The Expo is composed of five main parts at this stage:

1. An opening and keynote speaker session (10:30 am–11:25 am).

2. A panel discussion session, co-organized by HERDSA(HK) (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Hong Kong Branch) (11:25 am–11:55 am).

3. Talks organized in parallel sessions (25-minute slots in five sessions starting as early as 9:35 am). The talks include information talks on defined themes and formal presentations by teachers on their work.

4. An assembly of poster presentations (12:30 pm–2:00 pm) where we hope our participants enjoy a light lunch as they learn about new ideas and discuss with colleagues.

5. The posters will be kept in the Lee Shau Kee Building for poster exhibition from 12 to 18 November 2011.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Timetable of the main event day

Time

Programme

9:00am - 9:30am

Registration (1/F, LSK)

9:35am – 10:00am

___________

Parallel session T1
(LSK 206)

Parallel session T2
(LSK 208)

10:05 am–10:25 am

Coffee break (1/F, LSK)

10:30 am–10:45 am

Formal opening (LSK LT6)

10:45 am–11:25 am

Keynote address and Q&A
(Professor Daniel Tan, LSK LT6)

11:25 am–11:55 am

Panel discussion

12:00 nn–12:25 pm

Parallel session T3
(LSK 201)

Parallel session T4
(LSK 206)

Parallel session T5
(LSK 208)

12:30pm – 2:00pm

Lunch and interactive poster presentation session

2:00 pm–2:25 pm

Parallel session T6
(LSK 201)

Parallel session T7
(LSK 206)

Parallel session T8
(LSK 208)

2:30 pm–2:55 pm

Parallel session T9
(LSK 201)

Parallel session T10
(LSK 206)

Parallel session T11
(LSK 208)

3:00 pm–3:25 pm

Parallel session T12
(LSK 201)

Parallel session T13
(LSK 206)

Parallel session T14
(LSK 208)

3:30 pm–4:15 pm

Refreshment + Poster awarding + Closing (1/F, LSK)

Notes:
1. A light lunch will be offered during 12:30 to 2:00 pm.
2. There is no charge for the day. Lunch is provided free.

Talk session

Time

Room (LSK)

Name of presenters

Title

T1

9:35 am– 10:00 am

206

Anne Carver &
Helen Yu

Student Voices: Measuring success (part II)

T2

208

Prof. Shuangye Chen

Students' self-assessment of their learning outcomes: Findings from a small-class teaching

T3

12:00 nn– 12:25 pm

201

Prof. Sze-Wing Tang

Raising language awareness through University Chinese

T4

206

Lui Lam &
Nga-Sin Lau

Teacher participation on Facebook and student engagement in learning

T5

208

Prof. Wai-Yin Poon

Classroom activities for learner-centred approach

T6

2:00 pm– 2:25 pm

201

Dr Joyce Iun

Video case method in the classroom: Ten true life business stories

T7

206

Prof. Marc Aurel Schnabel &
Prof. Jeremy Ham

The social network virtual design studio

T8

208

Prof. Jane Jackson

Learning, reflection and change: Core elements in a student-centred curriculum

T9

2:30 pm– 2:55 pm

201

Raphaele Yan-Romanetti

French language and eLearning: Developing students' oral skills to foster comprehensive independent learning

T10

206

Prof. Sidharth Jaggi &
Prof. Keith Thomas

From content to deep understanding in engineering: Reflections on practice

T11

208

Judy Lo

New CU eLearning system implementation plan

T12

3:00 pm– 3:25 pm

201

Dr Tsz Ping Lam,
Prof. Shekhar Kumta,
Patrick Tsang &
Prof. Leung Kim Hung

An innovative web-based platform for enhancement of outcomes-based learning in orthopaedics

T13

206

Prof. Grant Hamilton

On eBooks in taught postgraduate courses

T14

208

Annisa Ho & Prof. Keith Thomas

Programme-based student experience surveys: Process and challenges

 

 

1. Competing needs: The graduate teaching assistant experience (P1)
Dr Catherine Zhou & Prof. Keith Thomas
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

Using graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to support teaching and learning is common across many universities. However, their role can be ambiguous, in large part because of diverse employment practices across countries and institutions. This paper is based on a study of the GTAs in a university in Hong Kong. It examines the experience of local and Mainland China-sourced higher-degree-research (HDR) students who receive studentships that include a requirement for limited teaching duties. Findings reveal four competing needs, involving: students' active learning attitude, language competence, teaching capability and the capacity to balance teaching and research. Although local and Mainland GTAs both share common concerns, it appears that the Mainland GTAs find the role more challenging, mainly because of a language barrier and unfamiliarity with the local teaching environment. These findings suggest the necessity for a suitable induction and an ongoing support programme for GTAs customized to their different needs. Some implications for these respective programmes are discussed.

 

2. Music history as multi-sensory experience (P2)
Prof. Joseph Jones
Department of Music

In teaching music history to undergraduate students, my primary objective is to foster a deeper understanding of the socio-historical milieu in which a particular composition was written. To this end, I have found that the most effective learning environment for students is one that combines aural, visual, and interactive elements such as live performance whenever possible. Each of my classes includes a thoughtfully designed set of lecture slides that integrate relevant images, video, and audio excerpts to create a multi-sensory experience for students.

This poster presentation will demonstrate some of the ways that history can be made accessible to students with various learning styles using standard classroom technologies. Sample lecture slides will highlight: (1) the advantages of using embedded audio and video, (2) ways that contemporaneous works of art, music, literature, etc., can be paired to foster an interdisciplinary understanding of style, and (3) methods for physically involving students in the classroom experience. While my examples are specific to music history, it is hoped that instructors in other fields will draw ideas that can be applied to their own discipline.

 

3. French language and eLearning: Developing students’ oral skills to foster comprehensive independent learning (P3, T9)
Raphaele Yan-Romanetti
Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages

Attending CUHK language classes, most students can already reach a good level of language proficiency. However, teaching and learning can always be enhanced, mostly when eLearning is available. During class time, teachers do not always have time to go deeper or provide more resources and activities for students' learning. That is where eLearning is useful: it not only allows teachers to provide extra material, but also allows students to design their own learning, according to their specific needs.

The choice of focusing on oral skills is attributable to student feedback: it is clear that most of them find acquiring listening and speaking skills more difficult than their writing and reading counterparts. This project is intended to demonstrate that focusing on oral skills is not restrictive but can also allow a more comprehensive approach to learning. It will give details about strategies used in classic language classes as well as the Sounds of French class, a course dedicated to enhancing oral skills.

