A Subjectivist Contribution to Outcomes-Based Education

Tony Fu-lai YU
Hong Kong Shue Yan University

There are growing concerns among educators that traditional teaching and learning method which is teacher-centred and emphases on students’ inputs cannot adequately reflect what students actually learn. Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), with an attempt to measure the effectiveness of learning outcomes, has emerged as a response to the weaknesses of traditional teaching method. Since then, OBE has been adopted worldwide. Admittedly, OBE represents a significant advance in education reform. However, there are still rooms for improvement in OBE in general and non-measureable learning outcomes in particular. This paper identifies the limitations of OBE and provides a subjectivist contribution. Unlike positivist approach in OBE, this paper proposes

“subjective understanding” as a supplement to teaching and learning method. This subjectivist approach sheds new light on specific teaching and learning methods, such as assessment method, apprentice system and school life. This paper concludes that some non-observable elements can be tackled by the subjectivist approach.

Leader Development in Hong Kong Higher Education Institutions: Lived Experiences of Departmental Leaders

Forrest Cheuk-tung CHAN
Caritas Institute of Community Education

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are the powerhouse of a knowledge-based society. The core of their activities takes place at the academic departments. Without doubt, effective leadership at academic departments has a significant impact on enhancing teaching and research. While the significance of departmental leadership has become prominent (Bush, 2008), leadership of HEIs in Hong Kong was rated below satisfactory level by academic staff (Coates, Dobson, Goedegebuure, & Meek, 2010). Development of departmental leaders is thus a pertinent issue. Unfortunately, departmental leaders in many countries and regions, including Hong Kong, generally received little training to cope with a myriad of challenges arising from the dynamic and competitive environment (Avolio, Walumbwa, & Weber, 2009; Burgoyne, Mackness, & Williams, 2009; Sirkis, 2011; Vilkinas & Ladyshewsky, 2012). Thus, leader development is put at the top of agenda for policy making in countries like the UK for example (Burgoyne et al., 2009).

To develop a deeper and richer understanding of the leader development experiences of departmental leaders, a qualitative study of eight departmental leaders in eight Hong Kong HEIs was conducted through one-to-one, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Deploying Kegan’s (1982) constructive-developmental theory as the theoretical lens, five major themes were identified through an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach: (1) top-down approach in leader selection and promotion, (2) advancing leadership expertise through reflective practice, (3) rich developmental experience as catalyst for growth, (4) personal drive as impetus for growth, and (5) leader maturation through cumulative learning.

The study showed that departmental leaders made a significant impact on students’ learning experience in different ways, including enhancing programme curriculum, investing teaching resources, encouraging teachers’ commitment to teaching and research development, resolving operational problems, developing a common vision, mission and direction, and driving institution-wide initiatives towards teaching and research excellence.

The findings also supported that leader development is a multi-level, longitudinal, adaptive learning process, in which individual leaders construct and advance their leadership expertise to achieve expert performance and leader identity over time through accumulative experiences of negotiating with the social environments. The findings presented profound practical implications to HEIs for providing the enabling conditions for leader development: (a) It is essential to consider departmental leaders’ leadership potential in terms of motivation to lead, self-awareness, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills in the leader selection and development process; (b) Provision of appropriate developmental experiences can accelerate leader development through fostering reflective practice at work; and (c) Supportive organizational climates are essential to provide the social support and safe developmental space necessary for leader development. In sum, systemic approach to leader development is vital for sustaining leader development over the long term.

Addressing student needs: A case of redesigning teaching strategy in one module of nursing curriculum

Mabel Yin-chun YAU
Tung Wah College, Hong Kong
Paula HODGSON
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Pak-lai TANG
Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital

Nursing curriculum is perceived demanding by many nursing students in Hong Kong. In learning the relevant theories and practical skills, students lacking science background may experience learning difficulties. This paper reports the learning experience of one cohort of students with and without science background in an integrative module of a nursing programme in a private tertiary institute.

