1. Teaching product design with a role-playing game (P1, T9)
Prof. Wai Yin Ng & Ka Yu Hui
Department of Information Engineering

In this presentation we present our experience in utilizing a Role-Playing Game as a new strategy to teach engineering students the concepts of industrial product design. Modern product design involves the close cooperation of multiple parties, yet most engineering training are focused on training students on the role of being the one who implements, limiting their understanding of the complete product design process. By asking students to take the different roles of owners (concept originators), designers (concept implementers), and consultants (third-party investigators) in turn, we allow the students a chance to actually feels what it is like to be “at the other side of the table” in many different product design tasks. We find significant changes in the learning behavior of students and how they understand product design in general.

2. Using podcasts and blogs for deeper student engagement (P2, T1)
Prof. Michael Lower
Faculty of Law

This presentation would describe the presenter’s experience of the use of podcasts and a blog to teach a Law course.

The podcasts are used to:

• give a brief introduction to the course in general and to individual topics within it;
• deliver a recording of the lecture itself; and
• record a discussion of the problem questions posed to the class.

The content of the podcasts is closely connected to that contained in written seminar guides that are made available to the students.

The hoped for benefits are:

• greater student understanding of the central issues discussed in the course and their practical relevance; and
• allowing more of the time in class to be spent in discussion and in fine-tuning student understanding.

The course blog will:

• allow issues relevant to the course to be dealt with in greater depth;
• offer ideas for student research projects; and
• be a dynamic, up-to-date resource accessible to students with a special interest in the subject and anyone (student or not) who has an interest in Hong Kong Land Law.

3. Working together: A reflection on collaborative interprofessional teaching & learning (P3, T10)
Prof. Marc Aurel Schnabel¹ & Prof. Evelyn L. C. Howe^2
1School of Architecture (CUHK)
²Faculty of Dentistry (The University of Sydney)

In a tertiary education learning community, the role of teachers is not only to develop student knowledge and skill but also to enrich their own professional development. In the rapidly evolving learning environment of University education today, this involves acquisition of new skills, mastery of new communication media and development of new teaching philosophies that are sufficiently robust to encompass unforeseen consequences of new discoveries and technological change. Subsequently a collaborative learning portfolio was collated by the course coordinators over the duration of the program addressing scholarly and collaborative teaching & learning, and reflective practice.

Social networking and interprofessional collaboration is changing the face of learning not only for students but also for teachers. The ‘Interprofessional Dentistry/Design-Project’ with students from Universities in Sydney and Hong Kong demonstrated the mutual benefit interprofessional education provides for both cohorts of students and their course coordinators (details of which were presented at ‘Teaching and Learning Innovation Expo 2009’: <http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/eLearning/expo2009/abstractlist.html>). In developing the course, the coordinators employed social networking instruments as a platform for virtual engagement, modeling the process to be used by their students once the course commenced. Expert knowledge from each profession and personal strengths were shared to resolve educational problems in course design and delivery in the same way that students subsequently shared their knowledge and skills to explore and resolve the problem-based learning task of developing an oral health promotion program for disparate community audiences.

Social capital of teachers and learners allow for a deeper learning and higher higher levels of collective intelligence by being part of global professional and interprofessional communities. The teachers were able to learn new concepts, marvel at each other's skills and ignorance, mentor each other and motivate each other to achieve a level of personal and professional development in higher education, unlikely to be reached by either person working alone. It enlarged horizons beyond existing fields of expertise, deepened interest in scholarly higher education and fuelled a passion for interdisciplinary education and research within a lifelong learning context.

4. Optimal teaching mix in blended team-based learning – A longitudinal study in CUHK-SCS [innovative teaching strategy] (P4, T4)
Louis Lam
CUHK School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Blended learning (BL) has long been studied by academic researchers in different perspectives (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004; Ginns & Ellis, 2007). Different approaches in BL have been proposed for effective learning outcomes (Conole & Fill, 2005; Kerres & Witt, 2003). Guest (2001) studied the optimal mix of teaching methods in BL. However, seldom do studies address the issues of optimal teaching mix in Team-Based Learning (TBL) for effective learning outcomes. The term “teaching mix” is defined as the mix of teaching methods. The purpose of this study focuses on the subject of blended team-based learning (BTBL) with a specific focus on “optimal teaching mix”. A longitudinal study was carried out with students of the Higher Diploma Programme in Corporate Management and Business Information Systems in CUHK-SCS. The students were arranged to attend courses using two different teaching and learning approaches, i.e. (i) traditional PPT, assignment, test; (ii) BTBL imported from the professional development (PD) units developed by Victoria University (VU), Australia. The aim of PD covers three learning outcomes, i.e. business knowledge, personal attributes and professional skills where the arrangement of BTBL is an optimal teaching mix on consulting with employers and industry. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether the optimal teaching mix of BTBL developed by VU can be applied in CUHK-SCS with the same learning outcomes. The results of this study can facilitate sharing with peers about the importance of optimal teaching mix in BL or BTBL, and also raise the issues of how to optimize the teaching mix in higher education in order to achieve most effective learning outcomes.

References:

• Conole, G., & Fill, K. (2005). A learning design toolkit to create pedagogically effective learning activities. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2005(08). Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/2005/08/conole-2005-08.pdf
• Garrison, D. R., & Kanuka, H. (2004). Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 7(2), 95–105.
• Ginns, P., & Ellis, R. (2007). Quality in blended learning: Exploring the relationships between on-line and face-to-face teaching and learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 53–64.
• Guest, R. (2001). The instructor’s optimal mix of teaching methods. Education Economics, 9(3), 313–326. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/edecon/v9y2001i3p313-326.html
• Kerres, M., & Witt, C. de (2003). A didactical framework for the design of blended learning arrangements. Learning, Media and Technology, 28(2–3), 101–113.

