Seminar on Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS)
Seminar on Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS)
Date: 7 May 2008 (Wednesday)
Speaker: Prof. Sally Rogan (National PASS Trainer for Australia & NZ; Manager, First Year & Transition Programs; Student Services, University of Wollongong (UOW), NSW, Australia)
Widely adopted in the US with proved effectiveness and spreading to other parts of the world, Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) consists of weekly one-hour, non-compulsory sessions led by "Peer Leaders", students who have excelled at the same course in the past. Peer leaders do not teach, but serve as facilitator for group studies. They are also required to attend lectures, take notes and report to the teachers common problems the students face.
PASS can be an effective tool for GE classes where students are from different academic background and have no prior knowledge in the subject. It may be particularly beneficial for classes without tutorials.
In this seminar, Sally Rogan, National PASS Trainer for Australia & New Zealand will give us a general introduction to the concepts and practices of PASS. Audience will learn about
- what a PASS programme involves;
- how it is coordinated; and,
- the demonstrated benefits for both teachers and students.
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Outcomes Based Approaches - Practical Considerations
Outcomes Based Approaches - Practical Considerations
Date: 17 April 2008 (Thursday)
Speaker: Prof Shekhar Madhukar Kumta (Faculty of Medicine, CUHK)
The University Grant Council has been promoting outcomes-based approaches (OBA) in student learning in recent years. As a response to this call, the university has asked each faculty to draw up an “Outcomes-based Roadmap” to plan for the adaptation and implementation of OBA from now till 2012.
The Faculty of Medicine is among the pioneers on our campus that has systematically reviewed and defined their programme learning outcomes and taken an OBA in student learning.
In this session, Prof Shekhar Madhukar Kumta, a member of their Learning Outcomes Committee, will share with us their experiences with adopting an OBA, what the approach involves, the difficulties and impacts on teachers.
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Been There, Done That: Personal Reflections on Building a Culture of Assessment
Been There, Done That: Personal Reflections on Building a Culture of Assessment
Date: 26 March 2008 (Wednesday)
Speaker: Prof. Mark Gaylord (Visiting Scholar, School of Law)
In this luncheon, Prof. Mark S. Gaylord, a Visiting Professor in the School of Law has been invited to share with colleagues his valuable experiences in developing and implementing a system for assessing student and program outcomes in the U.S.
Prof. Gaylord has been a sociology professor for nearly three decades, and for six years he was the Dean of Liberal Arts at a community college in the U.S. One of his tasks was to help develop and implement a system for assessing student and program outcomes. He will talk about his institution’s up-and-down struggle to achieve success. In his view, one important key is to lead teachers to see the personal benefits of assessing their students’ learning. He will also talk about what it means to build a “culture of assessment.”
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Introducing Classics Back to General Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Introducing Classics Back to General Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Date: 13 March 2008 (Thursday)
Speaker: Prof. Cheung Chan Fai (Office of University General Education)
In January 2008, Prof. W. T. de Bary of Columbia University organized an international conference on general education and core curriculum “Classics for an Emerging World”. The conference aimed at facilitating scholars on understanding the state of core curricular in the U.S. and East Asia, as well as sharing experiences on identifying, introducing and studying Western and Asian classics in core curriculum programs of tertiary institutions globally.
In order to meet the 3-3-4 curriculum, OUGE has taken the initiative to introduce studying classics as core curriculum at the first year foundation course. Prof. Cheung Chan Fai, Director of University General Education has attended the conference to learn about the development and recent trends of studying tradition and modern classics worldwide, particularly in the US, and to network with the organizer and other practitioners in the field.
In this luncheon, Prof. Cheung will share with colleagues the above experiences and the challenges CUHK encountered in introducing classics into GE foundation course. Teachers and colleagues are welcome to join and express your ideas concerning the issue.
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Student Opinion Survey on General Education
Student Opinion Survey on General Education
Date: 30 January 2008 (Wednesday)
Speaker: Dr. Leung Mei Yee (Office of University General Education)
In order to improve the quality of GE at CUHK and provide basis for developing new courses, the Research Centre for General Education plans to conduct a survey on “Students Opinion of General Education at CUHK” in coming April.
