Programme Description

BEd(Science) aims to prepare qualified, competent, professional secondary science teachers capable of satisfying the educational needs of learners with different abilities within a community that values multiple aspects of intelligence. Graduates will have attained academic excellence and professional competence for effective teaching of science in schools. In particular, they will possess a solid command of science subject knowledge and skills together with a firm and thorough grasp of the interrelationship between theory and practice. They will persistently affirm the importance of scientific literacy in our society and will be creative, responsible, and caring individuals who have a solid understanding of science, technology, society, and environment, as well as commitment to ethical values.

Programme Aims

Upon completion of the programme, students are expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate command and understanding of the subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge of one science discipline, Biology;
• Apply science knowledge and skills together with appropriate pedagogies to teaching students with diversified abilities and backgrounds, and in different school settings;
• Exhibit professional competence and attitudes in teaching junior secondary science and one senior science subject, Biology;
• Utilise different generic skills (e.g. problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity) in teaching and learning, and life-wide and lifelong professional development;

Notes:

(1) Classes will be held in Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre / Kowloon Tong Satellite Study Centre / Sports Centre as decided by the University.

(2) Students admitted into this programme starting from the 2023/24 cohort are required to visit the Greater Bay Area (GBA) for a short trip (e.g. 1-day or 2-day 1-night trip) in order to complete the Cross-Faculty Core Course. While the GBA trip is heavily subsidised, students are still required to contribute 18% of the estimated cost of the trip ("student contribution"), whereas personal entertainment, meals expenses, travel document fee and personal insurance costs will not be supported. The estimated cost of the GBA trip for students admitted to the 2024/25 cohort is not available yet as it is subject to a variety of factors such as changes to the cost of the GBA trip as a result of inflation, trip duration, traveling expenses, the exchange rate, etc. The exact amount of student contribution is thus not available.

Major

This programme aims to prepare qualified, competent, professional secondary science teachers capable of teaching senior and junior secondary science subjects as well as satisfying the educational needs of learners with different abilities within a community that values multiple aspects of intelligence. The programme will offer major in Biology in the 2024/25 academic year.

Students enrolling in this Five-year BEd(Science), in addition to a 3-cp Major Interdisciplinary Course and 3-cp Cross-Faculty Core Course, are required to take 33 cps of Foundation and Major Courses.

Foundation and Major Courses

The foundation course which includes a foundation science and STEM methods course is designed to create the necessary room for students to acquire broad knowledge bases in the science discipline.

There are 10 Major courses covering the subject knowledge of Biology as required for effective teaching of the Hong Kong senior secondary Biology curriculum, as well as the related parts of the Combined Science and Integrated Science curricula. Courses in this programme are unique because pedagogical content knowledge is inherent in these courses.

The Cross-Faculty Core Course (CFCC) will comprise 3 individual components with 1 credit point each and separately assessed with the aim to widen students’ horizon and look beyond Hong Kong. In Component I, lectures with topics related to Basic Law / National Security will be arranged; in Component II, students will have the opportunities to undertake visits in Greater Bay Area; in Component III, a variety of themes which are linked to the University’s development niche areas will be offered by Faculties.

Education Studies

Education Studies gives students the chance to study teaching and learning from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will study early childhood/school education from psychological, sociological, philosophical, pedagogical and other perspectives. Students will develop a range of skills necessary for professional practice, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, social interaction, ethical decision making and global perspectives. Education Studies helps students appreciate the importance of professional excellence, ethical responsibility and innovation to the role of a teacher. We aim for our graduates to become beginning teachers who are caring and competent, intellectually enthusiastic, socially committed, and globally aware.