5. Understanding preferences and needs of various features of
informal learning spaces (P5)
Eric Ho, Ziv Kwong, Aaron Siu & Prof. Paul Lam
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The main aim of the Learning Space Project Team is to explore how different places (or spaces) in the campus can be transformed into effective learning spaces. The project focuses on three kinds of learning spaces: teaching spaces (classrooms and lecture halls), formal learning spaces (places that are managed by staff, such as the learning areas in the Library), and informal learning spaces (other areas that are designed to facilitate a range of learning activities).

In this poster presentation, we highlight a recent research study we have completed regarding students’ preferences for informal learning spaces. The study involved: 1) observations and interviews conducted with users in the Esther Lee Informal Study Area (ELISA); and 2) one-to-one discussions with 16 students who looked at pictures and told us what they liked and disliked regarding a number of specific informal learning space designs. This data has led to useful information regarding the location and design of informal learning spaces that meet students’ learning needs.

6. Validation of two eLearning exercises: FACS and VP in medical teaching (P6, T6)
Joseph Leung¹, Prof. Lester Critchley¹, Alex Yung² & Prof. Shekhar Kumta^3
1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
²Teaching and Learning Resource Centre (Faculty of Medicine)
³Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

Introduction:
We have been using two eLearning exercises: Formative Assessment Cases Studies (FACS) and Virtual Patient (VP) to teach our final-year medical students peri-operative patient care in a 2-week module. To investigate their effectiveness, we introduced new materials on acute pain management with three FACS and one VP-story chapter.

Methods:
Sixteen groups of 7–10 students were exposed to one of four combinations of pain FACS and/or pain VP.

Three examinations were given. Each contains several general and pain test items.

• Students (N=132) sat a 60-item MCQ. Data from one (administered to 69 students) was analyzed.
• An end-of-module written question.
• A final MBBS examination written question.

The tests grades were recorded along with the time spent on each exercises.

Results:
Exposure to Pain FACS improved performance in all three examinations; pain MCQ by 16.9% (p=0.032); module written paper by 9.56% (p<0.001) and final examination by 16.0% (p<0.001). The pain VP showed no discernable improvement (p>0.05). Median (inter-quartile range) time spent logged was 2:08 (1:30-3:13) and 2:08 (0:27-3:53) hours for pain FACS and VP, respectively.

Conclusions:
The inclusion of eLearning sites on specific topics was shown to improve examination performance. FACS performed better than VP.

7. An insight on final year medical students’ view on interactive eLearning (P7, T13)
Joseph Leung¹, Prof. Lester Critchley¹, Alex Yung² & Prof. Shekhar Kumta^3
1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
²Teaching and Learning Resource Centre (Faculty of Medicine)
³ Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

Introduction:
Interactive eLearning is commonly used in medical education. Being online, it is readily available but requires student self-motivation to obtain full benefit. It overcomes the problems with the ad-hoc nature of patient-based teaching. Recently, we introduced interactive eLearning onto our anaesthesia course and have studied its impact.

Materials and Methods:
Final-year medical students (N=132) had access to two eLearning websites during an anaesthesia module: (i) Formative Assessment Cases Studies (FACS) and (ii) Virtual Patient (VP). An e-survey was administered afterwards. Views solicited were time logged on, opinions and experiences regarding the two exercises, and usefulness in preparing for future placement.

Results:
Ninety-four students replied. Median (inter-quartile range) time spent logged in was 8 (5¼ to 10¼) hours. All respondents claimed to have completed the exercises and worked independently. 76% of respondents found the eLearning experience enjoyable and 93% appreciated having access to them. 50% felt FACS was more efficient and enjoyable than VP, with 16% disagreeing. 86% were more confident about handling patients and 72% felt they now knew what was involved.

Conclusions:
Medical students find eLearning exercises like FACS and VP useful and enjoyable. Preference was toward FACS which maybe more interactive and formative. ELearning can be used to prepare students for future work situations.

8. Learning through teaching: An undergraduate learning assistant scheme (P8)
Prof. H. Q. Lin, Prof. M. C. Chu, Dr K. M. Pang & Jay Leung
Department of Physics

Though we always say school is a miniature of society, there is a real big gap between the school environment and the reality, especially in the present society. While rote learning was popular in the past, the orthodox spoon-feeding approach creates passive learners who are unable to compete in today’s ever-changing environment. Last year, we obtained a Teaching Development Grant, funded by the University Grants Committee, from CUHK to launch this project namely ‘Learning Through Teaching – An Undergraduate Learning Assistant Scheme’, which was a training programme designed to enhance the generic competences of our students. The programme consisting of four stages included learning and teaching activities such as seminars, training workshops, and teaching internships. Quantitative and qualitative data were also collected and summarized for evaluation.

The project aims to involve our students in a more self-motivated and reflective learning environment, and to inspire similar teaching and learning practices in our institution. More importantly, we hope our students are able to attain personal fulfillment, success and happiness after all.

In this poster, we are delighted to share with you our experience and the practices of this project.

9. Evaluation of web-enriched resources in enhancing baccalaureate-nursing students’ learning of clinical nursing skills (P9)
Prof. Janita Chau¹, Prof. Iris Lee¹, Prof. Carmel McNaught², Prof. Carmen Chan¹, Prof. Dominic Chan¹, Prof. Ann Shiu¹ & Prof. Wan Yim Ip^1
1The Nethersole School of Nursing
²Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Background:
One of the major goals of nursing education is the development of students’ higher-order cognitive skills in the process of acquiring knowledge. Higher-order cognitive skills enable nurses to make critical, informed judgments and reasoned decisions in nursing practice and ultimately contribute to effective and high-quality patient care.

