Poster session

The poster session aims to provide a platform for informal exchange outside the conference room. It features eighteen presentations on general education at college and at university levels. Participants will make use of poster designs and AV presentations to share ideas and practice in general education courses, core-text courses, general education models, eLearning, and service learning.

Learning Garden, the University Library, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Exhibition period: June 10 to 19, 2015

Poster session: 1:10pm to 2:40pm, June 13, 2015

Posters 1-4 focus on General Education at institutional level:

Posters 5-9 are presented by colleges of CUHK:

Posters 10-14 are presented by teachers of the General Education Foundation Programme (GEF) of CUHK:

Posters 15-18 are presented by teachers of the “Four Areas”, the General Education distribution requirement of CUHK:

Posters 1-4 focus on General Education at institutional level:

1. Leung Mei Yee, An Overview of the General Education Programme at CUHK
   The poster is an introduction to the General Education (GE) requirements at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, including College GE – specific to each of the nine constituent colleges – and University GE, which is required of all CUHK students that comprises the core General Education Foundation (GEF) Programme and a distribution requirement called “The Four Areas”.
2. WU Jun, GAO Xin and WONG Wing Hung, Idea of a Core-text General Education Course and Its ImplementationThe General Education Foundation (GEF) Programme was fully launched in 2012 as a core component in the undergraduate curriculum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It consists of two courses, namely, In Dialogue with Humanity and In Dialogue with Nature. Both are core-text courses and seminar-based. The programme has been well received by students since its full launch. It is believed that such a reading-intensive programme is conducive to reflection on human values and perennial issues. This poster presents goals and considerations of the programme and provides an overview of its implementation.
3. A. Reza HOSHMAND, Service Leadership Education at HKBU
   Initiated by the General Education (GE) Office, the Service Leadership Education (SLE) project aims to develop in students the capacity to deliver services with competence, character and care. GE courses incorporating the ideals of Service Leadership are purposely designed and delivered to build leadership competencies in our students. Ethical practices and the importance of positive social relationships are deeply emphasized to equip the students to be good service leaders.
4. Gray KOCHHAR-LINDGREN, Inspired Pragmatism: The Common Core @HKU
   The Common Core, the General Education requirement for all University of Hong Kong undergraduates, focuses on active, project-based, and cross-disciplinary learning across the Areas of Inquiry of Scientific and Technological Literacy, Global Issues, Humanities, and China.Posters 5-9 are presented by colleges of CUHK:
5. CHAN Sun On, General Education Programme in New Asia College
   In CUHK, College General Education is regarded as a key component of a holistic university education. The general education programme of New Asia College aims to allow students to understand and appreciate Chinese culture and the spirit of New Asia College, to develop inter-cultural sensitivity and appreciate different cultures and social issues in a global context, and to promote personal growth as a responsible human being. This 6-credit programme includes two compulsory courses in Year 1, and one elective in senior years. In addition, non-credit-bearing learning opportunities, such as assemblies, overseas learning tours, and various co-curricular activities, are offered to help students to adapt to university life and appreciate essential characteristics of university learning. A collegiate environment is provided that promotes interaction among students and teachers from different academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds. ^top
6. George C.K. JOR, GREEN WS Education: Nature as Art and Science
   A champion of green education, Lee Woo Sing College cultivates students’ awareness of harmony between man and Nature. Nature as Art and Science: Biodiversity, Photography and Painting is a new credit-bearing College GE course designed for Year 2 or above students introducing the diversity of flora and fauna of Hong Kong. The goal is to raise awareness of biodiversity and Nature’s hidden beauty. Coursework includes lectures, quizzes, field trip reports, guided tree walks, bird watching, butterfly photography, and a paint-on-photo workshop. No prior training in photography or painting is required, but a sense of wonder and curiosity in biodiversity is essential.
7. KWAN Hoi Shan, Graduate Research Consultant Scheme
   GEUC4011 Senior Seminar is a compulsory 3-unit and small-group student-orientated teaching course for the College’s final year students. With teaching staff serving as supervisors, the emphasis will be on students’ participation. Student groups will choose a topic of their own interests, conduct the research, present their findings and submit a written report.The Graduate Research Consultant (GRC) Scheme was first launched in 2013-14 to assist the undergraduate groups, in planning and conducting multidisciplinary research. University postgraduate students are recruited as Graduate Research Consultants every year to support the course supervisors on a one- to-one basis.
8. KWONG Kai Sun Sunny and IP Ka Wai Kevin, Entrepreneurial Spirit and Creativity in College General Education