 

4. Using clickers in learning Cell Biology (BIOL2120) (P4)
Prof. Liwen Jiang, Jane Tianran Jia, Angus Ho Yin Law, Juan Wang,
Xiangfeng Wang, Priscilia Pui Man Yu, Yong Lun Zeng, Xiaohong Zhuang & Dr Lawrence Chi Ming Chiu
School of Life Sciences

In lectures with large class size, interaction between students and teacher is usually difficult and insufficient, which hinders active learning. Over the past three years, our team has been trying to use and test different approaches in teaching Cell Biology with large numbers of students (220–260). One of the interactive methods being tested is to combine together the weekly tutorial section given by the teaching assistants or student helpers with the clickers system for question and answer sessions and discussion. In this poster presentation, we will share our experience about various approaches we have used and tested over the past three years in teaching and learning Cell Biology (BIOL2120) in a large classroom with 230 plus students.

 

5. Student Development Portfolio (SDP) (P5)
Irene Ng & Phebe Lee
Office of Student Affairs

On account of the new four-year undergraduate curriculum in 2012, students are expected to have more opportunity to participate in outside-classroom experiential activities. This leads to the commissioning of the Student Development Portfolio (SDP) which also helps to specify the roles and responsibilities of the various student support units on campus.

The SDP is a University-wide computer system for capturing and presenting students' outside classroom activities/services systematically under the I•CARE Framework. I•CARE represents five desirable values and skills to be attained by students in their non-formal education.

The SDP allows integration of information about the activities organised by different units/ departments within an electronic platform. Providing an overview of the activities on offer, the SDP will enable students to plan, record and review their participation in Experiential Learning Activities (ELA). In addition, students may present to interested parties the specific knowledge/skills they have acquired in the form of a non-academic transcript, namely the Experiential Learning Activities (ELA) Report, which could complement their academic attainment gained through the formal syllabus.

 

6. Online development environment for elementary programming courses (P6)
Dr Wai Chung Tang
Department of Computer Science & Engineering

An easy-to-use online programming platform is designed and constructed. The platform can be accessed through the Internet and allow students to write, compile and test their C/C++ programmes anytime and anywhere. No software installation is required. The students can also submit their assignments online and will receive instant marking reports by our Judge programme.

In our design, the automatic submission and marking system (the Backend) is linked with the user-friendly source code editor (the Frontend). The Backend handles user authentication, workspace management and provides source code compilation and execution capabilities. The Frontend is then responsible for reading user input (keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, etc.), syntax highlighting and display of error/warning messages generated by the Backend. Currently C and C++ programming languages are supported.

The system was developed and tested during August 2011 and has now been put into operation with a C++ class of around 20 students. It has been receiving appreciative comments from the students. Currently some extensions to the platform are in planning and hopefully these will be adopted by more programming classes in the near future.

 

7. Establishing e-self-learning practice for laboratory studies (P7)
Dr Lawrence Chiu, Dr Cherry Chow & Dr K C Chung
School of Life Sciences

A laboratory course is an essential component in scientific pursuit. To respond to the learning demand brought by the 3-3-4 curriculum and broad-base admission and also to engage students in active laboratory participation, the Online Self-learning System (OSS) has been designed, aiming to promote pre-laboratory self-learning practice in students.

OSS consists of 3 components: Online Lecture (supported by Echo360), Supplementary Video and Formative Assessment. The content of OSS has been designed and developed to form a coherent and comprehensive learning package for the students to access before each laboratory class. The formative assessment completes the learning cycle by reporting feedback to the instructors on the performance of the students, so allowing ad-hoc adjustments on teaching within classes.

OSS has been pioneered in various levels of laboratory courses of the Biology Programme in the 2010–11 academic year, covering themes from molecular biology to biodiversity. As the project progresses, continuous efforts have been made to expand and enhance the teaching content, assessment database and evaluation design.

OSS is a model that can be easily adapted to practical courses in various disciplines. In the poster presentation, we would like to share our experience, with a focus on the latest development and improvement.

 

8. New CU eLearning system implementation plan (P8, T11)
Judy Lo
Information Technology Services Centre

The University conducted an eLearning System Review in 2010. The Review resulted in a recommendation to implement "Blackboard Learn" as the University-wide eLearning System by August 2012 for the new 3-3-4 curriculum.

The new eLearning system will be in production by August 2012 and it will gradually replace the existing eLearning platforms (WebCT, Moodle) and CUForum to support teaching and learning at the University.

This presentation will start with the introduction of the selection process of the new System (the eLearning System Review conducted in 2010) and be followed by the implementation plan of the new System. Training opportunities for teachers to get ready to migrate onto the new System will also be covered.

This is a chance to learn more about this new CU eLearning System.

 

9. Problem-based learning workshops in moral reasoning and reflection skills for medical research professionalism training (P9)
Prof. Anna Lee, Prof. Gavin M Joynt, Prof. Lester AH Critchley &
Prof. Warwick D Ngan Kee
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care

Background and objective:
Medical research professionalism is concerned with the attributes and behaviours of medical scientists as a profession. Most postgraduate students and junior research staff are rarely taught moral reasoning and reflection skills. We conducted two 2-hour workshops in this target group (n=12) to develop and strengthen skills in moral reasoning and reflection.

Methods:
The first workshop included a short lecture on the principles and practice of medical research professionalism and small group discussions on an extended case study that involved problems related to data fabrication, authorship and dealing with changes in study protocols in a responsible manner. In the second workshop, participants assumed the role of a graduate student in a virtual experience interactive learning simulation programme "The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct" (available at: http://ori.hhs.gov/TheLab). Participants were invited to justify the decisions made as the research misconduct story unfolded.

Findings:
Using a Likert scale response (1=strongly disagree to 6=strongly agree), participants agreed that the small group discussions and the interactive movie helped them to recognize and deal with ethical and conflicting issues in medical research (mean 5.33 ± 0.71 and 5.33 ± 0.89, respectively).

Conclusion:
Learning moral reasoning and reflection skills promotes the conduct of responsible medical research.


10. From content to deep understanding in engineering: Reflections on practice (P10, T10)
Prof. Sidharth Jaggi1 & Prof. Keith Thomas2
1Department of Information Engineering
2Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

This poster will explore two related issues in first-year undergraduate class strategies: the need to cover content in a busy curriculum and yet develop the deep foundational understanding necessary for successful engagement with later and more advanced studies in Engineering. The pedagogical strategies adopted looked for progressive knowledge development, but also required changes in personal practice that collectively helped bridge a knowledge, as well as a cultural and language gap. This poster will present evidence-based discussion on some ways in which disciplinary cultural practices in T&L (chalk and talk) were challenged, by experimenting with:

  • blended approaches (in class and out of classroom work) to teaching using a wiki;
  • chunking of core concepts and then progressively extending the complexity;
  • a peer-learning based approach using groups, and
  • mathematical equation-solving software to make mechanical calculations easier, leaving time and mental space for building deeper understanding.

