Sweden, the home of renowned inventor Alfred Nobel after whom the Nobel Prize is named, is an open and free society, offering a high quality of education. As such, it is a popular country for students to go study. CUHK has established its connection with nine Swedish higher education institutions and has launched student exchange programmes with them since 2001. The partner institutions included Stockholm University, Örebro University, the University of Gothenburg and Lund University.

Last year, the collaboration extended to a visiting fellows arrangement. CUHK signed an agreement with the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) to take part in the STINT’s Excellence in Teaching Programme. Under the programme, CUHK will each year host one or two Swedish faculty members selected by STINT who will spend a full term teaching or co-teaching a course in a discipline close to their own as well as engaging in research. The programme aims at allowing Swedish scholars to acquire experience in course management and teaching outside the country. At the same time, CUHK teachers get to exchange teaching experience with them, and CUHK students can be taught by Swedish scholars.

Dr. Louise Berglund, senior lecturer in the School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences of Örebro University, was selected as the first STINT fellow. She taught ‘Ancient and Medieval Western History’ at the CUHK Department of History and delivered talks in the first term of the 2012 academic year.

Having taught at Örebro University for 12 years, Dr. Berglund said she really wanted to go abroad to see how education works in other countries. She is especially interested in Asia, a region far away from home. She applied for the STINT fellow scheme and was selected.

Dr. Berglund observed that Swedish students are more willing to express their opinion while those in Hong Kong tend to keep quiet. She praised the efficiency of the University administration which supports researchers and teachers to focus on their work. Dr. Berglund is also impressed by the advanced classroom equipment and the rich collection of the library.

This is Dr. Berglund’s first time to teach western history in Southeast Asia. She said it has provided her with insight. She observed that the spiritual aspects of history, such as where the soul will go after death, are popular research topics for both eastern and western scholars, but the perspectives may be different. Dr. Berglund believes that learning about the different kinds of thinking will enrich her future research.

For 2013–14, STINT and CUHK have shortlisted six candidates in the areas of education, mechanical engineering, government and public administration, and nursing. The selection results will be announced in February 2013.