It was an intermediate integration module bringing Health Assessment, Anatomy and Physiology (AP) and Microbiology subjects into one special course. It was assumed that application of knowledge would be achieved and study efforts reduced on the part of students. The three subjects had overarching intended learning outcomes (PILOs). Topics were designed with body systems as the framework. Case studies were employed for all the topics where appropriate. In examining clinical cases, students were expected to explore and report respective physiological and microbiological problems as well as nursing assessments. As such, we hypothesized increased interest and better learning outcome.

A survey on student perception on the integrated learning was conducted in mid-semester. 10% (n=36) of students responded showing a low morale, 22% (n=7) disapproved integrative approach. About 50% of students experienced difficulty and found the integrative course neither inspiring nor achieving the intended learning outcomes, besides having heavy workload. 25% (AP) and 12% (Microbiology) of students failed while 50% and 24% of students scored D grade respectively. Scores for Health Assessment were not available for comments in this report. During a consultation interview, student representatives expressed lost track of guidance and requested to revert to conventional course delivery model. It showed that students were poorly adapted to the integrative approach. Upon adopting traditional course delivery, student morale was increased and with increased attendance. They began to have more interest in attending classes. The failure rate of the two courses dropped to around 10% (AP, Class size = 99) and 7% (Microbiology, class size = 72) in the examination showing a much improved result.

In conclusion, continuous evaluation is required in adopting innovative teaching methodology, the effectiveness of which is affected by a number of factors: nature of course, the teacher, the students and their previous learning experiences. More data may be needed to support the proper choice of teaching method.

Effects of the Remedial Course to the College Students with Lower Numerate Literacy

Jodie Yik-sze LEE & Lorena Po-yin CHAN
Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

As studying mathematics and statistics is not compulsory in the curriculum of senior secondary education, educators in tertiary institutions face significant challenges in teaching students, particularly those with lower level of numeracy. Additional learning supports in mathematics and statistics are recently gaining tertiary institutions’ interest and/or demand in response to the students’ needs. The target students are those with a weaker mathematics foundation (i.e. with Level 2 or below in the examination of Hong Kong Diploma Seconsdrary Education - Mathematics Compulsory Part). A remedial course aims to provide these students with additional support in learning mathematics and statistics as well as to equip and improve their numerate literacy. This paper gives a brief overview of the tailor-made remedial course implemented. Then, regression analysis is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the remedial course on the students’ performance in studying compulsory mathematics and statistics subjects in the College. The effects are statistically significant and results are presented in this paper. A questionnaire survey was carried out at the last lesson of the remedial course to glean the feedbacks from the students regarding the usefulness of the remedial course. In general, positive comments on remedial course were received from the students. Moreover, feedbacks were also collected from the lecturers who taught the remedial course to glean the reasons/problems that lecturers faced in the lessons so as to get insight from the lecturers about the students’ problem in studying mathematics/statistics. Analysis of data collected from students contributes to grow evidence that additional support from college to students, particularly those students with lower level of numeracy is of prime need and useful. Moreover, the results give some insight to help college lecturers to explore multiple ways to support students by strengthen and/or improving their mathematical ability, their learning in the college and lifelong learning ultimately.

Integrated Flipped Classroom in Teaching Economics

Thomas Wai-kee YUEN & Winnie Wan-ling CHU
Hong Kong Shue Yan University

This paper intends to share the experience of teaching an undergraduate course “International Economics”, using an integrated flipped classroom approach. The core idea is still the flipped classroom approach in which videos about the theoretical part are being accessed at home, in advance of class. Classroom becomes the place for collaborative learning. Lecturer still plays a leading role in the directing the learning process. Because of the passive learning attitude of Hong Kong students, traditional lecture are being used as a warm up and closing remark for the class. Evaluating students’ satisfaction survey, there is a significant improvement in the survey score and students are keen in providing comments to help improving the teaching method.

Promoting Teaching Excellence through Peer Sharing of Best Practices and New Pedagogies

Sam SS LAU, Vicky LEE & Danny FY LAM
College of International Education, Hong Kong Baptist University

Teaching should not be a lonely experience. Teachers should not be competitors but collaborators. Peer sharing of best practices is an essential component in promoting teaching excellence. Teaching requires trust, openness, transparency and a shared sense of mission. At CIE, sharing of best practices lends itself to affirming teaching practices, improving teaching effectiveness, encouraging innovative pedagogies, motivating sustainable professional learning, realizing and discovering potentials of teaching staff and fostering collegiality. Based on the practice of peer sharing, the College has developed the following major initiatives in promoting teaching excellence, (i) Academic Staff Mentorship Programme (ASMP) (ii) Peer Observation Across Disciplines (iii) the CIE Teaching and Learning Refresher Series (TALReS) and (iv) the CIE Teaching Excellence Award.

