Exemplary Teaching Award in General Education 2006
Over 200 teachers offer General Education courses at CUHK, many of whom are dedicated and outstanding. In recognition of their contributions, the Senate Committee on General Education resolved in 2006 to launch the Exemplary Teaching Award in General Education.
Eleven teachers were nominated for the first conferring of the Award. Having studied the academic content, teaching and learning activities, and tutelage in the GE courses they offered, the Senate Committee on General Education decided to present the first Exemplary Teaching Awards in General Education to two outstanding teachers: Professor Liu Xiaogan of the Department of Philosophy and Dr Wong Wing Hung of the Department of Physics.
Our heartiest congratulations!
Professor Liu Xiaogan
Professor Liu Xiaogan obtained his PhD from Peking University in 1985. He then taught and conducted research at renowned institutions such as Peking University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, Princeton University, and University of Singapore. In 2001 he joined the Department of Philosophy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he is currently Professor, Head of the Graduate Division, and Director of the Research Centre for Chinese Philosophy and Culture. His research interests include Taoist philosophy, the pre-Qin philosophical schools, the history of Chinese philosophy, the intellectual history of modern China, cultural and social issues in modern society, the hermeneutic tradition in Chinese philosophy, methodology of Chinese philosophy, and ancient classics, bamboo slips and silk scriptures.
Professor Liu has been teaching UGA2170: Intellectual History of Modern China in the past years. It has been well received for its outstanding course design, content and implementation. The course aims to lead students to contemplate and reflect on the historical development and cultural changes that have taken place in the course of modern Chinese history. Students are encouraged to discuss the key subject matter and other phenomena as related to modern Chinese society.
Professor Liu has been proficient in using interactive teaching methods to stimulate his students. He made good use of internet resources by teaching students online at CUForum, encouraging them to exercise their critical minds, and to take the initiative in learning as well as in class discussion. Professor Liu has also designed a new format for tutorial classes. He divided students into different debating teams, with each of them given a chance to be the chief speaker to present his/her side. The heated debates enhanced their thinking and presentation skills. Professor Liu also gave advice to students throughout the whole writing process. He read and commented on their drafts carefully, so that students could probe into the issues more deeply and refine their arguments. Under his gentle tutelage, his students were able to produce quality work, while improving their writing and thinking skills.
In order to foster an interest in the subject matter in students and to broaden their horizons, Professor Liu assigned a substantial amount of thought-provoking readings. He also gave quizzes regularly to evaluate students’ progress and to make sure they did learn from those assigned readings. Professor Liu has been highly praised in students’ evaluations, albeit the very demanding nature of the course is also stressed. His exemplary teaching has won him the nomination of the award by his student. He is commended by his student for his presentation and analysis of controversial viewpoints. Students have benefited from his multi-angle approach, which help them develop independent thinking for life-long learning.
Dr Wong Wing Hung
Dr Wong Wing Hung received his BS, MS and PhD degrees from the Department of Physics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He began teaching in CUHK in 1996, and is currently Senior Instructor in the Department of Physics. His research interests include condensed matter physics and optics. Dr Wong has a deep interest in theology, and in 2004 was awarded a Master of Christian Studies degree by the Lutheran Theological Seminary.
In his 11 years of teaching, Dr Wong has always been active in general education. In recent years he has been teaching the General Education course UGB240M: Astronomy, which has been jointly developed and taught over the years by a teaching team from the Department of Physics, comprising Professor Chu Ming-Chung, Professor Hark Sui Kong, Dr Cheng Kai Ming, Dr Pang Kam Moon, Dr Tong Shiu Sing and Dr Wong himself. The course is masterly in both design and implementation. It imparts to students not only scientific knowledge alone, but also different views of the universe in historical perspective, the philosophy of science and astronomy’s relations to other disciplines.
In order to facilitate the learning of general education students, possibly with little science background, Dr Wong developed course materials that are well-organized and flexible, also thoughtfully designed teaching and learning activities, using multimedia materials and demonstrations to help students to grasp abstract concepts and the connection between science and daily life. Emphasizing learning beyond the classroom, Dr. Wong staged stargazing sessions, recommended good extracurricular books and articles, related the subject matter to daily life, and in addition hosted a web discussion board on the Internet to follow up his lectures. These measures were deliberately designed to help develop students’ interest in reading, and to cultivate an active interest in life-long learning. Multiple assessment methods were used with very clear guidelines to students. The course was rigorously taught; though very demanding for students, Dr Wong has constantly been rewarded by high enrollment and positive feedback from the class.
Dr Wong’s contribution to general education has many facets. He played a pivotal role in developing a number of substantial general education courses offered by the Department of Physics. Dr. Wong has also been active in promoting general education outside the classroom by giving lectures and publishing articles popularizing science. He co-authored with Dr Cheng Kai Ming Introduction to Physics (in Chinese), a very well-received book on physics for the General Education Series.
His innovative course design and exemplary teaching evidenced during the past years will undoubtedly continue.