EPL is in line with the University’s strategy of encouraging the use of information technology for teaching and learning. We have active engagement in different projects to enhance teaching and learning.
Project Leaders: BRYANT, Darren Anthony [EPL]; TANG, Hei Hang Hayes [EPL]; TANG, Yuen Man Giovanna [FEHD]
The aims of the project are:
To increase the capacity of teachers and students in local Band 3 schools through providing more advanced interactive technology for immersive learning experience and providing training on how to use it.
To connect closely with local Band 3 schools and support their improvement trajectories
The deliverables include:
Online teaching and learning resources for local Band 3 schools
Video recordings of lessons with the use of online teaching and learning resources
Project Leader(s): YUEN, Wai Kwan Gail [EPL]; TANG, Yee Fan Sylvia [EPL]
Teacher professionalism—the capacity to make informed educational judgements about what is in the best interests of students and their communities—is influenced by ever-evolving and interactive institutional, social, and political contexts. Teachers are not only expected to meet diverse and sometimes competing local needs but they must also be responsive to global developments and concerns. In Hong Kong, the recent introduction of T-Standard+ for teachers and principals and such government initiatives as one special needs education coordinator (SENCO) per public school, one social worker per primary school, and expansion of life-wide learning resources, have created a new set of dynamics for professional practice and leadership in schools. At a global level, scientific and technological innovations have vastly transformed how teaching and learning are conceived and delivered, while burning issues such as widespread poverty and global warming demand educational responses. The expectation that teachers play a leadership role in constructing new imaginaries and better futures has serious implications for teacher education. This points to the importance of a continuous and critical reconsideration of what constitutes the basic professional capacity of new teachers and how this capacity can be developed and further strengthened and transformed in schools; what is at stake is the cultivation of passionate, educational leaders—teacher researchers—who are intellectually curious, practically innovative, and ethically engaged with local and global issues. Against this educational backdrop, the purpose of the project is to enhance the impact of teaching and research on teacher education both locally and globally—or what we call research-teaching impact. The project has three components, school engagement, quality course enhancement and teachers-as-researchers.
Project Leader(s): HO, Chun Sing Maxwell [EPL]
The goals of this project will be to
construct an adaptive blended learning community for business teachers and students;
investigate and inform educators about students’ learning patterns in pursuing a blended learning approach.
The project will generate blended learning materials for teachers and students, build a business-subject teachers’ community and develop business-related teaching materials.
Project Leader(s): LEE, Chi Kin John [C&I]; LIM, Cher Ping [C&I]; TANG, Yee Fan Sylvia[EPL]
This project focuses on the development of high quality digital resources (i.e. e-learning packages) and mobile friendly digital resources and platforms for different Education Studies Core Courses for BEd and PGDE programmes. Innovative technologies including 360o degree photos, virtual reality, augmented reality and online games, have been adopted in the e-learning packages. As part of the efforts to create and establish good models for e-learning packages and blended learning (BL) courses at FEHD, all the courses with the newly developed e-learning packages take part in an evaluation process. Both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected from all students on their experience, engagement and opinions while adopting the e-learning packages and taking blended learning courses.
Project Leader(s): LEE, Tai Hoi Theodore [EPL]; YUEN, Wai Kwan Gail [EPL]
This project aims to (a) explore and examine innovative blended learning (BL) pedagogies that effectively integrate case-based learning (CBL) to enhance student engagement and learning of pre-service teachers, and (b) build professional capacity of BL in higher education settings. This project is grounded in a continuous endeavor to address wide-ranging needs and issues related to teaching and learning of the Education Studies (ES) Core Courses of pre-service programmes. Initial effort has been made to develop contextualized case materials to facilitate course delivery. The next stage of inquiry is to investigate the use of these materials along with pedagogically sound BL strategies. Research on BL focuses mostly on student learning, having limited understanding of pedagogical practices for professional development. The proposed project contributes to this aspect of scholarship by bringing together faculty members to try out case-based BL pedagogies. The collegial process of investigation enables the cultivation of a community of practice that is more open to the pedagogical possibilities brought forth by BL to strengthen the professional component of pre-service teacher education. The project will produce a training package with an online library of exemplars and resources that guides faculty members to formulate their own desired path of BL.