 

11. A unique in silico learning experience: Virtual plant dissection lab (P11)
Dr Cheung-Ming Chow
School of Life Sciences

Interactive Virtual Plant Dissection Lab (IVPDL) is a media-based interactive learning material which simulates the process of plant dissection. Through IVPDL, students can fully appreciate the value of the fundamental knowledge of basic plant anatomy and also experience the process of scientific investigation. Unlike other hot topics in biology, free educational resources compatible with this courseware are so far unavailable on the Internet.

IVPDL includes three major parts:

  • "Interactive Dissection Manual", in which dissection of lily flowers is shown in a step-wise and interactive manner with clear instructions and well-labelled illustrations. It gives an overview of the dissection procedures and provides the non-science students with a chance to explore the process of investigation.
  • "Learn the Basic Terms", where the well-illustrated information and visual references (including cartoons and pictures) are made available to explain the flower-related terminologies and to assist the decision-making process in part (3).
  • "Virtual Plant Dissection", through which students can actively participate in the virtual dissection experiments for three flowers by deciding the dissection methods and judging the type of structural features exhibited by the specimens. Using the simulation, the biology-major students can go through the dissection process in a risk-free environment as many times as desired before the practical session.

In the poster presentation, I will explain the design and features of the courseware and discuss its effectiveness in extending the learning process of non-major students outside the classroom.

 

12. An innovative web-based platform for enhancement of outcomes-based learning in orthopaedics (P12, T12)
Dr Tsz Ping Lam, Prof. Shekhar Kumta,Patrick Tsang &
Prof. Leung Kim Hung
Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology

Recent pedagogical focus has shifted from teacher-orientated knowledge transfer to outcomes-based learning. In an undergraduate orthopaedic teaching module, Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) are explicitly specified at the start. For realization of these learning objectives, a web-based SLO Mapping Platform (SMP) supporting multimedia teaching materials is constructed. The objective of this study was to evaluate its acceptance and usefulness for students and teachers. Year 3 and Year 5 medical students were invited to participate by completing a self-administered feedback questionnaire after going through the Orthopaedic Module augmented with the SMP. Teachers were invited to complete a similar questionnaire and a questionnaire on their perception of students' performance during teaching sessions. Students' academic performance of Med 3 classes in two consecutive academic years without and with the SMP respectively was compared. For the feedback questionnaire, 232 students were recruited. On a "1–6" Likert scale, the average scores for various items of the questionnaire ranged from 4.67 to 5.08, indicating a very satisfactory outcome. Fourteen teachers participated and a similar Likert scale was employed. Average scores ranging from 4.58 to 5.14 were noted. Teachers' evaluation generally indicated that students' performance during teaching sessions has improved. In alignment with these positive results, students' academic performance as measured by the module-end summative assessment also improved with implementation of the SMP. The evaluation indicated a very satisfactory outcome for this SMP. Students found the SMP to be well organised, having a clear layout and helping them to learn. Given its acceptance and usefulness for an undergraduate orthopaedic programme, the SMP can also be beneficial for other parts of the medical curriculum and other teaching programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.


13. A study on student-centred learning focusing on effective teaching approaches and learning outcomes in undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty of Business Administration (P13)
 Man Kuen Almaz Chak, Prof. Shige Makino &
Jimmy Chiu
Department of Management

The aim of this study is to improve the overall learning experience of undergraduate students who are studying courses offered by the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) by adopting student-centred learning and effective teaching approaches.

To achieve the goal, four surveys on different stakeholders including current students, alumni, FBA teaching staff as well as employers have been carried out. In the first stage of the study, a large-scale survey (n=900+) was conducted, with emphasis on students' learning styles, preferred teaching approaches, preferred course design, course selection criteria and intended integrated learning outcomes. In the second stage, the focus was on the expected / acquired generic employability competencies and intended / acquired integrated learning outcomes, and how students can improve their employability through different experiential learning activities. The respondents in the second stage consisted of FBA alumni, FBA teaching staff and employers in Hong Kong.

The findings of this study are expected to help FBA teaching staff to be more informative and knowledgeable in developing effective teaching approaches and learning activities to facilitate the implementation of student-centred learning and improve students' generic employability competencies.

 

14. An exploratory instrument in measuring the effectiveness of exchange programmes and internship under the framework of outcomes-based approach (OBA) (P14)
 Man Kuen Almaz Chak & Prof. Shige Makino
Dept of Management

Given that a large number of CUHK undergraduate students have been participating in both exchange programmes and overseas internship organised by the university in recent years, it is crucial to understand how to review and measure the effectiveness of these experiential learning activities. However, at the moment, the learning process and challenges students undergo in these international assignments, and how such experiences affect their learning capability have not been systematically reviewed and measured. This study tries to explore the effectiveness of two widely adopted experiential learning activities, namely, the overseas exchange programme and internship, in improving the overall learning capabilities of students.

 

15. The adoption and use of the student response system (clickers) in Human Physiology courses at the School of Biomedical Sciences (P15)
Dr Isabel Hwang1, Prof. Paul Lam2 & Kevin Wong2
1School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
2Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The Student Response System commonly called clickers has been introduced to five Human Physiology courses (NURS1601/1602, PHAR1431, MEDN3070, BCME1600/1610, NURS6209/6210) offered by the School of Biomedical Sciences. For the last two years, more than 1000 students of different backgrounds (Nursing, Pharmacy, Chinese medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Human biology, Food and Nutritional science) have used this eLearning device in some of their lectures. Real time questions in the format of multiple choices were displayed to the students at the beginning and also at the end of each lecture to test their ability to grasp the concepts of the topics taught and to identify common misconceptions amongst students. Discussion followed immediately after the students' performance was automatically generated by the response system. Survey evaluations obtained from each course revealed that clickers are very useful as a form of lecture summary, for consolidation of knowledge, identification of common mistakes and improvement of understanding. Promotion and introduction of this eLearning system is underway in other courses such as Human Anatomy at the School.

 

16. The development of mobile-supported eBook in Human Physiology courses (P16)
Dr Isabel Hwang1, Prof. Michael Tam1, Prof. Paul Lam2 & Kevin Wong2
1School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
2Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The use of mobile learning technology to assist the teaching and learning of Human Physiology is not a common practice. However, most of our students do possess a smart phone or wireless device that allows them to go online readily within the university campus or in places that have Wi-Fi connections. This project was launched in August this year with an aim to create and introduce new mobile-learning opportunities for both students and teachers. eBooks on the topics of General Physiology (Membrane Excitability, Skeletal Muscle Contraction, Smooth Muscle Contraction and Thermoregulation) and Cardiovascular Physiology have been prepared using two pieces of open-source software named mjBookMaker and iSigil. To ensure equitable experiences for all students, the incorporated eBooks comprise versions that can be supported by a variety of mobile devices such as tablets (e.g., iPad and Galaxy Tab), smart phones (e.g., Android phone and iPhone) and even traditional mobile phones. Learning becomes not only mobile but both flexible and convenient.