   Wu Yee Sun College has the mission in helping students develop the drive for creativity with social responsibility. The College General Education Programme enforces this mission through credit-bearing and non-credit bearing courses and activities. The year-one course introduces the fundamentals of creativity, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility. In the non-credit bearing College Forums and High Table Dinners, students interact with guest speakers from creative industries and people who have worked for socially responsible causes. In the final-year College Senior Seminar, students integrate what they have learned in the past years to propose an innovative and entrepreneurial idea which shows promise in bringing practical social benefits to the community.
9. Darah PHILLIP, Morningside College General EducationMorningside College’s General Education programme is designed to engage students with the College’s motto of Scholarship, Virtue, and Service. The two required courses, GEMC1001 Current Dilemmas and Their Histories and GEMC3001 Service Learning/Civic Engagement, introduce students to complex moral dilemmas while encouraging them to develop their critical thinking and leadership skills. Additional General Education activities, such as dinner talks, visits from local authors, and cultural excursions throughout Hong Kong, seek to stimulate students’ intellectual curiosity and to broaden their horizons beyond their major courses of study. This poster presentation reflects the breadth of General Education at Morningside College.Posters 10-14 are presented by teachers of the General Education Foundation Programme (GEF) of CUHK:
10. CHEUNG Hang Cheong Derek, HOI Wan Heng Sandy, NG Ka Leung Andy, PANG Kam Moon and WONG Wing Hung , DiaNable: A Reading-companion Mobile App for a Science Core-text Course
    Science core-text reading provides opportunities for students to gather evidences and knowledge and to explore how renowned thinkers investigate and understand Nature. Yet, some students, especially those who have not had an acquaintance with rudimentary science, find difficulties in understanding science texts on their own. DiaNable serves as a reading companion and a self-evaluation tool to help students comprehend the texts. Statistics shows that students have significantly improved in their performance in written examination, and their feedback from qualitative focus group interviews suggests that they have more confidence in applying knowledge to questions about the nature of science.
11. Julie CHIU, FONG Sing Ha, GAO Xin, HO Wai Ming, KWOK Pak Nin Samson and YU Chi Chung Andy, DAIMON: A reading-companion mobile app for In Dialogue with HumanityThe core-text course In Dialogue with Humanity (a required course under CUHK’s General Education Foundation Program) aims to inspire students’ reflection on questions concerning personal life and society, and also to encourage multiple perspectives in such reflection. Students are required to read and discuss one classic text per week in a semester spanning 12-14 weeks. The poster introduces the mobile application DAIMON, which is developed to help students tackle the weekly reading with confidence. Interactive multiple-choice questions at three levels of difficulty are designed for each of the course’s assigned texts (only four available during the first trial in 2014-15). The app can be used as a reading companion, with check-point questions to monitor students’ reading progress, or as a self-assessment exercise to conclude a reading. User statistics and focus group interviews from the trial period show a high user rate and positive feedback on the app’s usefulness in enhancing understanding of the assigned texts.
12. HOI Wan Heng Sandy, Investigation of Students’ Attitudes towards Science: Anxiety in In Dialogue with Nature
    It has been reported that “science anxiety” has prevented students from gaining science knowledge and applying science skills in life. Gender stereotyping and misconceptions about the scientific method have been identified as contributing to science anxiety. In Dialogue with Nature is a compulsory general education course for undergraduates of CUHK. It encourages students to engage in the reading of science core-text and in peer discussion of science issues, thereby clarifying misconceptions and building up confidence in analyzing social issues from a scientific perspective. This study investigates the possible factors in this course contributing to the change in students’ science anxiety. Preliminary survey indicates a strong correlation among students’ science anxiety, their attitudes towards science, and their academic performances in this course.
13. WONG Wing Hung, Diascopic-Science Approach to Teaching Science in General EducationThis poster introduces the “Diascopic Science” approach to teaching general education science. This approach aims to provide a scientific perspective on various aspects of intellectual concern, namely, nature, society, self and our cultural heritage. It has resemblance to popular science and technical science in that it is about the subject matter of science. However, it focuses more on the scientific methodology beneath the subject matter and its emphasis is not on scientific applications but implications. In the General Education Foundation Programme at CUHK, this approach is proven to be effective in broadening both science and non-science students’ horizon beyond their major studies.
14. YEUNG Yang, Leaving Affinities Open: Practicing Hope in the ClassroomIt is not uncommon to hear students identifying victimization, defects of various kinds, and the weight of Presenterity in their lives. To be free from these tribulations is to be left alone. Troubled by such despondency, I wonder if varying the affinities of ideas circulated in the classroom would open up space for students to see and name alternatives. Since three semesters ago, I began teaching the classics in the General Education Foundation Program in a sequence different from the established one. My goal is to enable a dynamics that shakes up the received proximity of some texts so as to expand possibilities of transformation for myself as teacher as much as for students needing to live hope. I wonder if this case-specific experiment could be conceptualized as an education for freedom that is lived through both imagination and reason. ^top