Aim:
To evaluate a web-enriched resource package in enhancing students’ learning of clinical nursing skills.

Methods:
We have developed two modules: “Care of a client with a chest drain” and “Fundamentals of electrocardiogram interpretation”. The topics are essential components of nursing practice addressing holistic care, safety and comfort. Videotaped vignettes have been developed in each module. Web-based tutorials have incorporated into the modules and included exercises stimulating higher-order cognitive skills and quizzes. The tutorials provide online links to evidence-based information. Guidelines have been developed to lead discussion during tutorial sessions. In order to demonstrate the evidence of impact, a pretest–posttest design is being used to determine the effects of using web-enriched resources in enhancing learner behaviours and changing students’ approach to learning.

Conclusion:
This project has the potential to identify areas for improvement in web-enriched learning resources with a long-lasting impact on the continuous improvement in nursing education.

10. Enriching and extending international learning through critical reflection and web-enhanced pedagogy (P10, T7)
Prof. Jane Jackson
Department of English

“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” – Chinese proverb

“We do not learn from our experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey

This session focuses on the design and delivery of a new web-enhanced course that is open to students in all Faculties who have had recent international experience (study abroad, international exchange, volunteering, service learning, internships, educational travel, work or residence abroad). Following an outcomes-based approach (OBA), this undergraduate course explores theories and models of intercultural (communicative) competence and intercultural transitions, employing a practice-to-theory-to-practice pedagogy. In relation to their own (and others’) international experience, participants explore such topics as language/ culture shock, intercultural adjustment, reentry, identity expansion, and intercultural/ sociopragmatic competence in a second language (L2). Through critical reflection, reading, discussion, and writing (e.g., Moodle forums, blogs, narratives), participants develop a deeper understanding of their international/ L2 experience and discover ways to incorporate it into their campus life and post-graduation plans. In presentations near the end of the course, they share their insights with students who are thinking about or planning to go on exchange. This session highlights the benefits of designing a research-driven, learner-centered curriculum that prompts extensive self-reflection, analysis, and writing to help students maximize the potential of international experience. The development and monitoring of this course are generously supported by a Teaching Development Grant.

11. An innovative SLO mapping platform for enhancement of outcomes-based learning (P11, T16)
Dr Tsz Ping Lam & Patrick Tsang
Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology

Faculty of Medicine put forward a broad exit-level framework of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) in response to recent UGC requirements. For realization of these learning objectives, a generic web-based platform for SLO mapping, the SLO Mapping Platform, is constructed to incorporate the followings within one single hub:

• the outcomes-based learning objectives mapped with,
• a comprehensive archive of learning materials, and
• a SLO-based Formative Assessment with emphasis on problem solving and logical thinking.

The linking up of these three components results in the “SLO – Learning Materials – Formative Assessment” algorithmic cycle. Students will follow until expected learning outcomes are achieved. One major benefit of this IT facility is that both students and teachers can refer to the same platform and know exactly what they need to learn and teach respectively, thus resulting in a cost-effective learning and teaching environment.

The First Phase of this project involves system development. In the Second Phase, various clinical teaching programmes will be invited to join in and run the system during their Modules.
Efficacy of the system will be assessed by comparing student’s performance between classes conducted before and after implementation of the system. Evaluation will also be made with feedback surveys for teachers and students.

With continuous development and improvement of this system, it is planned that the SLO Mapping Platform can be introduced to other teaching programmes of the University for campus-wide enhancement of outcomes-based learning in a cost-effective manner.

12. Reviewing final learning experience in CUHK in terms of capstone characteristics: An overview of the integration, reflection, transition & closure process (P12, T12)
Kin Chi Wong, Dephanie Hung, Shirbe Li, Yu Yan Ng & Prof. Keith Thomas
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

A capstone course or experience is a culminating study activity in the undergraduate final year of study. Common in the United States and in Australia, the capstone experience is not simply an advanced course in a particular area, nor it simply a final-year project. It could be a series of learning experiences that enables students to:

• integrate knowledge and skills developed across the college experience;
• assist students to reflect on their development - academically, socially and personally, before graduation;
• allow closure on undergraduate student life; and
• facilitate a smooth transition from undergraduate studies to work or to postgraduate life.

This poster presentation reports preliminary findings of a study that explored the final-year learning experience for some 300 CUHK graduates. The results are described in terms of the four characteristics defined above and broadly identify the impact of various learning designs on graduate experience and learning outcomes.

13. Teaching methods and internet: Learning challenges of the new era (P13, T17)
Doris L. Borrero
Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages

The way globalization and the usage of internet in every country have impacted education in the last three decades cannot be ignored. Thus, in this paper, we analyze different tools such as chat rooms, online dictionaries and Web Quests, used to create a virtual learning environment. The objective is to demonstrate that virtual learning has the potential to enhance students’ language and thinking skills. Since the acquisition of a language needs to be approached in a practical way, the web offers many virtual tools available and useful for this purpose. In fact, as proposed by (Levy, 1997) “e-learning can cover a spectrum of activities from supporting learning to blended learning, to learning that is delivered entirely online, e-learning offers learning opportunities to people anywhere the technology can reach, at any time and usually at a reasonable cost.” Nevertheless, according to Chapelle (1998) these activities must accomplish the following qualities: (1) language learning potential, (2) learner fit, (3) meaning focus, (4) authenticity, (5) positive impact and (6) practicality. In order to conduct the research, we first examine some virtual teaching methods and then present their advantages and disadvantages according to these qualities. The results of the analysis demonstrate that virtual learning can be a dynamic field that allows teachers to develop activities involving brainstorming, cooperative collaboration and different styles of communication. On the other hand, students have the opportunity to discover semantic content, increase their mental lexicon and in some cases receive instant feedback either from the software or another learner. Finally, we briefly discuss the arguments of some studies in this field that support or criticize the acquisition of languages thru these virtual methods.