 

17. The development of an interactive animated courseware package in Human Renal Physiology (P17)
Dr Isabel Hwang1, Prof. Paul Lam2, Learn Lam2, Ray Lee3, Monki Law3 &
Daisy Chen3
1School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
2Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research
3Information Technology Services Centre

An animated courseware package is developed for teaching non-medical Human Renal Physiology at the School of Biomedical Sciences. Both the design and depth of contents of the package are tailor-made according to the course requirement. The animated package contains clear chapter indexes that lead the user to explore the structure and function of the human kidneys in steps. Text descriptions with audio narrations are provided for each chapter and they are accompanied by colourful graphics including flash animations to detail complicated microscopic mechanisms within the tubular structures of the human kidneys. A built-in exercise pool is also an important feature of the package which gives an interactive revision practice for the users. End-of-course surveys and individual interviews were undertaken to assess the use and usefulness of this project. This animated package was highly regarded by the users of different courses. Most of the comments received were very positive. Frequent comments received included improved understanding and motivation to learn. The built-in exercise pool was also praised as a valuable resource for students to review and consolidate difficult concepts and terms.

 

18. Student Voices: Measuring success (part II) (P18, T1)
Anne Carver & Helen Yu
Faculty of Law

The Redmond Roper Report of 1996 has opened a forward-looking case for the training of lawyers in Hong Kong, and recommended the inclusion of liberal arts tradition in the undergraduate education for lawyers. The Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong was established in 2006 as the School of Law amidst this debate. The Student Voices has enabled five sets of films made between 2006 and 2010 as systematic records of the founding year students' experience over their four-year LLB programme. It was one, amongst many, bases to evaluate successful teaching and learning at the Faculty of Law. This film presentation will show how values in law were introduced, formed and took hold in our students during their four years here. [Click to view short paper]

 

19. Raising language awareness through University Chinese (P19, T3)
Prof. Sze-Wing Tang
Department of Chinese Language and Literature

A new 6-credit programme "University Chinese" will be implemented at CUHK in 2012. Its design is based on the unique historical and philosophical tradition of the University. One of the important goals of the programme is to raise language awareness of our students through modern and classical texts and regional and dialectal differences. In this presentation, we would like to introduce the major features of this programme, particularly highlighting the experience of theme-based orientation in our pilot classes of University Chinese, which we believe is a right direction to pursue to enhance Chinese language proficiency in the new curriculum and should have some positive impacts on Chinese language education.

 

20. “LE@RN biochem”: A new learning experience for life sciences students (P20)
Prof. Pang Chui Shaw, Dr Kwan Chi Leung, Kenneth Leung & Christy Cheng
School of Life Sciences

"LE@RN biochem" is an application for life sciences students to learn representative topics in biochemistry. It is flexible and portable, so students can learn freely at their own time.

"LE@RN biochem" is available in the form of a website and an eBook with six learning modules, namely, Protein Biochemistry; DNA Technology; Biochemistry and Life; Laboratory Equipment and Techniques; Data Presentation and Self-study Skills. These modules cover the most important fundamental concepts of biochemistry. Students can find clear descriptions, visual animations, attractive videos, interactive games and revision exercises in this all-in-one application.

This application was launched in the academic year of 2011–12. A number of students and teachers were invited to focus groups to give comments for the improvement of the application before its launch. A survey on the effectiveness of the application will be conducted at the end of the first semester. In the survey, information on satisfaction with the project, the use of the "LE@RN biochem" by students, and suggestions for the future development of the platform will be collected and analysed.

 

21. CUHK on iTunes U (P21)
Eva Cheung & Prinporn Lau
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 initiative to promote knowledge transfer and lifelong learning, the University places a variety of educational programmes at viewers' fingertips.

Similar to last year's presentation, the presentation will start with a demonstration of how to access the video and audio contents on CUHK on iTunes U. We will then focus on sharing with you our experience of assisting teachers at the University to prepare and upload educational content onto CUHK on iTunes U for sharing with the world.

This is a chance to learn more about CUHK on iTunes U.

 

22. Careers E-coach (eLearning portal with the provision of Teaching Development Grant) (P22)
Vanessa Fan
Career Planning and Development Centre, Office of Student Affairs

The Careers E-coach serves all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students of CUHK, aiming at commensurate technical knowledge education by engaging them in learning essential soft-skills, through participation in different visual-aided online exercises.

The system consists of 4 modules, "Career Planning", "Résumé Writing", "Cover Letter Writing" and "Interview Skills", which aim to guide students through the different stages of the job hunting process with guidelines, tips and advice. The progress tracking page enables students to take charge of their own learning pace based on previous performance.

It also provides a clear route map to undergraduates, research and taught postgraduates respectively, on various essential credentials that a student should secure in each study year to enhance their employability. Students can easily benchmark their performance against the route map, work on the evaluation and self-exploratory exercises and take actions in real life in order to fill the discrepancies accordingly.

Critical Reception and Way Forward
Between its launch in February and 27 September 2011, the system has recorded over 11,000 visits to the modules in total.

Training sessions on the platform are organised on a regular basis to help students understand the importance of early career preparation and empower them with the ability of self-learning.

 

23. The social network virtual design studio (P23, T7)
Prof. Marc Aurel Schnabel1 & Prof. Jeremy Ham2
1School of Architecture (CUHK)
2School of Architecture and Building (Deakin University, Australia)

Online communications, multimedia, mobile computing and face-to-face learning create blended learning environments to which some Virtual Design Studios (VDS) have reacted. Social Networks (SN), as instruments for communication, have provided a potentially fruitful operative base for VDS. These technologies transfer communication, leadership, democratic interaction, teamwork, social engagement and responsibility away from the design tutors to the participants. The implementation of Social Network VDS (SNVDS) has moved the VDS beyond its conventional realm and enabled students to develop architectural design that is embedded into a community of learners and expertise both online and offline. Problem-based learning (PBL) becomes an iterative and reflexive process facilitating deep learning. The paper discusses details of the SNVDS, its pedagogical implications for PBL, and presents how the SNVDS is successful in enabling architectural students to collaborate and communicate design proposals that integrate a variety of skills, deep learning, knowledge and construction with a rich learning experience.