Project Leader(s): YUEN, Wai Kwan Gail [EPL]
The proposed project is a continuous effort to improve and address some of the teaching and learning issues related to the core ES course, Teachers and Teaching in Context (TTC), offered by the Department of Education Policy and Leadership for undergraduate programmes. Being the last ES course in the sequence and scheduled immediately before the first block practice, TTC, which focuses on teacher professionalism, plays an important role in preparing students to embark on their professional journey. In the absence of field experience in schools, students usually struggle to understand the abstract meaning of professionalism. At both institute and faculty levels, the theory-practice issue between ES courses and field experience has also been identified as one key area of improvement. Students in the TTC course come from a wide range of programmes, including education and non-education majors as well as exchange students in small numbers. The course is delivered in the EMI mode, with notable challenges in terms of linguistic diversities, ability and motivation gaps, and availability of course materials relevant to the local educational settings and Hong Kong context because most of these materials are in Chinese. As non-Chinese colleagues form part of the teaching team, similar issues, especially with regards to access to locally relevant resources, are encountered.
The overall purpose of the proposed project is to make use of systematic blended learning strategies to facilitate the contextualization of teaching and learning in multi-lingual classrooms. This, in turn, would help promote student engagement and address issues related to diverse needs in teaching and learning, the EMI mode of delivery and field experience. Since TTC benefits several hundred students annually, systematic blended learning strategies can ensure a more consistent delivery of guidance and support to students across course groups.
Project Leader(s): YUEN, Wai Kwan Gail [EPL]
The aim of the proposed project is to support learning and teaching incorporating blended learning strategies, and it is part of a continuous effort to improve and address some of the teaching and learning issues related to the ES core course, TTC, offered by EPL for undergraduate programmes. Being the last ES course in the sequence and scheduled immediately before the first block practice, TTC, which focuses on teacher professionalism, plays an important role in preparing students to embark on their professional journey. In the absence of field experience in schools, students usually struggle to understand the abstract meaning of professionalism. At both institute and faculty levels, the theory-practice issue between ES courses and field experience has been identified as one key area of improvement. Students in the TTC course come from a wide range of programmes, including education and non-education majors as well as exchange students in small numbers. The course is delivered in the EMI mode, with notable challenges in terms of linguistic diversities, ability and motivation gaps, and availability of course materials relevant to the local educational settings and Hong Kong context due to the fact that most of these materials are in Chinese. As non-Chinese colleagues form part of the teaching team, similar issues, especially with regard to access to locally relevant resources, are encountered.
Project Leaders: TANG, Yee Fan Sylvia [EPL]; QIAN, Haiyan [EPL]; WONG, Wai Ho Savio [SEC]
Supported by this funding and other faculty & department funding, a team of 11 academic / teaching staff from the six FEHD departments and the Elearning Innovation Team in this teaching innovation initiative worked together in developing high quality on-line learning course materials on Honours Project in the Five Year BEd Programme. In 2015, the team produced 21 on-line units in which different lecturers present short lectures on a range of topics in research methods. The bilingual materials of each on-line unit include video lesson (video and animation integrated presentation), audio lesson (narrated presentation), and Multiple Choice exercise.
The Honours Project course has been run in a flipped classroom mode for the full cohort of students of the Five-Year BEd Programme (around 500 students each year) since 2015/16. Some of the online course materials were shared to other FEHD undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Project Leader(s): KO, Yue On James [EPL]
The present study was aimed to enhance sense of agency and pedagogical awareness and subsequent lesson quality during teaching practicum. A digital course with 9 lessons on various topics and e-learning activities that required reflective engagement of learners and professional dialogues with peers were developed. Whether it could be an effective intervention tool to promote student teachers’ agency beliefs and pedagogical awareness are yet to confirm. However, the survey results from the participating student teachers seemed to suggest a close relationship between their sense of agency and their adaptability and work experience at the schools during the teaching practicum. Thus, workplace context may affect agency, but whether it would affect teaching quality remains unclear.
Agency beliefs were measured by teachers’ control, agency, and means-ends belief questionnaire (Malmberg et al., 2004), but lesson quality by the Quality of Teaching Scale (van de Grift, 2007) was not adopted because we lacked videos to evaluate their on-site teaching performance. However, the effects of personal characteristics and contextual factors on observed lesson quality (e.g., emotional and instructional support, classroom organization, and students’ engagement) were investigated in our survey results as well as in our contacts with the students.
Project Leader(s): SZETO, Sing Ying Elson [EPL]; CHENG, Yan Ni Annie [EPL]; BRYANT, Darren Anthony [EPL]; LEE, Tai Hoi Theodore [EPL]
The project aimed to adopt a team approach to exploring innovative pedagogies in a blend of face-to-face teaching in digital classrooms with interactive online activities for extension of authentic learning. This collaboration strengthened team member capacity to exploit opportunities for blended and online learning, and exchanged ideas to cope with pedagogic challenges and technological integration.
