Dr David Kang Jong-hyuk, Associate Head and Assistant Professor at the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies, received the University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award under the category of Early Career Faculty Members on 6 September 2018, in recognition of his outstanding teaching performance and achievements.

President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung congratulated Dr Kang on winning the award. “EdUHK has long championed the nurturing of 21st century educators and professionals through innovative learning and teaching,” he said. “Dr Kang is a pioneer in developing creative pedagogical methods for Chinese history education and has successfully enlivened the subject by integrating cross-disciplinary elements and approaches. His passion and professionalism have set an outstanding example for our community in the pursuit of academic excellence.” 

Dr Kang expressed his gratitude for the recognition from the UGC and the support from his colleagues across various units. “I would like to thank everyone for their assistance, guidance and encouragement throughout my time at EdUHK,” he said. “This could not have happened without their support. Indeed, it is a team award for the University.”

Constantly seeking creative ways to motivate his students to learn history, Dr Kang has developed over 10 new courses. The learner-centred approach and innovative teaching methods adopted in the courses have not only benefited history majors, but have also inspired students from other disciplines to develop a meaningful engagement with the past by using a “4-‘re’” history teaching method developed by Dr Kang: reconstruct, reread, reflect and research. He plans to use the award grant to incorporate STEM-focused activities in secondary school history lessons to improve the students’ understanding of Chinese history and increase their appreciation of Chinese culture.

Launched in 2011, the UGC Teaching Award honours academics at UGC-funded universities for their outstanding teaching performance and achievements, as well as their leadership and scholarly contributions to teaching and learning within and across universities. This year, Dr Kang and two other award recipients were selected from among 22 outstanding nominees through a rigorous selection process. For more information, please visit https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/ugc/about/press_speech_other/press/2018/pr06092018.html.