References:

• Chapelle, C. A. (1998). Multimedia CALL: Lessons to be learned from research on instructed SLA. Language Learning and Technology, 2(1), 22–34.
• Levy, M. (1997). Computer assisted language learning: Concepts and conceptualization. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

14. Mobile multimedia platform (MMP) for medical studies (P14)
Pak Leung Tsang & Prof. Leung Kim Hung
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

The objective of the project “Mobile Multimedia Platform (MMP) for medical studies” is to provide a mobile multimedia platform for students and lecturers to discuss and evaluate students’ medical cases, problems and physical examination skills.

The web-based platform has the interface and backend system suitable for mobile usage and it is integrated into the existing Interactive Multimedia Clinical Cases System (IMCCS) platform. The students can perform, exercise and review the physical examination skills in groups and/or may have enquires in medical cases. They can take the videos on their own in either traditional video recording or the mobile phone/device having the video-capturing and/or photo-taking function. For the traditional recording method, they can simply upload the videos through the internet by computers. For the mobile device recording method, they can use the specified developed mobile web platform to upload the materials through Wi-Fi or GPRS. The mobile device with video recording and camera functions is very common nowadays. It is very convenient for students to take movies or photo and then raise their questions to tutors trough the mobile world.

15. Key physiology concepts through animations and feedback from about
600 CUHK students (P15, T3)
Dr Isabel S. S. Hwang¹, Prof. Paul Lam², Shun Leung Lam² & Shereen Yuen^2
1 School of Biomedical Sciences
²Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The use of animations is generally viewed as an effective eLearning tool by enabling students to visualize complicated molecular processes with both clearer and graphic-rich features when compared to text or static graphics. The objective of the study is to determine how animations help support students’ learning. The subjects were students who took a physiology course with animations provided as a supplementary learning medium primarily for their self-study at home. Their perceptions of the use of animations were received via surveys and group interviews which provided both qualitative and quantitative data for our study. Most of the data collected were positive and demonstrated that animations could explain complicated contents more explicitly to students and there is a greater demand for similar learning tools from the students. Although the animations cannot replace the existing lectures, most students expressed that they would adopt a varied use of different learning tools to maximize their learning benefits.

16. Measuring success - learning from the law students' experience (T5)
Anne Carver & Helen Yu
Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law has filmed interviews with a selected group of founding year students since September 2006. In particular, these founding students reflected on their university experiences, the LLB curriculum and the culture of the Faculty of Law. Insights gathered from the students’ reflections on their learning experience have been used, inter alia, to develop both new strategies for the alignment of the curriculum and our vision for the provision of legal education in CUHK.

The film project has gone through a full cycle, as the first cohort of LLB students at the Faculty of Law have already graduated. This presentation provides empirical evidence on student experiences within the four years they have spent completing their LLB degree. The presentation will consist of a 10-minute film clip of one of the student interviews with a short paper to show how the interviewee changed throughout the four years. This short film has been made for this year’s Teaching and Learning Innovation Expo to demonstrate aspects of one particular student’s experiences over the 4-year LLB programme. The film assesses the Faculty of Law’s contribution to the changes in aspects of the student’s development and asks the question – how do we measure success?

17. Incorporating problem-based learning for enhancing students’ abilities in conducting scientific research (T14)
Prof. Kevin Wing Por Leung & Dr Kendrew Kin Wah Mak
Department of Chemistry

Generic skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, self-motivated learning, and interpersonal and communication skills, are always perceived by both educators and potential employers as the most important capabilities that a student should possess or be trained. With this pedagogical ground in mind, and with the mission of training students to become competent scientists, the Department of Chemistry has recently introduced Problem-based Learning (PBL) as a final-year project in the undergraduate curriculum. The developing model focuses on designing sets of essential learning outcomes for advanced science students, developing corresponding learning activities and assessment methods to achieve the outcomes, and evaluating the model to optimize students’ learning effectiveness. The key deliverables include: (a) sets of professional and generic learning outcomes that are crucial to chemistry graduates; (b) teaching and learning activities, and teaching materials to facilitate students to attain these learning outcomes; (c) protocols for guiding teachers, teaching assistants and students to design, plan and work through the projects; (d) web-based platforms to facilitate the communications and sharing of project results and presentations among teachers and students; (e) assessment methods in response to the stated learning outcomes; and (f) a database to facilitate the collection of assessment data.

