A Swedish perspective at CUHK from STINT fellow

Since 2012, CUHK and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) have collaborated in the Foundation’s Teaching Sabbatical Programme. This year, CUHK is glad to welcome a visiting fellow, Prof. Helena Francke, Programme Director at the Swedish School of Library and Information Science from the University of Boras. Hosted by the School of Journalism and Communication, Prof. Francke is teaching a course on information user studies during the first term.

Prof. Francke is impressed with the teaching and learning environment at CUHK:

Spending a semester at the School of Journalism and Communication at CUHK, I have learnt much from both students and colleagues. In order to get an inside understanding of teaching in Hong Kong, I run a small class at the master’s level on information user studies. As the course focuses on search engines and social media, I have discussed with my students about the practices of searching and socialising online in the context of Hong Kong and mainland China which has been very enriching. Sitting in on classes taught by my colleagues has further broadened my perspectives. I have been very impressed by the breadth and depth of the issues taught, as well as by how engaged the professors are in their students’ learning.

As a director of two master’s programmes, I am always eager to equip my students with experiences from relevant professional fields. It is impressive that CUHK actively offers diverse opportunities for students to gain such experiences from both industry and civil society including internships, service-learning and practicums. I will bring these inspirations to my home institution to benefit Swedish students, together with fond memories from CUHK.

CUHK has received five STINT fellows since the launch of the programme. The programme has received positive feedback from host departments citing its benefits, and has become a key initiative in facilitating the building of international partnerships with Swedish academics.