    Posters 15-18 are presented by teachers of the “Four Areas”, the General Education distribution requirement of CUHK:

15. CHIU CHI Ming Lawrence, UGEB2262 From Genes To Life – Blending Science and Technology with Our Daily Living
    Scientists have unraveled some mysteries of how genes affect us. This course helps students develop the capability to: 1) recognize different intellectual and practical aspects in genetics and biotechnology; 2) distinguish facts and fallacies of related issues on mass media; 3) demonstrate ability to make informed decisions in controversies; and 4) appraise pros and cons of applying biotechnology in human problems. Besides attending lectures, students play a game to “feel” how an experiment runs. They also simulate a dialogue between two scientists, finding out facts and fallacies and stating pros and cons of using some “DNA” products on local market.
16. CHOW Cheung Ming, Engaging Students in Scientific Investigation in LectureChallenges of teaching biological subjects for a large class in a lecture room include how to engage students in scientific investigation and how to encourage students to appraise and apply scientific knowledge on human life. In UGEB2350 Plants for Treasure & Pleasure, several pedagogical methods have been employed to tackle these challenges:1.) Specimen observation in class
    2.) Demonstration and dissection by teacher with live specimens
    3.) Class discussion using uReply
    4.) Role play activity

    In this poster presentation, each method will be illustrated with examples and pros and cons of the methods will be discussed.

17. Jane JACKSON, Intervening in Student Learning Abroad: A Research-based, Online General Education Course
    This poster reports on the first offering of an online, research-based, credit-bearing General Education course designed to propel international exchange students to a higher level of intercultural competence and engagement while in the host country. Twenty-two semester and year-long exchange students carried out weekly fieldwork tasks that required meaningful intercultural communication. In Forum discussions and reflective essays, they shared and ‘unpacked’ their international experience. Guided critical reflection encouraged them to optimize their language and intercultural learning in the host environment. The group as a whole developed more intercultural competence than the cohort (international exchange students) that did not receive this intervention.
18. Brian THOMPSON, Hearing Film: UGED2133 Music in Film
    The poster aims to present visually an overview of the content and objectives of my course on music in film.