purdue University Press in 2020.


Ms. Tanya Kempston is a Lecturer in the Unit of Teacher Education and Leadership Learning, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. She has worked as a front-line teacher of English Language and Literature in secondary schools in Northern Ireland, Japan and Hong Kong and was a Curriculum Development Officer in the Hong Kong Education Bureau before joining the University of Hong Kong. Tanya was awarded an Master of Arts with Distinction in Drama and Theatre Education from the University of Warwick, UK and is a recipient of her Faculty and University’s Outstanding Teacher Awards (2016-17 and 2017-18) She works in pre- and in-service education and teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She believes passionately in access to the arts for all and taking learning outside the university environment.


Prof. Samson Tse has taught in New Zealand and Hong Kong for over 25 years; the pedagogy adopted in his teaching includes the adult learning model, promotion of critical thinking skills, and role modeling. Samson presents to groups around the globe about issues about: Living beyond mental disability and improving service users’ experience. Samson has served in governmental, and non-governmental organization advisory committees in New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong. He is passionate about putting recovery approach into practice cross-culturally. Jointly with his community partners and colleagues, he has contributed to the development and implementation of strengths model of case management and peer support services in Hong Kong and the region.

HKU staff and invited guests only.

Registration

For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Moving Beyond the Classroom: Using Flexible Approaches to Support Teaching and Learning in Uncertain Circumstances (1)

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 17 October 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 1:10 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Prof. Gina Marchetti, Prof. Mike Botelho, Dr. Caroline Dingle
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Learning nowadays is not confined to the classroom. Using flexible approaches and adopting some easy technology solutions can enable students to learn everywhere and anytime. This is particularly useful in uncertain circumstances (e.g. unstable weather conditions, transportation delays) when students and teachers may not be able to gather together physically. In this seminar, the three speakers will share with us their approaches to facilitating flexible learning. Participants will be able to explore in what ways these approaches might be relevant to their own teaching.

About the Speaker

Prof. Gina Marchetti teaches courses in film, gender and sexuality, critical theory and cultural studies at the University of Hong Kong. She is the author of Romance and the “Yellow Peril”: Race, Sex and Discursive Strategies in Hollywood Fiction (Berkeley: University of California, 1993), From Tian’anmen to Times Square: Transnational China and the Chinese Diaspora on Global Screens (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006), and The Chinese Diaspora on American Screens: Race, Sex, and Cinema (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2012), Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s INFERNAL AFFAIRS—The Trilogy (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2007), and Citing China: Politics, Postmodernism, and World Cinema (Hawai’i, 2018), among other publications. Her most recent book is The Palgrave Handbook of Asian Cinema, co-edited with Aaron Han Joon Magnan-Park and See Kam Tan (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2018). Visit the website https://hkwomenfilmmakers.wordpress.com/ for more information about her work on Hong Kong women filmmakers since 1997. To register for her Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Hong Kong cinema, go to https://www.edx.org/course/hong-kong-cinema-through-global-lens-hkux-hku06-1x .


Prof. Michael Botelho been actively involved in the design, development and implementation of a range of curriculum innovations and reforms in: PBL, e-learning and competency assessments. He has a particular interest in video and has used these for a number of learning scenarios and needs. In particular he created additional video learning content for students who were absent from class during a previous social unrest movement. These videos were watched at a greater rate than just the students who were missing from class showing students consumption and hunger for learning content.


Dr. Caroline Dingle serves as the Coordinator for the Environmental Science major at HKU and teaches courses in Environmental Science and Ecology & Biodiversity. She also teaches a Common Core course on Women in Science. She actively seeks to find ways to engage students both in and outside the formal classroom setting and maintains an open door policy for student consultations. Dr Dingle has used various social media tools in classrooms to encouragement student engagement with course material outside formal classroom hours, and has been involved in efforts to create online materials for enhancing student learning. ​

Registration

For information, please contact:
Ms. Noranda Zhang , CETL
Phone: 3917 4729; Email: noranda@hku.hk​

HKU’s Common Core Team wins the UGC Teaching Award 2019

Congratulations! HKU’s Common Core Teaching Team wins the University Grants Committee Teaching Award 2019! Here, receiving the award at the UGC office are (left to right) Mr Matthew Pryor, Professor Gina Marchetti, Director of Common Core Professor Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Dr Xiao Hu, and Dr Julian Tanner. Learn more about #HKU Common Core courses and the team’s outstanding achievements at http://www.hku.hk/press/news_detail_20033.html

Technology-enabled Feedback Processes

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Details of the workshop:

Date : 15 October 2019 (Tuesday)
Time : 12:45pm – 2:00pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Naomi Winstone, Head of the Department of Higher Education, The University of Surrey, UK
Discussant : Prof. David Carless, Faculty of Education, HKU
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

In the domain of assessment and feedback, technology has the potential to streamline the process or facilitate practices not possible without the use of technology. Technology is less effective, however, if it replicates transmission-focused feedback modes through a different medium, and it is important to consider how the use of technology adds further educational value. In this talk, I argue that technology can facilitate effective feedback processes, if built upon a strong pedagogic rationale. I draw upon a systematic review of the literature (Winstone et al., 2017) and student perceptions of educational technology (Parker & Winstone, 2017) to evaluate different approaches to technology-enabled feedback processes. I then discuss examples of practice as presented in Winstone and Carless (2019) that demonstrate the affordance of technology in feedback processes. The main aim of the talk is to stimulate the adoption of effective ways of using technology to enable productive feedback processes.

About the Speaker

Dr Naomi Winstone is a cognitive psychologist specialising in learning behaviour and engagement with education, particularly the processing and implementation of feedback. Naomi is a Reader in Higher Education, and Head of the Department of Higher Education at the University of Surrey, UK. Naomi is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a National Teaching Fellow. Her recently published book, co-authored with David Carless, is entitled Designing effective feedback processes in higher education.


HKU staff and invited guests only.

Contact Information
For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Registration

Effective Approaches to Partnering with Students

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Details of the workshop:

Date : 4 October 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:45pm – 2:00pm pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Chris Deneen, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Curriculum and Assessment, University of Melbourne
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Partnering with students positions them as change agents in their own learning. This approach has potential to produce significant benefits at subject, degree program and institutional levels. Partnering with students, however requires careful planning and consideration. How ready are students to act as change agents? How should we set the scope and focus of the partnership? How can we understand and evaluate the outcomes of our partnerships?

This seminar aims to address these questions through exploring two case studies in student partnership. The first case involves Singaporean PGDE students’ deep engagement with the redevelopment and running of a school leadership subject. The second case examines an ongoing project in University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business and Economics involving students’ development of rubrics and video exemplars for subject assessment tasks.

The seminar will focus on lessons learned and adoptable approaches. How students as partners approaches integrate within University of Melbourne’s large-scale development initiative, FlexAP will also be discussed.

About the Speaker

Chris is a senior lecturer in higher education curriculum and assessment with The Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education at University of Melbourne. His work focuses on the understanding and provision of effective learning engagements in universities. Chris has held several higher education positions in the culturally diverse contexts of New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. He is the recipient of multiple awards for innovation and excellence in teaching practice.

Chris’ research focuses on innovative approaches to higher education assessment. He is especially interested in assessment change management and assessment-enabling technologies. He has authored 37 publications on assessment-related topics and has received over 2.5 million AUD in external research funding. His latest, upcoming publication in Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education examines how undergraduates use self- and peer feedback in developing teamwork competencies.


HKU staff and invited guests only.

Contact Information
For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Registration

Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme Seminar – Grants for overseas reciprocal visits through ‘Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme’

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Details of the workshop:

Date : 17 October, 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 12:00nn – 1:00pm
Venue : Room 321, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Building (Main Campus), HKU
Chairman : Ms Alice Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Law, HKU
Facilitator : Dr. Luke Fryer, Associate Professor, CETL, HKU

Abstract

Grants for overseas reciprocal visits through ‘Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme’

To promote HKU staff to bring in new ideas and teaching methods to improve teaching through interaction with overseas university teachers, HKU will award up to $50,000 for reciprocal staff visits. This funding is provided through the “Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme”. The seminar provides an overview of this funding scheme and information on the application process. Staff will be guided on how to go about planning exchange visits to enhance the scholarship of teaching at HKU, which is the aim of the scheme. It will explain, and also showcase examples, on how this funding opportunity can be used by HKU teaching staff to share experience and to collaborate on teaching and curriculum development initiatives with overseas reputable universities through reciprocal visits.

The seminar is open to all teaching staff interested in finding out more about this Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme. Staff will be provided an overview of the scheme, how to lodge an application, the key objectives, amounts they can apply for, eligibility and advice in preparing an application. Staff who are thinking about applying are strongly encouraged to attend. Staff who attended the last seminar but found they had insufficient time to make overseas contacts, or who are thinking of planning ahead, in time for the next round (having a November 15th, 2019 closing date), would also find the seminar useful. If you are not sure whether this scheme would be relevant to teaching innovations you have in mind, or would simply like to know more about the scheme, you are welcome. The Circular on this scheme can be found at https://intraweb.hku.hk/reserved_2/cdqa/doc/TEFS/TEFS_2019-20.pdf.