 

24. Automated Lecture Recordings @ CUHK (P24)
Edman Chan1 & Prof. Paul Lam2
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. The Automated Lecture Recording Service is a pilot scheme to provide limited support to teachers to record their teaching in class. The system we use automatically and reliably captures class lectures and converts them into podcasts, video, rich media, and other formats for anytime, anywhere playback. In the poster presentation, we will showcase a number of ways this strategy has been used to enhance teaching and learning. For example, in one case, the lecture recordings have become additional learning resources for students to revisit concepts they might have difficulty in understanding in class. In another scenario, the teachers recorded their teaching in more controlled settings before the course and these recordings became part of a week-by-week self-learning package. Class time was used for more interactive and meaningful learning activities rather than on teaching the basics.

 

25. A new role for laboratory instruction in interdisciplinary engineering education (P25)
Prof. Pun To Yung
Department of Electronic Engineering

Laboratory instruction is imperative to engineering education in developing students' hands-on techniques, appreciation of the interplay between theory and practice, and affective qualities such as teamwork and communication skills. A recent paradigm shift in engineering education has been fuelled by a change in the work environment, resource considerations, and the interdisciplinary nature of emerging engineering fields. This shift underlines the need for new pedagogies in engineering laboratory instruction. To this end, a course named "Introduction to Biomedical Engineering" has been designed and implemented in 2011. Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary field spanning physics, chemistry, mathematics, electronics, mechanics, medical science and biology. Instead of having standalone modules dedicated to each discipline, this course aims to develop "conditionalized" knowledge to connect and organise students' knowledge around important concepts, well aligned with a storyboard. Learning activities are interwoven through lectures, tutorials, assignments and practising laboratory sessions. Understanding and transfer of knowledge is emphasised, rather than the recitation of facts and formulas. A teaching laboratory is specifically constructed where a plethora of multidisciplinary experiments, such as molecular engineering, electrophysiology and neuroengineering, can be performed. This pedagogy bridges the boundaries between disciplines and makes the connection to create deeper insights among students.

 

26. Students’ self-assessment of their learning outcomes: Findings from small-class teaching (P26, T2)
Prof. Shuangye Chen
Department of Educational Administration & Policy

Under the current scheme of the outcomes-based approach (OBA) to teaching and learning, how well students have achieved the outcomes is inadequately indicated by either their final grades or their evaluation of teachers' teaching (CTE). Students' learning at university is both a process and a number of outcomes at the same time, especially in those subjects that aim to foster higher-level thinking and deep learning.

This talk is based on an action-research by the instructor to explore the effect of students' learning outcomes using OBA-oriented course design and self-assessment. The course, entitled Educational Reform in Chinese Societies, was offered to PGDE students from the Faculty of Education in the summer of 2011. There were 19 students enrolled and 17 finished the learning process. With a careful design following OBA, students were allowed to assess their outcomes in a fully-elaborated short paper in 1000 words. Their self-assessment accounts for 30% of their final grade.

The findings of the research suggest that (1) students are not as opportunistic as assumed and do not give themselves high marks in the self-assessment; (2) with clearly guided questions for the self-assessment, they can show and justify the outcomes of their learning which align with what the instructor set for the course.

 

27. The co-creation approach of teaching and learning (P27)
Dr Fred Ku & Cindy Lau
Department of Decision Sciences & Managerial Economics

When Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia become essential elements in the daily life of the young generation, it shows that times have changed. This signifies the environment in which our youngsters have grown up. We slowly but surely learn from our students what they treasure most from these communication channels – using online and multimedia resources to enhance the learning process is effective and necessary.

Economics can be seen easily in daily lives. Vivid examples can always be used to illustrate complicated economic concepts and motivate learning. A group of CUBA teachers encourage their students to look for examples of this kind and share with others by using multimedia technology, for example, by streaming video, to promote further interactive learning.

Findings from an evaluation research by CLEAR (Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research) show that this application of multimedia technology can successfully boost CUBA students' interest and creativity in learning economics.

CUBA has long been using innovative models and approaches in teaching and learning. This programme is to develop teaching strategies and instructional resources that support educators in delivering high-quality economic education, and to promote the use of multimedia technology in economic education.

 

28. The use of Facebook for teaching and learning (P28)
Dr Fred Ku & Cindy Lau
Department of Decision Sciences & Managerial Economics

Facebook is the most popular social-networking platform and an essential element in the daily life of the younger generation. Creatively used, it turns into a powerful teaching and learning tool. Some economics and statistics courses offered by CUBA have already been using Facebook as a medium to facilitate teaching and learning.

Given students' heavy use of this social networking platform, virtually real time online interaction is possible on the go. Students discuss topics related to the subject with their peers through Facebook, and it provides a place for effective interaction and peer learning. On the other hand, feedback from teachers and announcements can also be made through this popular social-networking platform, which enables effective communication between teacher and students.

Findings from an evaluation research by CLEAR (Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research) show that the use of Facebook enhances students' learning experience. For example, instant replies make them enthusiastic to share their feelings and opinions with their peers as well as their teachers. The distance between teacher and students seems to be reduced. Students even have the feeling that "they are not alone" after using Facebook. Their sense of belonging and their morale are enhanced.

 

29. A browser-based application development platform (P29)
Dr Tsz Yeung Wong
Department of Computer Science & Engineering

We developed a web-based application (webapp) as a ubiquitous platform to help students to learn how to develop webapps.

Learning how to write a webapp is not easy and the challenge is that learners are usually required to equip themselves with lots of technical skills, including system installation as well as system maintenance skills, before they can start learning the corresponding programming skill. Such intrinsic requirements discourage interested students from learning webapp programming.

Our goal is to make webapp development easy. Through this web-based development platform, we aim to lighten students' burdens. We provide a web-based file management system so that students can easily upload and download their work. Also, we provide a web-based programme editor so that students can work on a familiar, easy-to-use platform. On the technical side, the platform allows students to develop webapps in many of the most popular web programming languages, including PHP, Python, and JavaScript.

We started our development in summer 2011, and the platform is being deployed in course CSCI4140, which is offered to senior engineering students in fall 2011.

 

30. Programme-based student experience surveys: Process and challenges (P30, T14)
Annisa Ho & Prof. Keith Thomas
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The Evaluation Services team in the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) administers programme-based student experience surveys annually for all undergraduate programmes. The initial Students Experience Questionnaire (SEQ), piloted in 2003, has since been extended to include both first and final year students, as well as a Graduate Capabilities Questionnaire (GCQ) and an Alumni Questionnaire (AQ). The purpose of these surveys is to collect students' perceptions on their learning experience in their undergraduate studies. There are two sections to the questionnaires; one section focuses on the quality of the teaching and learning (T&L) environment, and the second section looks at the perceived development of desired graduate capabilities. This annual process, which is supported by a detailed reporting performance profile relative to a University mean, has grown in terms of participation rates and reassuringly the results reveal a steady improvement in reported capabilities, while the trend in T&L has remained somewhat stable. With some nine years to reflect upon, and a number of changes associated with broad-based admission and the regular launch of new programmes, there are also some lessons and future challenges for the Evaluation Services team. The aim is to consolidate the collaborative process with Programmes that has seen great benefit from student feedback in terms of capabilities, while shifting T&L practice may be the future area of focus in the next phase of the SEQ.

