Abstract
As the Chinese Language Proficiency Course is one of the University Core Requirements, except specified students who are granted exemption by attainment, all students are required to complete the requirements for graduation. To ensure the quality of teaching, the Department of Chinese Language and Literature has designed a series of curriculum framework which facilitates students’ language awareness and self-learning ability. However, students who come from different backgrounds have different Chinese learning needs and motivation, the standard teaching practice may not accommodate student diversity. In order to provide students with a holistic approach of learning, various learning activities such as creative events and eLearning tools will be used to supplement the curriculum, extending the scope of the Chinese learning activities or resources and enabling the students to choose the activities according to their learning needs and interests.
Building on the solid groundwork laid by the 2016-19 Triennium and receiving an overwhelming support and positive feedback from both the teachers and students ( ~ 100 workshops attended by 3000 students, 983 essays were received for the “Literary CUHK” writing competition, “Language Map of CUHK 2.0” – over 1100 CUHK staffs members and students downloaded, and over 900 creative works about the campus were submitted by the students since 2017, and “Putonghua Proficiency Mock Test” – over 2400 participants since 2017), the existing project will continue to develop for the 2019-22 Triennium and extend to incorporate the new elements of digital humanities, aiming to boost the quality of teaching and learning in Chinese language proficiency courses.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
By implementing a series of extra learning activities and digital learning tools, this project aimed to improve knowledge and skills of the Chinese language for students, to enhance students’ common learning objectives, and to fulfill students’ diverse learning needs and interests.
Activities, process and outcomes
i) Interactive Lectures offered a variety of workshops, language talks and learning activities related to the Chinese language to students. ii) Various eLearning resources provided students’ self-learning opportunities. iii) The Literary CUHK endeavored to arouse students’ interest in Chinese creative writing; iv) A series of professional development activities were organized to improved teachers’ digital teaching skills.
Deliverables and evaluation
The project team organized 17 workshops, 54 language talks, 6 cultural seminars, 3 award ceremonies and 1 book club; maintained the use of 3 existing eLearning tools and developed new eLearning tools. Students’ opinions on relevant activities and tools were collected via online questionnaires with an overall 90% of the satisfaction rate.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
The outcomes of the project were disseminated through diverse channels: i) project members presented the outcomes of the project on several academic conferences; ii) relevant works were published and promoted on the Facebook page and in one exhibition; iii) A Zoom user guide produced by the project members was distributed inside and outside the university.
Impact on teaching and learning
The activities and tools developed under the project broadened the scope of University Chinese outside the classroom and improved the learning effectiveness of the subject. Professional training activities also enhanced the eLearning application and production capabilities of the Chinese language teaching team.
