HKU Bulletin January 2005 (Vol. 6 No. 2)

D r Nivritti Patil, Associate Professor of the Department of Surgery said he was honoured and humbled to receive the award. “It’s a great honour because teaching is a very noble cause; one can’t equate it with anything else, like wealth or material goods. I feel humbled because there are many other teachers who were deserving. This award is a matter of honour and it makes you humble, but it does not stop there, it gives me an added challenge. The honour comes with a responsibility to do better. “What do I think makes a good teacher? There are practical and philosophical issues. In terms of the philosophical issues I would say if you’re going to be a good teacher you have to keep the learner in front of you all the time. Teaching is not a passive process. A teacher is there to facilitate the learning. “In practical terms if you satisfy the four P’s: punctuality, preparation, presentation and participation, then you will be a good teacher.” His student Kelvin Wong said: “Dr Patil was awarded the MBE for his professional achievements and outstanding service to the people of Papua New Guinea. In 1997, the Faculty of Medicine revised its medical curriculum to emphasize student- centred, problem-based learning and his contributions to this curriculum reform are well known. “Dr Patil is a great mentor and teacher. He is passionate about his role as a teacher and shows genuine interest in teaching students. He is aware of our needs and problems and is always willing to help by providing fair and constructive criticism. “He is enthusiastic and his teaching is stimulating. His interest ing and dynamic style of presentat ion mot ivates students to self-directed learning. “Finally, he is a good role model as a surgeon and clinician.” 27 26 M s Katherine Lynch, Associate Professor in the Department of Law said: “Receipt of this award has served to renew my enthusiastic commitment to the teaching of our talented HKU students and to striving for excellence in both my teaching and research related activities with the Law Faculty. “My teaching experience at HKU has confirmed that if appropriately motivated and supported, our law students have the potential to compete with the best graduates from around the world. “As such, I believe it is important to adopt an active student centered approach to teaching and learning, emphasizing the development of core legal analytical skills, active and critical reading skills, and research and language skills, as well as learning substantive legal knowledge. “Innovations in teaching methodology and curriculum design will further enhance this problem-based inter-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning at HKU. This in combination with giving students close attention and immediate feedback, will help ensure that our students achieve their extraordinary potential and succeed in the international marketplace.” Her former student Ramie Tang added: “Kather ine demands a lot of her students, yet at the same time is an extremely popular law teacher. She is interested in many aspects of law, but has made a particular specialty of arbitration and dispute resolution. Thanks to her efforts, this field now has a higher profile in the Faculty and is a teaching and research specialty. “As a former student of Katherine’s I can say she has three outstanding at t r ibutes as a teacher. Fi rst l y, enthusiasm. She encourages students to systematically analyse and resolve legal problems on their own and to learn to trust their own abilities. “Secondly, motivation. She is a fantastic motivator – not only as a teacher, but as a friend, mother and captain of various sporting teams. “And thirdly, dedication. She is completely dedicated to her role as a teacher at HKU. She is at the service of her students and spends a tremendous amount of time giving them attention, guidance and concern.” TEACHING FELLOWSHIP AWARDS