18. Creation of reference eBooks – a mobile learning solution in Chinese medicine studies (P16)
Prof. Zhi-Xiu Lin¹, Prof. Paul Lam², Dr Ching Liong¹, Dr Kam Leung Chan¹, Jiang-Xia Miao¹, Sarah Chan¹, Kevin Wong² & Edman Chan^3
1School of Chinese Medicine
²Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research
³Information and Technology Services Centre

Traditionally, teaching and learning in Chinese medicine rely quite heavily on memorized knowledge. However, it is impractical for one to remember and retrieve a large volume of information needed in actual clinical practice. We also think that time is better spent on truly understanding the concepts and on application of knowledge rather than merely memorizing them. To assist students, we have recently completed a project, supported by a Courseware Development Grant, to transform the much needed information into handy personal referencing materials (in eBook format) that can be installed on mobile devices. Many eBook references have been created: classical texts, Chinese medical diagnostics, Chinese materia medica, Chinese herbal formulary, Chinese internal medicine, meridians and acupoints, acupuncture and moxibustion, gynaecology and pediatrics in Chinese medicine. Both formative and summative evaluation strategies were employed to collect users’ comments on the mobile learning strategy. Students on the whole found the mobile learning strategy useful, and were actually helpful in clinical circumstances or other off-campus locations. There are limitations and problems with the technology at present but we are constantly looking for refinements and solutions.

19. Graduate evaluation of a baccalaureate nursing programme in Hong Kong (P17)
Prof. Carmen W. H. Chan¹, Dr Wilson W. S. Tam², Suzanne H. S. Lo¹, Prof. Carmel McNaught³ & Prof. Ann T. Y. Shiu^1
1The Nethersole School of Nursing
²School of Public Health
³Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Background:
Nursing education in Hong Kong has undergone a remarkable transition in the past decade, from apprenticeship hospital-base training to baccalaureate education.

Objective:
This study is to determine (1) the extent of the relevance of the programme objectives, and (2) the extent to which nursing graduates in Hong Kong demonstrate in their practice the main competencies in 6 months and 18 months after graduation.

Method:
The evaluation results of the baccalaureate nursing programme from 2000 to 2005 were examined. All graduates of the programme employed in clinical settings who consented to participate in the programme evaluation were included. A 19-item questionnaire measuring the main competencies of the programme was used.

Results:
The extent of graduates’ demonstration of the main competencies was fair to moderate. Graduates reported highest score in maintaining a health promotion environment, followed by effective communication and ethical conduct. Items with the lowest competency scores were participation in research and leadership in nursing practice. The mean scores at 18 months evaluation were generally higher than the 6 months evaluation.

Conclusion:
Findings of this study provides direction for designing the baccalaureate nursing curriculum.

20. CUHK on iTunes U (P18, T15)
Judy Lo
Information Technology Services Centre

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) joined iTunes U on 25 August, 2010. iTunes U is a dedicated area within the iTunes Store that offers free audio and video content from leading educational institutions worldwide. With this latest initiative to promote knowledge transfer and lifelong learning, the University places a variety of educational programmes at viewers’ fingertips.

This presentation will start with a demonstration on how to access the video and audio contents on CUHK on iTunes U and followed by a discussion on the benefits brought to students and teachers by this new initiative. Ideas on how teachers can make use of this new technology for enhancing teaching and learning will also be discussed.

Don’t miss this chance if you are interested in knowing more about CUHK on iTunes U.

21. Promoting reflection and creativity through digital storytelling (P19, T11)
Dr Paul Sze¹ & Olive Cheung^2
1Department of Curriculum and Instruction
²English Language Teaching Unit

Digital storytelling involves producing a short video using digital pictures from a person’s own archive and a specially written script that narrates a personal experience captured by the still images. Digital storytelling has been used in many fields as a form of self-expression and self-reflection and for a variety of humanistic purposes. Another advantage of digital storytelling is that the stories produced can be easily re-used on different occasions, shared with others, or kept as a personal souvenir. In this presentation, we share our experience in using digital storytelling with two cohorts of undergraduate students. One cohort produced digital stories for reflecting on their motives for entering the teaching profession. The other engaged in digital storytelling not only as a reflective activity but also as a language-learning task through which they refined their speaking skills.

22. Mobile learning @ CUHK (P20)
Kevin Wong & Prof. Paul Lam
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Mobile devices can be convenient and effective learning tools for learners to access learning content and engage in interactions that facilitate learning in almost any places, such as museums, hospitals, shopping malls, cafes and even outdoor areas. The objective of the Mobile Learning @ CUHK project is to pursue and support various mobile learning strategies that can be readily used at our University. The project focuses on provision of practical guidelines, resources and sustainable technical solutions. Strategies we think can be practical in our context include mobile-ready course content, learning materials on mobile devices, student–student mobile interactions, and teacher–student mobile interactions, in class and out of class.

Achievements so far include introducing an eBook production-and-delivery service which has been used by teachers in four disciplines, introducing QR codes as a learning tool, and developing a Mobile Learning @ CUHK website for teachers and students to obtain ideas, information and resources. Through the website, we hope to inspire teachers and students about different ways to use mobile technologies for teaching and learning, and to support them in doing so.

23. Perceptions of creativity in humanities (P21)
Christa Sam
Faculty of Arts

Being one of the generic skills advocated in the primary and secondary school curriculum, creativity continues to be a component of the skills outcomes in university education. However, the meaning of creativity is so broad that it varies across disciplines and even within discipline such as humanities. It is necessary to establish a common understanding of creativity in humanities so that the attribute can be appropriately fostered and assessed.

The project, Creativity as a Learning Outcome in Humanities, investigates how creativity is perceived, enhanced and assessed in university education especially in humanities. The first stage of the 3-year longitudinal study studied the perception of creativity in Faculty of Arts. Eleven faculty members from every academic department were interviewed individually. They discussed the general meaning of creativity, its notion in CUHK and respective disciplines in details. A baseline survey was conducted on 67 first-year students sampled from each department as well, using Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory. From the survey, respondents who indicated interest in attending a follow-up focus group were interviewed. A total of 20 students joined group discussions or individual interviews. The discussion topics were similar to those for the staff but phrased in a simplified version.