 
31. Fostering effective TA/Professor relationships in higher education: A mentoring framework (P31)
Mona Wong & Prof. Keith Thomas
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The relationship between teaching assistants and university professors is central to effective teaching and learning, and this relationship will be increasingly important in the local Hong Kong context with the curriculum reforms associated with the introduction of a four-year normative curriculum in 2012. This paper outlines a qualitative research study that explores the relationship between teaching assistants and professors as they fulfill their respective teaching responsibilities in undergraduate courses. The study explored and identified key factors inside an effective mentoring in supporting the teaching relationship in the wider context of supporting student learning. Twenty six TAs and professors were interviewed. Highlighting a triangular relationship between professor, TA and students, in which the latter group are a pivotal third party, the mentoring relationship is distinguished by specific interpersonal, intra-personal and contextual factors that shape the relationship and resultant teaching and learning practices. A prospective mentoring framework, adapted for use in higher education, is discussed.

 

32. i+A apps: Multimedia learning platform for clinical studies (P32)
Pak Leung Patrick Tsang, Prof. Leung Kim Hung & Chi Ho Eddie Lok
Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology

The mobile application space is exploding in the world. Mobile technology is obviously replacing traditional web technology and nowadays there is a move from native applications to web apps.

The aim of this project is to develop an i+A apps multimedia learning platform for clinical studies, which will be applied in two major market-shared mobile operation systems: iOS (i) and Android (A) platform.

Through the instant communication platform and forum of the apps, students and teachers can discuss the materials made by students and their performance online, and this can also stimulate the learning process and refine the accuracy of handling clinical cases.

The convenience of the video recording and photo-taking functions of mobile devices can enable students to submit materials to the system and raise their questions easily. The size and light weight of devices like the iPad and tablets is excellent for showing x-ray and CT images on ward rounds and illustrating materials to students.

After lectures, students can revisit the contents for reinforcement. Information, images, and videos are re-loadable and can be repeatedly reviewed by the students even after they become doctors, and this is a cost-effective way of teaching and learning.

 

33. Video case method in the classroom: Ten true life business stories (P33, T6)
Dr Joyce Iun
Department of Management

“Video case method in the classroom: ten true life business stories” has been created by Joyce Iun, C.S. Wong, Kenneth Law and Yina Mao of the Department of Management. It is financially supported by a teaching development grant (Project 4170342) from CUHK. Ten cases (five for each course) are designed for two undergraduate subjects, Principles of Management (MGNT 1020) and Human Resource Management (MGNT 2040), in accordance with the concepts, theories and themes covered in these two fundamental courses. These real life stories have been developed into videos by engaging a professional script writer and production staff. One complete set of ten videos (in English, Cantonese and Putonghua) plus teaching notes has been available in the Department of Management since August 31, 2011. Our ten videos are: At the town hall meeting (也是…炎黃子孫?), Hire me by all means! (聘我! 拼啊!), Who’s next? (他朝君體也相同), Gone with the wings (插翅難飛), Friend or foe? (是敵是友?), My door is always open! (羅生門), An aggressive lady (請守規矩), Evolving door (明日之星), Don’t give a damn!? (毫不希罕!?), Where does their loyalty lie? (誠歸何處?).

 

34. Effects on examination performance due to two types of virtual patient: A repeated study (P34)
Joseph YC Leung1, Prof. Lester AH Critchley2, Alex LK Yung1 & Prof. Shekhar M Kumta1
1Teaching and Learning Resource Centre, Faculty of Medicine
2Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care

Background:
The Virtual Patient (VP) is a type of eLearning software that simulates real-life clinical scenarios. Utilizing VPs improves teaching efficiency. However, it is not clear whether it improves student learning. The Anaesthesia Department developed two types of VP: Formative Assessment Cases Studies (FACS) and Storyline VP (SL-VP). By adding Acute Pain Management (APM) material onto our VPs, we designed a study to test the effectiveness of VPs on student learning.

Description:
FACS are short interactive cases based around a central topic. SL-VP is a longitudinal VP that follows the patient's disease and treatment. New APM materials were added to both VPs.

Students from years 2009–10 and 2010–11 were exposed to one of four combinations of APM-VP materials: None; FACS plus SL-VP; SL-VP only and FACS only.

Three examinations were given after exposure.

Results:
APM-FACS had a positive effect on student performance in all three examinations in answering APM questions (P<0.05). The SL-VP showed no effect. APM-FACS improved end-of-module MCQ paper marks by 7.6% and 14.1% (p<0.05), respectively for both years; it improved the end-of-module written paper by 12.0% and 17.9% (p<0.05) and improved final examination marks by 16.1% and 7.7% (p<0.05).

Conclusion:
This study provides evidence that VPs can improve learning and examination performance.

 

35. Multimedia tools for enhancing students’ learning experience in conducting research-based projects (P35)
Prof. Wing Por Kevin Leung, Dr Wing Fat Chan, Dr Yu San Cheung &
Dr Kin Wah Kendrew Mak
Department of Chemistry

Problem-based Learning (PBL) was introduced into the Chemistry Undergraduate curriculum as compulsory research-based final-year projects several years ago. To provide support for students to complete their projects, and to enrich their learning experience, a variety of multimedia teaching aids have been prepared. These include an assortment of instructional videos showing students how to use the literature and library resources effectively, and demonstration videos showing some advanced laboratory skills which may not have been covered in typical undergraduate courses but are essential for research. To finish a research project successfully and efficiently, students need to have many different "soft skills" such as project planning and management, resource management, and professional presentation skills specifically for presenting science research projects. A series of interviews with selected ex-students and teaching assistants who showed outstanding performance in this PBL course in previous years were conducted and made into videos. The ex-students and teaching assistants shared their experience in areas such as how they solved a difficult situation, how they managed their project progress efficiently, and their tips for preparing presentations and reports with a professional look. All previous presentation PowerPoint files and project reports were also collected, compiled and made available to students for reference. Students can learn how to make professional research presentations and reports from these previous examples. All these multimedia resources are integrated into a Moodle platform where students can access them as a "one-stop".

 

36. Using eBooks, podcasts and blogs in university teaching (P36)
Prof. Michael Lower
Faculty of Law

The emergence of new tools (eBooks, podcasts and blogs) has not changed the goals of the University or of the individual scholar: these remain a commitment to scholarship and to inspiring others to become scholars. Nevertheless, these tools do open up new possibilities for reaching out to students and the wider public and for organising one's research. This presentation will explain something of the speaker's experience over the past two years of using eBooks, podcasts and blogs. It makes suggestions concerning their effective use.