HKU staff and invited guests only.

Contact Information
For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Registration

Pedagogical Innovation Seminar Series – Making Learning Fun and Stimulating

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Pedagogical Innovation Seminar Series – Making learning fun and stimulating

If we truly want our students to be innovative and forward-looking, we probably need to take a look at our teaching – have we created (or co-created with our students) a learning experience that is fun, stimulating and intellectually challenging? This pedagogical innovation seminar series aims to explore a number of pedagogical innovations that enhance students’ learning experiences. Participants will learn innovative ideas and practical strategies, and discuss how these might be relevant to their own classroom. The details of the seminars are as follows:

Seminar 1: Supporting students’ motivation to learn: A delicate matter

Details of the workshop:

Date : 12 September 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Martijn Leenknecht, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

According to Self-Determination Theory, a teacher can support students’ autonomous motivation by providing autonomy support, structure, and being involved. By doing so, the teacher is nurturing students’ basic psychological needs of respectively autonomy, competence, and relatedness. However, supporting students’ motivation is not that evident in practice. The three aspects (or dimensions) of a motivating teaching style cannot be applied together very easily in each situation or context. Moreover, students perceive the style of their teacher differently and they seem not to be able to differentiate among the dimensions of the teacher’s style. In this workshop some theoretical issues will be raised and we will explore together the practical implications. Central question of the workshop is: What to do and what not to do as a teacher in order to motivate your students optimally?

About the Speaker

Martijn Leenknecht is working as an educational researcher and policy advisor at HZ University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands. This academic year he is finishing his PhD-project on (de)motivating teaching styles in higher education. Starting from Self-Determination Theory, he tries to untangle students’ perceptions of the dimensions of (de)motivating teaching styles in order to provide teachers at his institute (and beyond) with guidelines on how to optimally support students’ motivation. He is doing his PhD in part-time and he works also for the research group Excellence in Primary Education (HZ University of Applied Sciences), where he transforms his research to primary education and provides workshops for teachers from elementary schools. In his role as policy advisor, his focus is on assessment and he wrote (and is currently rewriting) the assessment policy of his institute. He is founder and coordinator of the Dutch national network “Learning from Assessments”, which is dedicated to calling attention to students’ role in assessment and the learning function of assessment. Topics the network is working on are for instance formative assessment, programmatic assessment, and feedback seeking behaviour of students. Besides research, the network produces practical guidelines and tools for teachers in higher education and organises seminars and symposia.


Seminar 2: Creating communication-rich video-based assessments:
The Narrated Video Project Model

Details of the workshop:

Date : 17 September 2019 (Tuesday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Mr. Patrick Desloge, Ms. Heidy Wong
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

In recent years the use of digital media, especially video, for assessment purposes has become increasingly common as teachers push to create assessment tasks that will reflect the ubiquitous nature of media and technology in the learning environment. While the use of video has the potential to enhance learning and assessment, the introduction of this technology can, if not approached carefully, distract students from their primary task and create logistical burdens for teachers.

This seminar will present a model for using video-based assessment we are labelling as the ‘Narrated Video Project (NVP)’. This model taps the potential of video-based assessment while leading students to produce a product which is:

  • communication-rich,
  • technically contained and not overly complex, and
  • suitable for both informative and reflective assessments.

The central communicative element in the NVP is a refined spoken narration and a technically simple visual track. By parsing out the audio and visual components in the production phase, this technique leads students to maintain a clear focus on the central message of their production. Furthermore, we will explain the pedagogy in such a way as to allow learners to reflect upon and refine their spoken English proficiency and develop visual literacy in ways that are difficult with oral presentations.

We will present and share exemplar work, task descriptions and rubrics of this process-focused production model. This seminar will outline a model which has led to the development of NVP as an assessment tool and present exemplar assessment guidelines and rubrics.

Finally, the participants will engage in a discussion around the type of support from CAES that would be useful moving forward with assessments such as the one outlined in this presentation. As we are currently scaling up our capacity to support colleagues across all faculties, we are looking for teachers already working on related assessments or interested in incorporating this type of project into their own courses. In both cases, we can provide support in forms of staff consultations to discuss the design and operationalisation of digital or spoken assessments, workshops and peer consultations for students.