General Education

The EdUHK’s General Education programme prepares students to be active agents of change, by broadening their intellectual horizons, helping them make connections among different areas of knowledge and between their formal studies and life outside the classroom, and strengthening their capacity for sound thinking and good judgement. It offers a varied but balanced mix of individual courses across a range of subject areas and disciplines, set within an integrated structure of (i) General Education Foundation Course, (ii) General Education Breadth Courses, (iii) Experiential Learning, and (iv) University ePortfolio with a total of 22 credit points (cps).

i. General Education Foundation Course (4 cps)

General Education Foundation Course is a 4-cp course that will run for the whole academic year, and be taken by all first-year students at EdUHK. This course will equip students with the diverse knowledge-bases and skills for their intellectual and professional development in local, national and global contexts. In Semester 1, there will be a series of lectures and/or workshops on selected themes and topics (e.g. University life planning, research and inquiry, Basic Law, national security, professionalism, ethics etc.,). In Semester 2, students will be introduced to a wide variety of themes and issues in general education (e.g. language, well-being, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, conservation etc.,) by taking part in the lectures delivered by Chair Professors / Professors and external Guest Lecturers. These lectures are substantiated by small class tutorials for building communities of dialogue and inquiry that foster the intellectual growth of students as reflective thinkers deliberating issues of importance to their own lives, society and the world as a whole.

In addition to the face-to-face lectures, video lectures will be arranged as appropriate to allow students to learn flexibly at their own pace. As a unique feature of the course, e-Learning assessments and a reflective entry of their learning experiences will be submitted by students after lectures and become an important part of the e-Portfolio. The online learning activities and tasks will encourage students to reflect and think critically on various themes and issues based on learning artefacts and experiences, thereby, charting the paths for their personal, intellectual and professional developments.

ii. General Education Breadth Courses (9 cps)

The General Education Breadth Courses (GEBCs) (9 cps) are composed of General Education Learning Strand (New Six Arts Course (2+1 cps)) Course, Positive and Values Education (PAVE) Course (3 cps) and General Education Interdisciplinary Course (GEIC) (3 cps).. Students have to take one from each of the components in order to fulfill the GEBCs (9 cps) requirement.

Students are allowed to take GELS (New Six Arts Course(s)) and/or PAVE Course(s) after the completion of GEFC or concurrently with GEFC in Year 1 Semester 2 if they are interested and their curriculum schedules allow. After the completion of any GELS (New Six Arts)/PAVE Course, students are allowed to take the GEIC (Level 4) from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1, in order to enable them to appreciate the complexity of issues and problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries and to make sense of them through dialogues across disciplines.

iii. Experiential Learning (6 cps)

Experiential Learning (EL) consists of Co-curricular and Service Learning Course (CSLC) and Experiential Learning Course (ELC). CSLC provides students with an opportunity to engage in learning in action and through action in real-life or work-place context while complementing, connecting with, and mirroring their learning experiences derived from formal curriculum. On the other hand, ELC encourages students to learn through experimentation, observation, reflection and (re-)conceptualization while undertaking a wide variety of activities, such as creative work, student-initiated enterprise/projects, thematic overseas trips, outward-bound training, etc.

Students are required to take at least one CSLC and one ELC starting from Year 1 (3 cps each). Courses in Experiential Learning domain can be taken in parallel with Block Practice (BP) I and II (i.e. Field Experience and Experiential Learning Semesters). If that is the case, students need to ensure the course schedule does not clash with BP (students should check the information listed under the course outline and explore the feasibility with course tutors at the beginning of the semester). Students are encouraged to complete courses in EL domain before semester 1 of final year as they will be engaged in BP II and data collection/field work of Final Year Project in this Semester. Careful academic planning on personal basis is needed.

iv. University ePortfolio (3 cps)

University ePortfolio is a 3-cp “capstone” course which requires students, when they are approaching the end of their undergraduate studies, to reflect critically on their learning experience within General Education in their disciplinary, professional and co-curricular studies, as well as in their lives beyond graduation, and, to develop an integrated view of how and where they position themselves with respect to their future goals, plans, and aspirations. Students will prepare and submit an annotated University ePortfolio based on their experiences, reflections and stored artefacts from their undergraduate studies. Students are encouraged to keep electronic (soft) copies of all their coursework material starting with the completion of the GEFC for potential inclusion in the University ePortfolio.

The course will enable students to synthesise their learning experiences, by reflecting critically on the value and significance of what they have learned, making connections to their lives, and imagining their own futures.