 

37. Learning, reflection and change: Core elements in a student-centred curriculum (P37, T8)
Prof. Jane Jackson
Department of English

This presentation focuses on the design and evaluation of a credit-bearing, web-enhanced course that is designed to help students make sense of their international experience (e.g., study abroad, service-learning, internship). In a supportive environment, the participants explore theories and models of intercultural (communicative) competence and intercultural transitions. In relation to their own and others' international experience, they delve into such topics as language/culture shock, intercultural (re)adjustment, identity expansion, global/intercultural citizenship, and intercultural competence in a second language. Through guided, critical reflection, reading, discussion, and writing (e.g., chat forums, blogs, narratives), students develop a deeper understanding of their international/L2 experience and discover ways to incorporate it into their campus life and post-graduation plans. After providing an overview of the course, this presentation centres on the evaluation of the first offering and changes that are being implemented in 2011–12. The development and monitoring of this reentry course have benefited from a Teaching Development Grant (#4170338) as well as data generated from a competitive General Research Fund (#2110167), which is facilitating an investigation of the 'whole-person development' of outgoing exchange students. This session highlights the benefits of designing a research-driven, learner-centred curriculum to help students optimize their international, intercultural experience.

 

 38. Development, promotion and support of mobile learning at CUHK (P38)
Prof. Paul Lam1, Morris Kwok2 & Kevin Wong1
1Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research
2Information Technology Services Centre

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 looks for mobile learning solutions that have a higher chance of being adopted by teachers and bring significant convenience to teaching, and/or significant learning benefits to students.

Achievements include:

  • introducing web-based clickers as a learning tool, a service which has been used by four teachers in their courses;
  • introducing an eBook-making service, which has been used by teachers in six disciplines, and
  • developing a Mobile Learning @ CUHK website for teachers and students to obtain ideas, information and resources.

Evaluations of the mobile learning strategies were conducted through face to face meetings, observations of the activities held and surveys. Feedback obtained so far has been promising. We feel strongly that mobile learning strategies will soon attract the attention of more teachers and students.

 

 39. Learning Space @ CUHK Project: Exploring user habits and preferences in library spaces (P39)
Prof. Paul Lam1, Dr Shirley Leung2, Ziv Kwong1, 2 & Eric Ho1
1Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research
2University Library System

The main aim of the Learning Space Project is to explore how different places 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 would like to highlight the results from a recent research study that the University Library System (ULS) and our project have jointly completed regarding students' preferences in the designs of spaces in our libraries. We studied the learning activities in the University Library and Chung Chi College Elisabeth Luce Moore Library. During the two-week study, a total of 17,590 occupants and their usages were recorded, and about 1000 users were surveyed. Results of the study have enabled us to identify many learning space features that are important to students, as well as to raise issues we need to consider for future developments; for example, how to effectively incorporate group learning activities in library spaces without disturbing individual learning.

 

 40. Teacher participation on Facebook and student engagement in learning (P40, T4)
Lui Lam & Nga-Sin Lau
School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Facebook, an online social networking service, has been widely adopted by people all round the world. Though people use Facebook services for many reasons and the public has many different views on Facebook, there is no doubt that students are increasingly relying on it to communicate and interact with friends and classmates. Facebook is becoming part of their lives and they may spend hours on it. Teachers have different opinions about Facebook usage and participation. Some totally approve of the positive effects of the use of the online social community, whereas others disagree, addressing privacy and security issues. Some also claim that online learning platforms, like Moodle and WebCT, should be used instead. Meanwhile, students have different opinions about faculty participation on Facebook. However, student learning attitudes and behaviour change over time, making it necessary for teachers to be forward-looking, considering and selecting the most appropriate ways to teach and learn. This upward trend in Facebook usage raises a question: "Can students be more engaged in learning, communicating and interacting with teachers via Facebook?" In this study, we are going to explore the relationship between student engagement in learning and teacher participation on Facebook. The findings of this study provide information for teachers on students' attitudes towards using Facebook as a communication and interaction channel in teaching and learning. It also provides researchers with some findings related to the online social community and education.

 

 41. Development of video learning materials for medical students with special physical requirements (P41)
Prof. Leung Kim Hung, Dr C L So & Dr T P Lam
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

A wheelchair-bound paraplegic female medical student with spinal cord injury started her medical degree in our university in 2007. Throughout her 5-year training as a doctor, she has encountered different challenges, such as reaching the bedside independently and maintaining different postures for clinical assessment. The objective of the project is to develop and refine a series of clinical videos for physical examination skills with the participation of the student.

We have formed a team with an experienced orthopaedics doctor, physiotherapist and the student, and tried to work out some specific examination techniques based on the physical ability of the student. We have listed a series of physical examinations that are relatively complicated, and worked them out with the student. The physical examination skills were modified to be suitable for wheelchair-bound students or clinicians without compromising the clinical interpretation. In general, the principles of the physical examination are the same as for other students.

The edited video is delivered to all the teachers, mentors and the student. The student is expected to gain this background knowledge before coming to mentor-led bedside teaching sessions when interactive discussion or direct patient examination is carried out. This video enables the teachers and mentors to have a better understanding of the student's ability and enhance the cost-effectiveness of bedside teaching for students with special physical requirements.

 

42. AppMaster: The application that aids educators in mobile education (P42)
Prof. Shekhar M Kumta1, Joseph YC Leung1, Alex LK Yung1, Prof. Lester AH Critchley2 & Dr Yan Jin1
1Teaching and Learning Resource Centre, Faculty of Medicine
2Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care

Background:
This project is to utilize applications (apps) as educational tools, where apps are programmes that are available on the users' handheld devices. However, developing these kinds of apps requires special programming skills. Therefore, we have developed an app called AppsMaster, that allows teachers to easily convert their own teaching material into an app format.

Description:
The AppsMaster allows teachers to create their own apps. The materials are presented: a) as a study guide; b) as a mini formative assessment; c) enriched with multimedia links to resources (PDF, Microsoft Office, etc.). The AppsMaster only requires users to submit files in a simple and standardized format. Materials can be easily updated through the Internet. This app also collects students' responses, giving the lecturer better control of the materials.

Potential impact and adaptability:
The AppsMaster offers great potential in the delivery of learning material in the near future, as mobile technology advancement continues to boom. It saves teachers time and money for the transitional period in preparing lecture material for mobile learning. This project is extremely useful for those who want to prepare material for mobile applications but who do not have the skills or time to write apps.