About the Speaker

Mr. Patrick Desloge is Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of Digital Literacy Communication Support Services in the Centre for Applied English Studies. He has been working in the area of education technology for nearly two decades. In recent years he has taken on two large projects: As the Director of the Nurturing Global Leaders (NGL) programme, he oversees an 8-week international experiential learning project with two digital media-based assessments. This project intersects with his second area of interest, digital literacies, where he is investigating the potential of digital media, specifically Digital Storytelling, as a mechanism to assess experiential learning.

Ms. Heidy Wong is a Lecturer in the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU where she has developed and coordinated English-in-the-Discipline courses for undergraduate students. Over the years she has developed an interest in e-pedagogy, and has written a number of multimodal blended learning materials to improve students’ academic literacy in different projects. She now coordinates the CAES Speaking Studio and is a trained Digital Storytelling Facilitator.


Seminar 3: Join-the-conversation: Creative use of student-generated contents to enrich learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 26 September 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Nicol Pan, Mr. Nikolas Ettel, and Dr. Shuang Wang
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU and Prof. Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Director of Common Core, HKU

Abstract

Using student-generated contents is a powerful strategy to enrich learning. This join-the-conversation event brings three speakers from different disciplines to share with us their creative use of student-generated contents (e.g. films, narratives, prototypes, digital objects) to make learning personally relevant, engaging, and stimulating. Participants will see practical examples and join the conversation to discuss how they might be relevant or adapted to their own classes.

About the Speaker

Dr. Nicol Pan has been teaching the Common Core course on Virtual Reality (VR) prior to taking up the Associate Directorship of the Common Core Curriculum. She has worked in the field of education with a particular focus on eLearning and its pedagogical applications for many years. In her capacity as an educational researcher and instructional designer, Nicol has worked across academic disciplines at HKU. She has also worked extensively with non-academic institutions and commercial companies in developing VR training programs, including Cathay Pacific and the Police Academy. Nicol is happy to join the Common Core team, and hopes to continue to work with talented people from across the faculties and departments to create innovative and stimulating courses and projects that bring about a positive impact on students’ lives.

Mr. Nikolas Ettel is a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. Born in Vienna, he holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. In London he received The Bartlett Master’s Scholarship to complete his Master of Arts in Architectural History at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Nikolas has taught design and architectural theory courses in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo, and was a Visiting Lecturer at University of Saint Joseph Macau. His elective course Architecture & Memory takes a closer look at the art of motion pictures, in which students explore the productive interplay between cinematic productions and architectural discourses. The aim is to focus attention on works of quality in order to create new grounds for architectural discussions while enhancing our understanding of existing ones.

Dr. Shuang Wang is lecturer at the School of Chinese. She has been involved in teaching the Common Core courses since 2015. She is dedicated to using pedagogical innovations to enhance students’ engagement. She is the Principal Investigator of the project entitled “Pilot Project on Student Generated Knowledge: An Oral History Online Archival Database,” which won a Teaching Development Grant in 2018. This project has developed a model of student-generated knowledge database which helps students achieve a deeper level of thinking and engagement.


Seminar 4: Designing games and illustrations for innovative learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 3 October 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Winnie Law and Mr. Gavin Coates
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Games and illustrations are increasingly used to make learning fun. It is probably true that most students love games. Meanwhile, we need to ensure that the games and illustrations actually support meaningful learning of the subject rather than simply entertain students. In this seminar, Dr. Winnie Law and Mr. Gavin Coates will share with us how they design games and illustrations to engage students and also support their achievement of the intended learning outcomes. Welcome to join this seminar to discover a fun and meaningful learning experience.

About the Speaker

Dr. Winnie Law is Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer in the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong. Dr Law teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses on sustainable development, community planning and environmental management at The University of Hong Kong. She also works with a team of researchers and conducts policy research, action research and knowledge exchange projects on rural revitalization, social innovation, community engagement and corporate sustainability. Dr Law has been a director of the Conservancy Association since 2005 and she currently sits on a number of Hong Kong SAR Government’s advisory committees including Advisory Council for the Environment, Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, Steering Committee for Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme, Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries and Agricultural Products Scholarship Fund Advisory Committee. She was also engaged by the UNEP and EU as social monitoring expert and planning consultant for environmental management projects in Vietnam.


Seminar 5: The potential of Video Vox for enhancing learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 11 October 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Prof. Mike Botelho and Ms. Nicole Tavares
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Video Vox is an innovative video player and learning management system that allows new interaction possibilities with video content, it also allows teachers to house course materials. In particular, it allows the opportunity for the insertion of questions or comments to be timestamped in the video where students or teachers can start an asynchronous dialogue in a discussion board type format. Multiple choice questions can also be embedded in or outside the video for interaction or assessing understanding.