24. Enunciate (P22)
Prof. Helen Mei-Ling Meng
Human-Computer Communications Laboratory (HCCL), Department of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management

Enunciate is a prototype of a computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) application with automatic mispronunciation detection and diagnosis for English pronunciation improvement. In the poster, we would like to present how the system detects mispronunciation and gives feedback to user.

25. Online components of university-credited Cantonese and Putonghua courses –progress report (P23)
Dr Siu Lun Lee
Yale-China Chinese Language Centre

The major aim of this project is to design and create a set of multimedia online teaching materials which can be used in university-credited Cantonese and Putonghua courses. The project includes online exercises, activities and placement tests. The multimedia teaching materials are Moodle-based. Teachers can used these materials in class and also give out homework and quizzes when necessary. The materials are interactive in the sense that teachers and students communicate on the Moodle platform.

There are around 2500 CUHK undergraduates (including local and non-local students) taking Cantonese and Putonghua courses and 100–300 IAS international exchange students enrolled in Cantonese and Putonghua courses. The students are with different levels of proficiency because of different cultural backgrounds. The use of blended classroom teaching can benefit both the department and the students.

26. The eLearning assistant service (P24, T18)
Morris Kwok & Eva Cheung
Information Technology Services Centre

With the implementation of “3+3+4”, teachers need to rebuild their course websites, develop new courseware and redesign their eLearning plan to cater for the changes. The eLearning Service@CUHK has established a team of well-trained staff – eLearning Assistants – to closely work with teachers and assist them in planning and implementing their eLearning strategies. The eLearning assistant service includes:

• advising teachers on eLearning strategies;
• providing practical skills and tips in using the strategies;
• assisting teachers in developing the teaching materials and setting up the course websites;
• answering teachers’ questions during the actual implementation of the strategies;
• suggesting to teachers the methods to collect feedback and data for evaluation; and
• transferring basic skills to teachers so that they can update the materials easily.

In this short talk, we will let you know the details of the service. The projects and works done by the team will also be highlighted.

27. A study on student-centered learning focusing on effective teaching approaches in undergraduate courses offered by Faculty of Business Administration (P25)
Almaz Man Kuen Chak, Prof. Shige Makino & Jimmy Chiu
Department of Management

The aim of our study is to improve the overall learning experience of undergraduate students who are studying courses offered by Business Administration Faculty (BA Faculty hereafter) by adopting student-centered learning and effective teaching approaches. By understanding the learning styles, preferences and expectations of our undergraduate students, who have been increasingly experienced the use of technology and various approaches of delivery and assessment within their learning environment, teaching staff would be more informative and knowledgeable in developing effective teaching approaches to facilitate the implementation of student-centered learning.

In the poster presentation, we would like to share the preliminary findings on a survey of 900+ undergraduate students who are studying BA courses at CUHK focusing on four aspects: learning styles, preferred teaching approaches, assessment methods and expected learning outcomes.

28. CLEAR programme evaluation services (P26, T8)
Annisa Ho, Shirbe Li, Kin Chi Wong &
Prof. Keith Thomas
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Evaluation services in CLEAR are responsible for the administration of a range of undergraduate programme-level surveys, which provides longitudinal data for the University’s quality-assurance process. This framework was endorsed by the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning (SCTL) via Circular No. 1, 2008–09 in November 2008.

This suite of surveys gather students’ perceptions of their development of general capabilities, as well as reflections on the teaching and learning environment. The summarized student feedback is the basis for regular programme-level review of the curriculum and of teaching and learning. This poster presentation session will introduce the range of longitudinal data collection from first year of study to 5 years after graduation; explain some implications from data to support curriculum design and improve learning activities; display some trends and changes in student voice; and discuss prospective research insights when current data is seen from an institutional level.

29. Hongkoñol magazine (P27)
Celia Carracedo Manzanera
Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages

WHAT?:
The final product of this project is “El Hongkoñol”, an online magazine made by and for Spanish students. Students from year 4 (those belonging to the new 4-year curriculum programme) will create content and activities for others students. The magazine is a multimedia project involving written material, video and listening activities.

WHY?: 
In the current 3-year curriculum we cover the fundamentals of linguistic and cultural content; we also carry out several projects in over 6 terms: reading and writing workshops, oral presentations, drama, performances. I propose for the new 4-year curriculum using the final year as “project year”, to focus on completing a project that requires students to use their gained knowledge comprehensively.

GOALS:

• To offer motivation and academic support to the students. The fact that they are in their year 4th year means they will creating a magazine of international scope in which can demonstrate their familiarity with the language and culture and their ability to conduct a research.
• To cover as many language activities as the multimedia support permits: reading comprehension, writing, interactive and listening comprehension.
• To promote feedback. Students will create activities for other students. Participants know their weaknesses and difficulties within the learning process. There is nobody better than the students in year 4 to create tools for other students.

The Hongkoñol 1.0 was released during the previous academic year (2009–2010) by CUHK students from SPA3100 and SPA3200 as an experiment to gauge its potential. There are elements that can be improved but the primary result is available here: www.celiacarracedo.com/hkol

30. Using online video and interactive flash game to bring laboratory experience from life-science to non-science students (P28)
Dr Lawrence Chiu, Pui-ling Chu, Hau-yi Leong, Jessica Leung, Shing-kit Leung, Man-nga Lui, Karen Wong & Chun-fai Lau
Department of Biology

It is generally agreed that laboratory study is an important component in science education. However, due to safety concern and resource limitation, it is hard to realize such a study in a General Education course. Consequently, we developed a project that aims to provide a real-life simulation experience in laboratory for non-science students, taking the University General Education course “UGEB2262 From Genes To Life”. A group of life-science students were invited to develop a video showing the process of a laboratory study. Students of the UGE course were required to watch the video on the internet and then to play an interactive flash game simulating the study. Through completing the various tasks in the game, the students were able to act and think as if they were conducting a genuine laboratory study. The score generated from the game was also used as an incentive for the students to participate actively in this out-of-class learning activity. Through this project, the students can not only “read” but also “feel” the importance of laboratory study in science education.