Preliminary literature review leads us to several important college student surveys in the USA such as The American Freshmen Survey, which yields an extremely interesting and informative portrait of the changing character of American college students, and National Survey of Student Engagement, which is specifically designed to assess the extent to which students are engaged in empirically derived good educational practices and what they gain from their college experience. Several colleges and universities have also conducted insightful surveys on student opinion on GE.
In this luncheon, Dr. Leung Mei Yee, Associate Director of OUGE will share with colleagues main items, theories, results and influence of the above surveys, introduce the rough ideas of the upcoming student opinion survey as well as discuss with colleagues its goals and content.
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Faculty Members' General Education Course Design --
Faculty Members' General Education Course Design --
A Case Study on a Comprehensive University in Mainland China First Year Experience in the States
Date: 28 November 2007 (Wednesday)
Speaker: Dr. Xu Huixuan (Office of University General Education)
Quality Education for tertiary students has been carried out at universities in Mainland China since mid-1990s in response to problems resulted from specialization in education, the globalization of higher education and the fierce competition of comprehensive national power. The GE curricula at some universities are similar to the American ones. Teachers have been playing a dominant role in course design and implementation of GE courses at universities. In view of this, the critical areas to understand GE curriculum rest on teachers’ understanding of GE curriculum, their GE course design model and the influential factors in their course design.
Dr Xu Huixuan of OUGE has adopted a qualitative research method to explore the teachers’ GE course designs in a comprehensive university. Her study investigates the curriculum orientation of teachers in the field of university curriculum. The findings serves as useful references to develop comprehensive GE curriculum theories, deepen the understanding of the concept of curriculum orientation, provide plenty of practical experiences for GE teachers, and give suggestions for future GE curriculum program improvement. In this session, Dr Xu will report on the research findings. Teachers and colleagues are welcome to join.
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First Year Experience in the States
First Year Experience in the States
Date: 31 October 2007 (Wednesday)
Speaker: Miss Emily Ng (Office of University General Education)
Building on student development and engagement theories, First Year Experience or FYE, addresses student’s experience as a whole and focus on student’s development needs. FYE initiates, through shaping student’s learning experiences (both inside and outside classroom) and facilitating academic and social integration, aim at building a good foundation for learning and smoothening students’ transition from secondary education to tertiary education. FYE has become a widely adapted practice in the US in the last two decades.
In July 2007, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, the major advocate of FYE, organized the 20th International Conference on the First-Year Experience. In order to learn about the development and recent trends of first-year initiatives worldwide, particularly in the US, and to network with the organizer and other practitioners in the field, Office of University General Education sent a delegate to the conference. In this session, Miss Emily Ng of OUGE will report on the basics of FYE and the conference trip.
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Core Curriculum Design in First Year GE Programme: US Study Tour Report
Core Curriculum Design in First Year GE Programme: US Study Tour Report
Date: 10 October 2007 (Wednesday)
Speaker: Miss Manda Wan (Office of University General Education
The Office of University General Education (OUGE) has been assigned to develop a six-unit year long compulsory course for all first year students starting from 2012 when the University moves to a four-year curriculum. In view of this, OUGE has taken initiatives to research on the international practices and experience of similar foundation programme, with a particular focus on those of the US. Hence, a delegation of OUGE colleagues visited in June 07 six famous universities to gather information on the goals, design and structure, implementation and assessment of Core Curriculum in GE Programme.
In this session, Miss Manda Wan of OUGE will report on findings of the study tour. Teachers are welcome to share their experiences and concerns regarding core curriculum design of GE courses with us.
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E-Learning Platforms
E-Learning Platforms
Date: 19 September 2007 (Wednesday)
Speaker: ITSC E-Learning Team
Students of GE courses are from all different major departments. The busy schedules of teachers and students alike may also restrict communication after class. E-learning platforms may be one of the possible solutions to this situation.
Currently, there are five platforms available at CUHK: WebCT, Moodle, CUForum, Web Conferencing and iHome, all provided and managed by the ITSC E-Learning Team. In this session, colleagues from the E-Learning Team will give us an overview of the usages and characteristics of each of these platforms, thus enabling us to better choose and utilize these tools. They will also introduce to us other supports and services they can provide to teachers. Participating teachers are also welcome to share their experiences and concerns regarding e-platforms with the others.
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