Today we will have feedback from early adopters who have trialed the platform in their teaching.

Nicole Tavares will share with us how she has been experimenting with the use of Video Vox in undergraduate and postgraduate courses to engage students in: professional dialogues, collaborative learning and joint reflections of their own classroom teaching experiences. The impact of using Video Vox in providing formative feedback and in supporting students in a related assessment task will be discussed. Nicole will also be reflecting on how students’ voice guides her practice.

Kennedy Chan will share with us how Video Vox can be used as a formative assessment tool to elicit pre-service science teachers’ initial knowledge bases about teaching and learning and to track their changing knowledge bases through engaging them in progressive reflection on the same video clips.

Michael Botelho will show how he has used the platform for using authentic clinical teaching encounters highlighting expert-student dialogue to support students’ learning.

About the Speaker

Prof. Michael Botelho has been at the University of Hong Kong for over 20 years and has been actively involved in the design, development and implementation of a range of curriculum innovations and reforms in: PBL, e-learning, simulation training and competency assessments. He has published and presented on dental education in journals and at conferences locally and internationally and has conducted workshops on PBL, facilitator training, problem writing and standards descriptors for clinical skills performances. He is actively involved in the scholarship of teaching and learning and has been awarded a number of teaching development grants and a number of teaching and learning prizes including the Hong Kong UGC teaching award.

Miss Nicole Tavares is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at HKU where she teaches a range of English Language Teaching methodology courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her expertise lies in using educational technologies and social media in promoting teacher professional development, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) practices, 21st century skills learning, interactive assessment, feedback, mistake-management and collaborative learning – all with a prime focus on student-centredness, learner engagement, teacher-student communication and the student voice. Her 2013 co-authored article published in Computers & Education titled ‘From Moodle to Facebook: Exploring students’ motivation and experiences in online communities’ has achieved 245 citations to date. For her commitment to and innovations in teaching and learning, she was presented with multiple awards by her Faculty: Distinguished Teacher Award (2006), Knowledge Exchange (Team) Award (2010), Teacher Effectiveness Award for the highest average SETL ratings in undergraduate programmes (2011–2014) and Outstanding Teaching Award (2015). She was also an HKU Outstanding Teaching Award winner in 2015. Nicole is dedicated to enhancing students’ learning experiences, never ceases to try out new teaching ideas in class and is delighted to share her insights on how research informs practice.​

Dr. Kennedy Chan is an Assistant Professor in Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). His research area includes teacher professional knowledge and use of video in teacher education. He is an invited participant of the second Pedagogy Content Knowledge (PCK) summit in the Netherlands and an awardee of several teaching awards, including the University Early Career Teaching Award, Student-led Teaching Feedback award and a finalist of the 2019 University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award (Early Career Faculty Members).


Seminar 6: Socialised learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 18 October 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Mr. Mathew Pryor and Ms. Hanyuning Lin
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

In this seminar, we will introduce a Socialised Learning (SL) pedagogical model which was generated from inductive content analysis of qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students from a flipped-design common core course. As the name implies, the model identifies key social elements in learning design that can facilitate meaningful interactivity and collaboration amongst students, namely: knowledge exchange and integration; co-regulation; socially shared-regulation; peer support; peer pressure; and critical reflection. By adjusting the emphasis of these, SL endeavours to enrich students learning experiences, achieve significant enhancement of engagement (emotional and behavioural) and strengthen learning outcomes (academic gains and general skills). Practical guidance will be offered to help course designers maximise the socialisation in both online and offline learning environments.

About the Speaker

Mr. Mathew Pryor is an Associate Professor (Teaching), Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Architecture HKU, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). He is engaged in long term pedagogical studies on the use of digital media in the teaching of architecture and the socialisation of online learning within blended learning courses. Mathew is a recipient of a Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (USA) Excellence in Teaching Award (2019), HKU Teaching Excellence Team Award (2018), Faculty of Architecture Outstanding Teaching Award (2017) and HKU Teaching Excellence Award (2012), and has published academic papers and spoken at many conferences and seminars on transdisciplinary and experiential learning, and student engagement.

Ms. Hanyuning Lin is currently a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Architecture, HKU. She achieved a Master degree in Information Technology in Education and an Honour Bachelor degree in Psychology. Her research interest is student socialisation, emotion, engagement, motivation and learning outcomes in the technology-supported collaborative learning environment.


HKU staff and invited guests only.