31. Establishment of an online self-learning platform with Echo360 and WebCT systems to encourage students’ revisions of laboratory manuals before attending classes (P29)
Dr Lawrence Chiu, Pui-ling Chu, Hau-yi Leong, Jessica Leung, Shing-kit Leung
& Man-nga Lui
School of Life Sciences

In laboratory classes, both teachers and students are agreed that pre-laboratory talks are helpful to students’ understandings of the experiments. However, many students have become “spoon-fed” and over-dependent on the talks and do not revise their laboratory manuals before attending the classes. To respond to this problem, an online self-learning platform was established to encourage active self-learning and help students acquire background knowledge before the classes. With Echo360 system, the pre-laboratory talks were real-time captured and synchronized to the PowerPoint presentations. The captured pre-laboratory talks can be distributed to the students in various output formats, which allows the students to decide when and where to view the talks and provides possibilities to incorporate mobile devices as learning tools. The students are then required to view the talks and respond to complementary pre-class online tests on WebCT to assess their learning effectiveness.

The implementation of this online self-learning platform not only makes the pre-laboratory talks more interesting and understandable but also increases the chance of successful completions of the experiments.

32. What students at CUHK do to learn? (P30)
Jack Lee, Mavis Chan, Shereen Yuen, Eric Ho, Ryan Cheng, Mandy Leung & Ivy Leung
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The Learning Activity Project Team has a focus on understanding the range of learning activities our students typically engage in. Eventually, we hope to further enhance the learning processes and learning environment at the University by providing examples and descriptions of a variety of meaningful learning tasks.

In this poster presentation, we would like to highlight the results from a recent survey we have administered to over 1500 students at the University regarding the design of learning activities they are engaged in, their level of engagement in these activities, their motivation to learn and their self-reported achievement of learning, and learning skills. The results indicate that the design of learning activities has significant influence, directly and/or indirectly, on all the other factors. In particular, we found that student-oriented and constructivist learning activities readily lead to enhanced motivation to learn, higher engagement in learning, and attainment of learning outcomes. The findings strengthen our focus on providing resources to enhance the design of students’ learning tasks.

33. CU Student Information System (CUSIS) (P31, T2)
Wendy Chan
Information Technology Services Centre

In view of the changes introduced by the 3+3+4 education reform, and the global development trends in higher education, the University is anticipating a significant upsurge in student population, an increase in academic diversity, substantial changes in subjects and curricula, and the importance of building a lifelong relationship with its students. The University has therefore partnered with IBM Global Business Services to implement the CU Student Information System (CUSIS) based on the proven Oracle’s PeopleSoft Campus Solutions software, which is widely adopted by many leading universities around the world. 

Launched on 5 Jul 2010, CUSIS allows teachers to access and manage various teaching and learning information on one single platform. For instance, teaching staff can:

• Search their class roasters and obtain real-time student information online;
• Send mass email to the whole class or individual students via the class rosters;
• Input and submit grades into CUSIS. Also, the grading efforts can be delegated to the teaching assistants. etc.

This presentation includes a 10-min system introduction and another 10-min of demonstration.

34. Student peer assessment of individual contribution to group project:
A case study of the Bachelor of Nursing Programme (P32)
Prof. Ann T. Y. Shiu¹, Prof. Carmen W. H. Chan¹, Prof. Paul Lam², Jack Lee² & Alice N. L. Kwong^1
1The Nethersole School of Nursing
²Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Background:
Group project is a common assessment format in tertiary education worldwide. Using an adjunct peer assessment scheme as a means to award individual student contribution to group project has been increasing. However, nursing students’ perceptions of peer assessment have not been well understood.

Methods:
Using the bachelor of nursing programme of the Nethersole School of Nursing as a case, a two phase study design was adopted. Phase one involved an anonymous survey with 123 students and Phase two involved six focus group interviews with 21 students.

Results:
Merging of the quantitative and qualitative findings from the two phases indicated that students were positive with peer assessment especially with its function in avoiding freeloading. On the other hand, they had some concerns about the implementation process of the peer assessment scheme that might hamper the success of peer assessment to award individual contribution. These concerns belong to two main factors: interpersonal and operational.

Conclusion:
Based on the findings, we recommend: (1) further developing students’ abilities in assessing others and maintenance of task and relationship functions in group work, and (2) adopting a confidential on-line system for the submission of peer assessments.

35. Faculty of Education extracurricular activities outcomes-based approach (OBA) e-Learning project (P33)
Dr To Chan & Shuk-kwan Ng
Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Extracurricular activities (ECA) have been playing a significant role in students’ development. It is particularly true that after the implementation of new 3-3-4 academic structure, the significance of ECA in students’ whole-personal development is greatly emphasized in both Life Wide Learning (LWL) and Other Learning Experience (OLE) in primary and secondary school curricular. Echoing the outcomes-based approach (OBA) curriculum trend, the Faculty of Education of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has embarked a project aiming to facilitate the promotion of OBA for teaching and learning in teacher education context. The project intends to adopt OBA as guidance and incorporate its concepts into ECA teacher education courses. A specially designed multimedia learning resources database and a series of learning activities with the application of study tools available from an e-Learning platform are developed to help students in constructing their own learning portfolios and understanding their personal learning progress.

