HKU Academic Wins Acclaim

Dr Michael Botelho Receives UGC Teaching Award

The University Grants Committee (UGC) presented its Teaching Awards at a Ceremony on September 9 while celebrating its 50th anniversary. Dr Michael Botelho, Clinical Associate Professor in Oral Rehabilitation from the Faculty of Dentistry was one of the winners.

Dr Botelho has personally adopted a student-centred approach to teaching and learning using collaborative activities to engage students in dialogue, peer teaching and learning through the use of problem scenarios that are situated in clinical context and relevancy. This student-centred dialogic approach also allows staff members to have insights into students’ levels of understanding, which allows specific opportunities for meaningful support.

In his nearly two decades of teaching and research at HKU, Dr Botelho has built a reputation as a committed and diligent educator in diverse areas of dental education, including simulation laboratory skills learning, assessment, clinical teaching, e-learning, problem-based learning and curriculum reform and innovation.

President Peter Mathieson is delighted with the achievements of HKU academics since the establishment of the UGC Award in 2011: “It is most encouraging to note that four of our colleagues have been conferred this prestigious Award in the past five exercises, which is clear evidence of the University’s excellence in teaching and learning.”

The three recipients of the 2015 UGC Teaching Award were selected from among 15 nominees for their outstanding teaching performance and achievements, as well as their leadership and scholarly contributions to teaching and learning within and across institutions. The other two winners were Dr Gail Forey from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Professor Woo Kam-tim from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.