Contact Information
For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Registration

Pedagogical Innovation Seminar Series – Making Learning Fun and Stimulating

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Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Pedagogical Innovation Seminar Series – Making learning fun and stimulating

If we truly want our students to be innovative and forward-looking, we probably need to take a look at our teaching – have we created (or co-created with our students) a learning experience that is fun, stimulating and intellectually challenging? This pedagogical innovation seminar series aims to explore a number of pedagogical innovations that enhance students’ learning experiences. Participants will learn innovative ideas and practical strategies, and discuss how these might be relevant to their own classroom. The details of the seminars are as follows:

Seminar 1: Supporting students’ motivation to learn: A delicate matter

Details of the workshop:

Date : 12 September 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Martijn Leenknecht, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

According to Self-Determination Theory, a teacher can support students’ autonomous motivation by providing autonomy support, structure, and being involved. By doing so, the teacher is nurturing students’ basic psychological needs of respectively autonomy, competence, and relatedness. However, supporting students’ motivation is not that evident in practice. The three aspects (or dimensions) of a motivating teaching style cannot be applied together very easily in each situation or context. Moreover, students perceive the style of their teacher differently and they seem not to be able to differentiate among the dimensions of the teacher’s style. In this workshop some theoretical issues will be raised and we will explore together the practical implications. Central question of the workshop is: What to do and what not to do as a teacher in order to motivate your students optimally?

About the Speaker

Martijn Leenknecht is working as an educational researcher and policy advisor at HZ University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands. This academic year he is finishing his PhD-project on (de)motivating teaching styles in higher education. Starting from Self-Determination Theory, he tries to untangle students’ perceptions of the dimensions of (de)motivating teaching styles in order to provide teachers at his institute (and beyond) with guidelines on how to optimally support students’ motivation. He is doing his PhD in part-time and he works also for the research group Excellence in Primary Education (HZ University of Applied Sciences), where he transforms his research to primary education and provides workshops for teachers from elementary schools. In his role as policy advisor, his focus is on assessment and he wrote (and is currently rewriting) the assessment policy of his institute. He is founder and coordinator of the Dutch national network “Learning from Assessments”, which is dedicated to calling attention to students’ role in assessment and the learning function of assessment. Topics the network is working on are for instance formative assessment, programmatic assessment, and feedback seeking behaviour of students. Besides research, the network produces practical guidelines and tools for teachers in higher education and organises seminars and symposia.


Seminar 2: Creating communication-rich video-based assessments:
The Narrated Video Project Model

Details of the workshop:

Date : 17 September 2019 (Tuesday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Mr. Patrick Desloge, Ms. Heidy Wong
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

In recent years the use of digital media, especially video, for assessment purposes has become increasingly common as teachers push to create assessment tasks that will reflect the ubiquitous nature of media and technology in the learning environment. While the use of video has the potential to enhance learning and assessment, the introduction of this technology can, if not approached carefully, distract students from their primary task and create logistical burdens for teachers.

This seminar will present a model for using video-based assessment we are labelling as the ‘Narrated Video Project (NVP)’. This model taps the potential of video-based assessment while leading students to produce a product which is:

  • communication-rich,
  • technically contained and not overly complex, and
  • suitable for both informative and reflective assessments.

The central communicative element in the NVP is a refined spoken narration and a technically simple visual track. By parsing out the audio and visual components in the production phase, this technique leads students to maintain a clear focus on the central message of their production. Furthermore, we will explain the pedagogy in such a way as to allow learners to reflect upon and refine their spoken English proficiency and develop visual literacy in ways that are difficult with oral presentations.

We will present and share exemplar work, task descriptions and rubrics of this process-focused production model. This seminar will outline a model which has led to the development of NVP as an assessment tool and present exemplar assessment guidelines and rubrics.

Finally, the participants will engage in a discussion around the type of support from CAES that would be useful moving forward with assessments such as the one outlined in this presentation. As we are currently scaling up our capacity to support colleagues across all faculties, we are looking for teachers already working on related assessments or interested in incorporating this type of project into their own courses. In both cases, we can provide support in forms of staff consultations to discuss the design and operationalisation of digital or spoken assessments, workshops and peer consultations for students.

About the Speaker

Mr. Patrick Desloge is Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of Digital Literacy Communication Support Services in the Centre for Applied English Studies. He has been working in the area of education technology for nearly two decades. In recent years he has taken on two large projects: As the Director of the Nurturing Global Leaders (NGL) programme, he oversees an 8-week international experiential learning project with two digital media-based assessments. This project intersects with his second area of interest, digital literacies, where he is investigating the potential of digital media, specifically Digital Storytelling, as a mechanism to assess experiential learning.

