HKU Bulletin May 2014 (Vol. 15 No.2)

Inspiration for the team’s award-winning work arose from the realisation that the existing curriculum – like those of most medical schools – focussed very well on medical facts and scientific knowledge but tended to neglect the human side of being a doctor. With this in mind they developed ‘A Medical Humanities Core Curriculum: Engaging Medical Students through Experiential Learning’ – which encouraged students not to neglect their interests outside of the medical field so as to remain rounded individuals, and through role play to learn how to connect and empathise with patients. Students commented that the course was a refreshing change from the more stressful side of being a medical student, such as being bombarded daily with medical facts and learning to deal with suffering and death. “I enjoyed the programme immensely,” said current MBBS student Amanda Hwang Chin, “and I think it will definitely make me a more humanistic doctor and a better doctor in the future. I am truly grateful to the Medical Humanities team for their endeavour in introducing such an unconventional yet desperately needed element to a comprehensive medical education.” From left: Dr Julie Chen Yun, Dr Janice Tsang Wing-hang and Professor Chan Li-chong, MB Lee Professor in the Humanities and Medicine (Leader) Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine Team Award OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD FACULTY TEACHING AWARDS Faculties have established their own teaching awards to recognise staff who have made outstanding contributions to the enhancement of their students’ studies and demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence in teaching. Architecture Professor Rebecca Chiu Lai-har has made a significant contribution to curriculum development and Housing Management programmes in the Urban Planning and Design Department. She scored consistently well in student evaluation and is a strong believer in engaging her students through group projects. Dr Ng Fung-fai’s teaching philosophy is based on student-centred learning. He developed a highly effective learning framework for the surveying studio courses and spearheaded innovative reforms in the Real Estate and Construction curriculum. Arts As Director of the new European Studies programme, Dr Carl Vogt has made an important contribution to both teaching and curriculum development. In 2012 he helped establish a teaching and research consortium with other local universities by securing a grant for the European Union Academic Programme, part of which went to enhance European Studies and provide more experiential learning opportunities for students. He has also demonstrated an exemplary commitment to teaching courses and supervising student research. Business and Economics Winners for undergraduate teaching are: Dr Olivia Leung Shek-ling who tailors her teaching strategies to fit the individual needs of her students; and Professor Richard Wong who encourages his students to realise the versatility of economic thinking in the real world. The taught postgraduate teaching winners are: Dr Matthias Buehlmaier for making complicated topics accessible to students, thereby inspiring them to pursue further studies; and Dr Gilbert Wong Yao-yee for constantly striving to update teaching materials for his students so that his courses are always relevant to today. Dentistry In his 18 years with the Faculty, Dr Michael Botelho has dedicated much time to the design and development of the undergraduate curriculum. He is Chairman of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Quality Committee and sits on the Board of Undergraduate Studies. He has secured grants for teaching innovations in areas including e-Clinical Learning Portfolio, and he plays a leading role in coordinating the design and implementation of 14 Key Skills exercises for dental undergraduates. Education Winner of the individual award was Dr Cheri Chan Yu-yan for her exemplary teaching and dedication to inspiring students to go on to become innovative teachers with a real passion for education. The team award went to Dr Ho Man-wah, Dr Eva Chan Suk-ying and Mr Wong Ka-lok for their excellent and continued contributions to curriculum innovations in liberal studies teacher education. Engineering The individual awards went to Dr Chui Chun-kit, who developed the first self-learning course in the Department of Computer Science and coordinated the implementation of Outcome- based Learning and e-learning there; and Dr Shih Kaimin, who is frequently praised by students for his passion and who pioneered the Environmental Sustainability module. Dr Wilton Fok Wai-tung and his team were jointly awarded for their Sichuan reconstruction project, which provides experiential and service learning and an opportunity to contribute to real-life solutions to students across departments. Law Dr Shahla Ali aims to promote student participation. She is active in curriculum design, has developed three new courses, and has adopted experiential teaching methods and technology for learning. Dr Gu Weixia seeks to create a learning environment for active learners. She has introduced innovative and interactive elements into her teaching and is also active in curriculum design. Ms Vandana Rajwani has reformed advocacy education, incorporating role plays, digital video review, constructive feedback and professional mentoring, and receives consistently positive feedback from students. Medicine Dr Chin Weng-yee is active in curriculum review, renewal and design and in 2013 developed a Common Core course on the meaning of health that was well received by students. She also puts much effort into monitoring, evaluating and assuring the quality of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery programme. Dr David Lam Chi-leung aims to nurture intuitive learning among students. He developed a new e-learning module through Moodle on chest imaging that received a Teaching Development Grant and very positive feedback from students. Science Professor Aleksandra Djurišic is an outstanding teacher who has put continuous effort into arousing her students’ interest in learning, and developing the curriculum. Since joining the Department of Physics in 2003, she has developed eight new courses, including two Common Core courses, and she has helped to implement new pedagogies and improve laboratory teaching. Moreover, she has developed experimental setups for renewable energy-related laboratory experiments that are suitable for non-science students as well as high-school science projects. Social Sciences Dr Travis Kong is passionate about teaching and engaging students, and his goal is for students to understand what they are learning rather than simply reproduce knowledge. He draws on his training in sociology and his research expertise in gender and sexuality to focus on everyday experiences and nurture critical thinking, an appreciation of differences and the integration of theory and practice. He emphasises an interactive, learner-centred approach that uses multimedia and promotes student creativity. 30 | 31 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin | May 2014 Teaching, Research and Knowledge Exchange Awards