Students are allowed to take the University ePortfolio course after completion of all the GEBCs required (i.e. GELS(New Six Arts), PAVE, GEIC). Also, they have to take the course in the semester of study assigned by individual programmes.

For detailed information and the course synopsis about General Education courses, please visit the website at www.eduhk.hk/geo.

• Honours Project I / Capstone Project I: Research Methods and Proposal
• Honours Project II / Capstone Project II: A one-year project usually to be conducted in the final year.

Students are required to take a compulsory Minor in “Junior Secondary Science” (JSS) which will equip students with essential knowledge on local curriculum of Junior Secondary Science.

Electives

On top of the compulsory Minor in “Junior Secondary Science”, students can choose either one of the following options:

• Free electives
• Second Minor

Block Practice will be conducted in local schools which the medium of instruction may vary depending on the policy of the schools. Students should be able to demonstrate a proficient level of Cantonese / English / Putonghua (for Chinese Language teaching in some schools) to conduct Block Practice.
 

Students should observe the University’s  General Code of Student Conduct and the professional conduct and behavior required of teachers. Placement schools and/or invited educators from local schools will observe students’ performance during block practices and exit panel interviews, and their feedback will be considered in determining the final result of the students’ field experience.*

Note: The University will ask students of our full-time teacher education programmes (e.g. Bachelor of Education programmes) to declare whether they have been convicted of or are being prosecuted for any sex-related offence in Hong Kong or elsewhere, and to provide relevant details prior to undertaking teaching practice. Such information may be released to their placement schools. The University reserves the right not to allow these students to attend the block teaching practice. If so, they won't be able to meet the graduation requirements of the programmes.

* subject to approval

From September 2012/13, FT BEd non-language-major students will be required to meet Language Exit Requirements (LERs) for English and Putonghua. The exit benchmarks are IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) for English, and PSC (Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi) 3B for Putonghua. Students are required to study a comprehensive package of English, Chinese and Putonghua enhancement courses.

English Enhancement Programme (EEP) consists of two credit-bearing and two non-credit-bearing courses from Year 1 to Year 3. The four mandatory courses will equip students with academic literacy essential to their study at tertiary level and help them develop general English language proficiency. They will also lay the foundation for students to learn English independently in subsequent years through participation in self-access learning activities, blended learning, and optional language enhancement courses appropriate to their level and developmental needs. Optional IELTS preparation workshops will also be offered to familiarise students with the EdUHK-sponsored IELTS after they have completed the EEP.

Chinese Enhancement Programme (CEP) consists of one mandatory credit-bearing course and two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses, which provide students with the input on Chinese language skills as well as elements of literature and culture.

Students may be exempted from selected Chinese courses in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual courses.

Putonghua Enhancement Programme (PEP)
Students need to take two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses if they have not fulfilled the exemption criteria via the Tertiary Putonghua Test (TPT) or PSC. They could opt for other non-credit-bearing  courses in year two.

Cantonese Enhancement Courses (For non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students)
Non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students will be required to study two non-credit-bearing Cantonese courses. The successful completion of the Cantonese courses will be recorded in the student's transcript.

For Cantonese, Putonghua and English, language consultation services and other self-access materials are provided at ASLLC, the self-access language learning centre (these arrangements are subject to changes).

This programme will be taught by highly qualified and experienced science educators and experts. There are many different types of science laboratories available for research, teaching and learning of various science courses and they are fully equipped with the essential hardware equipment and software facilities for performing advanced experimental activities as well as for microteaching of all senior secondary science subjects. These laboratories are managed by a team of well-qualified and experienced technical staff, who are ready to provide professional advice and technical assistance to both teaching staff and students in designing and conducting the relevant teaching and learning activities within and outside the campus.

Graduates will lead to a qualified teacher status (QTS) in Hong Kong. They will have acquired sufficient subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in their chosen science subjects. They can individually teach the junior secondary science subject and senior secondary science subjects and co-teach the senior secondary Integrated Science subject. They should also be capable of taking up non-teaching positions in editing, publication, community and social services, government and non-government organisations, etc.