Ms. Heidy Wong is a Lecturer in the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU where she has developed and coordinated English-in-the-Discipline courses for undergraduate students. Over the years she has developed an interest in e-pedagogy, and has written a number of multimodal blended learning materials to improve students’ academic literacy in different projects. She now coordinates the CAES Speaking Studio and is a trained Digital Storytelling Facilitator.


Seminar 3: Join-the-conversation: Creative use of student-generated contents to enrich learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 26 September 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Nicol Pan, Mr. Nikolas Ettel, and Dr. Shuang Wang
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU and Prof. Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Director of Common Core, HKU

Abstract

Using student-generated contents is a powerful strategy to enrich learning. This join-the-conversation event brings three speakers from different disciplines to share with us their creative use of student-generated contents (e.g. films, narratives, prototypes, digital objects) to make learning personally relevant, engaging, and stimulating. Participants will see practical examples and join the conversation to discuss how they might be relevant or adapted to their own classes.

About the Speaker

Dr. Nicol Pan has been teaching the Common Core course on Virtual Reality (VR) prior to taking up the Associate Directorship of the Common Core Curriculum. She has worked in the field of education with a particular focus on eLearning and its pedagogical applications for many years. In her capacity as an educational researcher and instructional designer, Nicol has worked across academic disciplines at HKU. She has also worked extensively with non-academic institutions and commercial companies in developing VR training programs, including Cathay Pacific and the Police Academy. Nicol is happy to join the Common Core team, and hopes to continue to work with talented people from across the faculties and departments to create innovative and stimulating courses and projects that bring about a positive impact on students’ lives.

Mr. Nikolas Ettel is a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. Born in Vienna, he holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. In London he received The Bartlett Master’s Scholarship to complete his Master of Arts in Architectural History at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Nikolas has taught design and architectural theory courses in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo, and was a Visiting Lecturer at University of Saint Joseph Macau. His elective course Architecture & Memory takes a closer look at the art of motion pictures, in which students explore the productive interplay between cinematic productions and architectural discourses. The aim is to focus attention on works of quality in order to create new grounds for architectural discussions while enhancing our understanding of existing ones.

Dr. Shuang Wang is lecturer at the School of Chinese. She has been involved in teaching the Common Core courses since 2015. She is dedicated to using pedagogical innovations to enhance students’ engagement. She is the Principal Investigator of the project entitled “Pilot Project on Student Generated Knowledge: An Oral History Online Archival Database,” which won a Teaching Development Grant in 2018. This project has developed a model of student-generated knowledge database which helps students achieve a deeper level of thinking and engagement.


Seminar 4: Designing games and illustrations for innovative learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 3 October 2019 (Thursday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Dr. Winnie Law and Mr. Gavin Coates
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Games and illustrations are increasingly used to make learning fun. It is probably true that most students love games. Meanwhile, we need to ensure that the games and illustrations actually support meaningful learning of the subject rather than simply entertain students. In this seminar, Dr. Winnie Law and Mr. Gavin Coates will share with us how they design games and illustrations to engage students and also support their achievement of the intended learning outcomes. Welcome to join this seminar to discover a fun and meaningful learning experience.

About the Speaker

Dr. Winnie Law is Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer in the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong. Dr Law teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses on sustainable development, community planning and environmental management at The University of Hong Kong. She also works with a team of researchers and conducts policy research, action research and knowledge exchange projects on rural revitalization, social innovation, community engagement and corporate sustainability. Dr Law has been a director of the Conservancy Association since 2005 and she currently sits on a number of Hong Kong SAR Government’s advisory committees including Advisory Council for the Environment, Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, Steering Committee for Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme, Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries and Agricultural Products Scholarship Fund Advisory Committee. She was also engaged by the UNEP and EU as social monitoring expert and planning consultant for environmental management projects in Vietnam.


Seminar 5: The potential of Video Vox for enhancing learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 11 October 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Prof. Mike Botelho and Ms. Nicole Tavares
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

Video Vox is an innovative video player and learning management system that allows new interaction possibilities with video content, it also allows teachers to house course materials. In particular, it allows the opportunity for the insertion of questions or comments to be timestamped in the video where students or teachers can start an asynchronous dialogue in a discussion board type format. Multiple choice questions can also be embedded in or outside the video for interaction or assessing understanding.

Today we will have feedback from early adopters who have trialed the platform in their teaching.