Project Leader(s): LAM, Bick Har [C&I]; BRYANT, Darren Anthony [EPL]; ALVIAR, Theresa Patricia B [C&I]
The project connects colleagues from six departments to test blended-learning instruction in various programmes. Expected results include: examples of blended learning course materials; a blended learning pedagogy/strategy inventory; a blended learning interest group seminar series; a case album containing individual blended learning projects; and a column in a learning and teaching.
Participating teams will publish journal papers to publicise findings and results. The study may impact learning across programmes and disciplines in FEHD. Our experience of promoting pedagogical innovation at the Faculty level will be shared to encourage institutional support for teachers.
Project Leader(s): LIM, Cher Ping [C&I]; HARBUTT, Darren; BRYANT, Darren Anthony [EPL]; BUCHTEL, Emma Ellen Kathrina [PS]; HAN, Chung Wai Christina [ECE]; LAM, Bick Har [C&I]; SHEK, Mei Po, Mabel [SEC]; SIN, Wai Lam William [IELL]; EVANS, Jennifer; SHROFF, Ronnie; NOAKES, Nick; DOHERTY, Iain
The project won a grant from the UGC Teaching and Learning Grant. EdUHK and PolyU are lead institutions with HKU, HKUST and BU as partner institutions. The project aims to unify professional development through a common foundation course for blended learning and develop a model for the formation of learning communities in academic faculties.
The University will build the capacity of academic departments for blended learning by adopting a grassroots approach towards development. It will emphasise the formation of professional learning communities, customised department-based support, the creation of a common vision and development of a prototype alternative model of professional development in higher education.
Project Leader(s): WALKER, Allan David [APCLC,EPL,FEHD]
Despite the promise of web-based instruction, universities in Hong Kong have been slow to utilise available technology to produce quality courses, meet the changing learning needs of students, successfully engage a large number of teachers in innovative web learning technologies, tap emerging and non-traditional local and regional student markets, and increase their visibility in the Region.
This presents a gap in the instructional landscape; one brimming with potential for institutions wanting to break with a continued reliance on past learning paradigms, and establish a presence through high quality online courses.
This project focuses on the development and dissemination of cutting-edge closed and open source web-based, student-centered learning materials accessible from a range of static and portable devices. These modes of delivery and learning, such as podcasts and wikis, are relatively nascent and in need of further research into how they can be leveraged in the interest of student learning.
Building on knowledge collected during the development of an initial set of web-based courses for the IEMA programme, this project aims to extend EdUHK’s foray into online learning through the design of innovative online instructional resources using a range of pedagogies carefully integrated with social networking tools.
The deliverables include:
A comprehensive, user-friendly template for designing web-based courses (available across the University);
An organised collection of functioning open source courses using the IEMA programme courses as a set of demonstration courses which illustrate and elaborate on the practical options and potential for making EdUHK’s knowledge resources more broadly accessible; and
Completion of the University‘s first fully web based programme (IEMA).
Beyond these deliverables, the project will have at least three other outcomes:
i. Increased capacity among instructional staff to integrate new technology into their teaching;
ii. A group of EdUHK faculty who can serve as ‘early adopters’ and coaches for other staff and programmes that wish to move in this direction; and
iii. Cross departmental cooperation between the LTTC, IT and APCLC/EPL departments which will leverage existing but largely untapped investments made by EdUHK in learning technologies.
Project Leader(s): KENNEDY, Kerry John [C&I,CGC]; HUI, Ming Fai Margaret ; BERRY RITA SHUK YIN ; NGAN, Ming Yan [C&I]; NG, Tsui San Teresa [C&I]; LIM Swee Eng, Audrey; HO, Fuk Chuen [CSENIE,SEC]; CHAN, Tsan Ming Kenneth [EPL]
The project aimed to utilise two MEd modules to identify the features of on-line learning and create the appropriate learning environment for the participants. The investigators also explored the potential of educational media as well as the capacity of Blackboard to become a vehicle for providing feedback on student learning.
Project Leader: SZETO, Sing Ying Elson [EPL]
This project is a significant academic development of the University under the Wuhan Declaration. This agreement aims to share quality courses with students attending the partner universities as a professional community of higher education in the Greater China Region.
The course Teaching in Changing Times is the University’s first fully online undergraduate course developed by the academic team under the declaration. As a pioneer collaboration, the project demonstrates a breakthrough of teaching leadership across the six partner universities from the Mainland, Taiwan, and Macau. The outcomes of this academic development are expected to benefit interested students and the universities as a form of knowledge transfer/exchange in the Region.