36. 3-D anatomy and body image projection (P34)
Prof. Shekhar Kumta¹, Prof. Sun-on Chan², Dr Alexander Chris Vlantis³, Prof. Rita Sung⁴, Alex Yung⁵ & Lorraine Lo^5
1Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology
²School of Biomedical Sciences
³Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
⁴Clinical Skills Centre
⁵Teaching and Learning Resource Centre (Faculty of Medicine)

Novice medical students find it difficult to appreciate cross sectional anatomy, particularly with reference to radiologic imaging, much of which involves cross-sectional scanning of the body.

In their clinical years, students are required to relate some common and generic symptoms to appropriate organ and organ systems and to locate physical signs to organs and structures in the body.

3-dimensional anatomical imagery is increasingly used to identify organs and structures in the context of a patient’s physical signs and symptoms.

Freeware programs such as OSIRIX® allow rendering of 3D models of body structures using DICOM data-sets obtained during  radiographic imaging investigations of patients.

The program enables sophisticated rendering in real-time allowing the user to select, isolate, highlight and distinguish organ systems in vivid colors enabling easier identification of normal and pathological structures.

Projection of 3D-anatomical images, generated from patient's CT & MR on volunteers, peers and mannequins enables students, particularly in the pre-clinical years, to have a better understanding of anatomy in the context of physical examination, the representation of various organs on the body surface, changes that take place with pathological organ enlargements and other anatomical alterations.

    37. Quasi-authentic but realistic patient encounters for training and assessment of medical students (P35)
Prof. Shekhar Kumta¹, Prof. Andrew Burd², Alex Yung³ & Lorraine Lo^3
1Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology
²Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery
³Teaching and Learning Resource Centre (Faculty of Medicine)

The Problem:
Practical logistical and medico-legal difficulties often prevent the exposure of medical students to direct interactions with patients with common yet complex medical problems such as acute injuries or burns. They remain as passive observers and do not learn the skills and techniques necessary to communicate with such victims and their families – a critical requirement for becoming an empathetic and a compassionate physician.

Procedures in Practice:
While technical competency in procedural skills can be practiced to perfection of mannequins and models, the lack of a human interface does not allow trainees to experience what is needed to explain a procedure to a patient or family members. It is well accepted that the non-technical elements of a procedure are just as important as the technical competence required for its successful implementation.

Complaints regarding even minor procedures often stem, not from technical flaws but because of poor communications, inept patient handling and a casual even unsympathetic attitude.

Simulated Wounds:
Special effects make-up technology has been successfully used in cinema to replicate wounds and complex injuries.

We have adopted these techniques to create realistic wounds for the training medical students in the art of handling patients who may be in acute pain and discomfort. We have also used props and procedure practice models and attached them to human volunteers so as to create the realistic but illusory effect of a real-patient procedure.

Students are then given the opportunity to practice a specific procedure, concentrating not only on the technical skill, but on the overall competency in explaining the procedure and responding to queries from our trained volunteer surrogate patients.

    38. Automated lecture recording @ CUHK (P36)
Edman Chan¹ & Prof. Paul Lam^2
1Information Technology Services Centre
²Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Recording lectures, workshops and presentations, and then publishing the files as online resources is a good strategy to assist students in consolidating their learning. Echo360 is one such industry-leading system which provides basically a care-free arrangement as it captures, and then publishes lectures/ presentations without the need for a teacher to control any apparatus in the location. Echo360 supports full-motion playback of the entire lecture – including supporting course visuals. The teacher’s voice, video and materials are in sync, mimicking the classroom experience with the realistic replay experience.

We consider that the system will create new learning possibilities for students. For example, under the four-year curriculum, students reach their undergraduate studies one year younger in general than their predecessors. The Echo-recorded sessions could effectively elaborate on important aspects of the curriculum, provide further support to fill knowledge gaps and/or enable students to revise topics at their own pace. In view of the potential benefits an automatic lecture recording system can bring to our teachers and students, ITSC and CLEAR have worked together to introduce this new but limited service to our fellow teachers. More information of the service can be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/eLearning/Echo360/

    39. E-Learning platform for biochemical science (P37, T19)
Christy Cheng, Kenneth Leung, Dr K. C. Leung & Prof. P. C. Shaw
School of Life Sciences

Web-based teaching has been an alternative way to supplement classroom teaching with its advantages over traditional teaching. The web teaching platform can serve virtually unlimited number of students. Students can study the course materials at their own pace. With the use of multimedia files, animations and interactive contents, abstract concepts can be visually explained. Also, course files, quizzes, assessments, and other information such as students' feedback can be easily managed and analysed on a database-driven website.

A new e-Learning platform named "e-Learning platform for Biochemical Sciences" will be launched in Moodle with the following features:
• modular design, which can be expanded easily. At present, there are six learning modules - Protein Biochemistry, DNA technology, Biochemistry and Life, Laboratory Equipment, Data Presentation and Self-study Skills.
• cross-links for connections between modules for integrative learning.
• case-studies for illustration on specific concepts.
• multimedia-based with videos and animations. Interactive content with games and quizzes to arouse students' interest.
• this platform besides benefiting students of Biochemistry Programme, it is also useful to students in other Life Sciences programmes, as they also attend selected Biochemistry courses and some skills are generic.
• the work may be adapted to teaching biochemistry in other universities.