Nicole Tavares will share with us how she has been experimenting with the use of Video Vox in undergraduate and postgraduate courses to engage students in: professional dialogues, collaborative learning and joint reflections of their own classroom teaching experiences. The impact of using Video Vox in providing formative feedback and in supporting students in a related assessment task will be discussed. Nicole will also be reflecting on how students’ voice guides her practice.

Kennedy Chan will share with us how Video Vox can be used as a formative assessment tool to elicit pre-service science teachers’ initial knowledge bases about teaching and learning and to track their changing knowledge bases through engaging them in progressive reflection on the same video clips.

Michael Botelho will show how he has used the platform for using authentic clinical teaching encounters highlighting expert-student dialogue to support students’ learning.

About the Speaker

Prof. Michael Botelho has been at the University of Hong Kong for over 20 years and has been actively involved in the design, development and implementation of a range of curriculum innovations and reforms in: PBL, e-learning, simulation training and competency assessments. He has published and presented on dental education in journals and at conferences locally and internationally and has conducted workshops on PBL, facilitator training, problem writing and standards descriptors for clinical skills performances. He is actively involved in the scholarship of teaching and learning and has been awarded a number of teaching development grants and a number of teaching and learning prizes including the Hong Kong UGC teaching award.

Miss Nicole Tavares is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at HKU where she teaches a range of English Language Teaching methodology courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her expertise lies in using educational technologies and social media in promoting teacher professional development, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) practices, 21st century skills learning, interactive assessment, feedback, mistake-management and collaborative learning – all with a prime focus on student-centredness, learner engagement, teacher-student communication and the student voice. Her 2013 co-authored article published in Computers & Education titled ‘From Moodle to Facebook: Exploring students’ motivation and experiences in online communities’ has achieved 245 citations to date. For her commitment to and innovations in teaching and learning, she was presented with multiple awards by her Faculty: Distinguished Teacher Award (2006), Knowledge Exchange (Team) Award (2010), Teacher Effectiveness Award for the highest average SETL ratings in undergraduate programmes (2011–2014) and Outstanding Teaching Award (2015). She was also an HKU Outstanding Teaching Award winner in 2015. Nicole is dedicated to enhancing students’ learning experiences, never ceases to try out new teaching ideas in class and is delighted to share her insights on how research informs practice.​

Dr. Kennedy Chan is an Assistant Professor in Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). His research area includes teacher professional knowledge and use of video in teacher education. He is an invited participant of the second Pedagogy Content Knowledge (PCK) summit in the Netherlands and an awardee of several teaching awards, including the University Early Career Teaching Award, Student-led Teaching Feedback award and a finalist of the 2019 University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award (Early Career Faculty Members).


Seminar 6: Socialised learning

Details of the workshop:

Date : 18 October 2019 (Friday)
Time : 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus
Speaker : Mr. Mathew Pryor and Ms. Hanyuning Lin
Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU

Abstract

In this seminar, we will introduce a Socialised Learning (SL) pedagogical model which was generated from inductive content analysis of qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students from a flipped-design common core course. As the name implies, the model identifies key social elements in learning design that can facilitate meaningful interactivity and collaboration amongst students, namely: knowledge exchange and integration; co-regulation; socially shared-regulation; peer support; peer pressure; and critical reflection. By adjusting the emphasis of these, SL endeavours to enrich students learning experiences, achieve significant enhancement of engagement (emotional and behavioural) and strengthen learning outcomes (academic gains and general skills). Practical guidance will be offered to help course designers maximise the socialisation in both online and offline learning environments.

About the Speaker

Mr. Mathew Pryor is an Associate Professor (Teaching), Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Architecture HKU, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). He is engaged in long term pedagogical studies on the use of digital media in the teaching of architecture and the socialisation of online learning within blended learning courses. Mathew is a recipient of a Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (USA) Excellence in Teaching Award (2019), HKU Teaching Excellence Team Award (2018), Faculty of Architecture Outstanding Teaching Award (2017) and HKU Teaching Excellence Award (2012), and has published academic papers and spoken at many conferences and seminars on transdisciplinary and experiential learning, and student engagement.

Ms. Hanyuning Lin is currently a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Architecture, HKU. She achieved a Master degree in Information Technology in Education and an Honour Bachelor degree in Psychology. Her research interest is student socialisation, emotion, engagement, motivation and learning outcomes in the technology-supported collaborative learning environment.


HKU staff and invited guests only.

Contact Information
For information, please contact:
Mr. Thomas Lau , CETL
Phone: 3917 4807; Email: kanclau@hku.hk​

Registration