 

43. Learning Commons and Research Commons of the library (P43)
Dr Shirley Leung
University Library System

To facilitate learning and research among students, the University Library System will launch two Learning Commons and a Research Commons in the academic year of 2012–13. The two Learning Commons, in the basement of the new extension to the University Library and the Two Integrated Teaching Buildings, will open 24 hours a day and seven days a week to support a variety of learning-centred tasks. The Research Commons will be set up on the first floor of the new extension, to meet the needs of scholarly research of students. It is crucial to engage teaching staff in the varieties of learning experiences and research activities that will take place in these new learning spaces.

 

44. Understanding and enriching learning activities @ CUHK (P44)
 Jack Lee, Eric Ho, Aiden Tong, Coco Lam, Henry Chiu & Prof. Paul Lam
Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research

The Learning Activity Project Team has two main objectives: understanding the range of the learning activities our students typically engage in, and promotion of effective learning activities. In this poster presentation, we would like to highlight our recent work in these two areas. Firstly, we have recently developed a "Learning Activity @ CUHK" website (http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/clear/LA/). This site provides rich descriptions of a variety of useful learning tasks with examples of how they have been in use at CUHK. Our target is to enhance the learning processes and learning environment at the University by providing resources for teachers to consider when they decide what they can ask students to do in their courses. Secondly, we have conducted a learning diary study to keep track of the learning activities students do on a daily basis. Fourteen students were asked to keep a learning journal for a period of 23 weeks. Results showed that students were engaged in a great variety of learning activities. Also, learning was not limited to the formal courses students attended, but included many other informal learning experiences.

 

45. On eBooks in taught postgraduate courses (P45, T13)
Prof. Grant Hamilton
Department of English

The question of innovation in teaching is one that most of us, rightly or wrongly, quickly reduce to the use of technology in teaching. Because of this, the idea of technology in teaching is something that a good number of teachers in tertiary institutions continue to regard with suspicion – as little more than a gimmick that appeases the student demand for entertainment in the lecture hall. However, I want to suggest in this talk that the use of eBooks in teaching is genuinely advantageous to both the student and teacher. Through talking about my own experience of devising and employing an eBook for my MA course "Advanced Studies in Literature" (Department of English), I will highlight some of the certain benefits of using eBooks in the context of taught postgraduate programmes.

 

46. Classroom activities for learner-centred approach (P46, T5)
Prof. Isabella Wai-Yin Poon
Department of Statistics

Learner-centred approach has been promoted in recent years as an effective approach to enhance students' learning. Depending on the nature of the courses, various classroom activities can be designed to support the approach. Examples are (1) the use of problem-based method to set a context for students to apply and internalize the content knowledge, (2) the use of clickers to engage students, (3) the use of structured group discussion to involve students in self-reflection and peer instruction, and (4) the use of self- and peer-assessments as learning activities. How these activities are employed in different types of courses is introduced.

 

47. Engaging taught postgraduate students through Moodle tools (P47)
Kai Pan Mark
Department of Information Engineering

Low level of student engagement, especially among part-time students, has long been a challenge in local higher education. Educators have proposed different means to improve student engagement through 1) frequent student and staff interaction; 2) active classroom discussion and 3) high quality course delivery. New challenge arises as recent intakes of taught postgraduate programmes consist of significant portions of non-local full time students. They have different expectations and perceptions from the local part-time students in interaction and group work, e.g., collaboration in group projects, peer communication and timeliness of peer and teacher feedback. This paper chronicles our innovation utilization of Moodle tools (e.g., forum, wiki and workshop) to improve student engagement and reduce barrier between full time and part time students. Adopting these tools to support learning and teaching activities, we complement student-teacher and student-student interaction by providing a centralized platform for open and personal collaboration, disseminating timely and formative feedback, as well as building a sense of belonging between full time and part time students. Preliminary results of improved student engagement show 1) increasing number of forum posts that extends deep academic discussion outside classroom; 2) intra-group collaborative work in wiki and 3) constructive peer feedback posted in workshop.

 

48. ELearning platform (upgrade) to support experiential learning activities for students who will enter commercial sector or NGO after graduation (P48)
Prof. Andrew C. F. Chan1, Melina Iu2, K M Tse2 & Erica Chu2
1Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration
2Undergraduate Office, Faculty of Business Administration

We learn from experience and in a University context this is primarily through in-class teaching and learning activity of structured content that aims at providing knowledge primarily at a cognitive level to students. However, students cannot thrive in the workplace with functional skills alone and so much of educational effort is directed towards extending cognitive, as well as social affective skills, through classroom activity, as well as outside classroom activity or experiential learning.

This project “eLearning platform (upgrade) to support experiential learning activities for students who will enter commercial sector of NGO after graduation”, taking an outcomes-based approach to education, aims to develop students’ survival skill sets, such as critical thinking, problem solving and interpersonal skills for working in the Commercial Sector or for an NGO through the implementation of an eLearning platform.

The eLearning platform, named as Soft Skills Mentor, offers a broad range of business essential soft skills such as resume writing skills, interviewing skills, presentation skills and etc. When a student is working through different modules on the eLearning Platform, he/she is actually experiencing a virtual ‘walk-through’ of what it takes if he/she is pursuing certain career option. Students also have a virtual portfolio that he/she can manage his/her learning experience.

 

49. Inter-faculty academic-related advising service (P49)
Prof. Andrew C. F. Chan1, Melina Iu2, K M Tse2 & Erica Chu2
1Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration
2Undergraduate Office, Faculty of Business Administration

There is a growing number of double-degree/-major to meet the diversified needs of the society. Students are having a hard time to assimilate information from different stakeholders such as teachers, future employers, and peers about different functional roles and to map out their future career plan. This is especially critical to students who are NOT a business major but would like to pursue a career in the commercial sector eventually. From here, we see the need of an academic advising service from which students can obtain fundamental information related to most careers they would like to pursue after graduation.

The objectives of a coordinated, web-supported academic advising service are:

  • To help students map their professional development, and so enable them a smooth transition from University to the workplace.
  • To form an infrastructure that allows courseware sharing across different disciplines on essential soft skills development and academic advising
  • To develop a knowledge database that can be used to gauge the utility of experiential learning and internship programme, and the demand for elective course(s)

Under a robust infrastructure for a knowledge database for career services, input came from teachers, alumni and prospective employers who gave insider perspectives, their general requirements and the latest trends in different industries.


 

An Innovative Web-based Platform for Enhancement of Outcomes-based Learning in Orthopaedics (P12, T12)
Tsz Ping Lam, Shekhar Kumta, Patrick Tsang & Leung Kim Hung
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology
tplam@ort.cuhk.edu.hk

Student Voices: Measuring Success (Part II) (P18, T1)
Anne Carver & Helen Yu
Faculty of Law
annecarver@cuhk.edu.hk