Under ASMP, seasoned lecturers mentor new teaching staff to acclimatize them to the teaching and learning environment. Mentors and mentees would participate in mutual peer visits. Peer observations are not only within the same discipline but also across different disciplines, through which insights are shared. Lecturers with different local and overseas training also benefit from each other’s perspectives. Drawing on the strengths of different teaching staff, TALReS has been implemented in which teaching staff conduct workshops during lunch time throughout the academic year. Topics include flipped classroom, classroom management, the use of English as medium of instruction and creative pedagogies in e-learning. Awardees of the CIE Teaching Excellence Award from different disciplines have been invited to share their views and perspectives.

This study looks into some of the quantitative and qualitative feedback from the teaching staff to these new initiatives. The following questions shall be explored: how does the teaching staff feel about the peer mentoring and peer observation practice? What are their responses to the weekly workshops? What are some of the intrinsic benefits experienced by teaching staff? What are some of the concerns of the teaching staff?

Application of the Many-facets Rasch Measurement (MFRM) to Supporting Self-directed Learning in Writing Assessment of Undergraduates

Kinnie Kin-yee CHAN
The Open University of Hong Kong

The project attempts to apply the Many-facets Rasch Measurement (MFRM) to co-calibrate the scales of Automated Essay Scoring (AES) system and human raters for grading essay writing of undergraduates in Hong Kong. More than 100 Hong Kong undergraduates responded to four essay writing prompts as part of their assessment in the course of the undergraduate degree programme and essays were scored by four experienced Hong Kong English teachers who are blind to the undergraduates’ writing abilities. Rasch measurement models can provide a framework for obtaining objectives and fair measurements of writing ability which are statistically invariant over raters, writing tasks and other aspects of the writing assessment process.

Automated Essay Scoring (AES) is a computer technology to evaluate and score written prose. This practice has become more widely accepted as a technology for both low-stakes assessment and large scale high-stakes standardized tests. The system is most developed to score written work in English. Some foundational work has been performed in the calibration and the validation against human rating responses.

If the project is conducted to calibrate the reliability of an AES system, it may give a choice to the undergraduates to assess their English writing with the help of the system. This tool may improve their writing skills and proficiency and encourage them to develop the self-directed learning strategies in their English language studies.

Teaching and Experiencing Music Theory in the Music Curriculum: Pedagogical Design and Practice

Martin LEE
Caritas Institute of Higher Education

Music theory is an essential part of music curriculum at university. It serves as the fundamental of Western music. However, it seems that music theory is still regarded as a less-serious subject in many institutions, especially the case in Hong Kong’s sub-degree level programmes. Instructors, especially those who have less music theory training, may not feel comfortable to teach beyond what the textbook stated. Under this circumstance, students would not be able to get the whole picture of what music theory is and how music theory operates in context, with respect to various areas in music. Such phenomenon becomes a vicious circle not only in the dissemination of musical knowledge, but it also happens practically in musical performance. In order to solve these problems, I adopted two aspects in the music curriculum of the Associate of Arts (Music) Programme at the Education University of Hong Kong (formerly, the Hong Kong Institute of Education) in my teaching between 2011 and 2016: revisiting music theory through concept and reinterpretation, and practical experience of music theory.

This paper demonstrates how I apply the above aspects in courses and music activities at school. They include Materials and Techniques of Music, Western Music History, Studio Pedagogy, Conducting, and weekly ensemble rehearsal for concert performances. The purpose of Materials and Techniques of Music is to introduce and further consolidate the concept of music theory and skills that students should learn. Through step-by-step illustration and practical demonstration, students acquire the concepts through carefully designed exercises. In revisiting music theory, I begin with music history from the medieval period to the pieces in the common practice period. The objective is to allow students to understand the origin of counterpoint and its evolution throughout the common practice.

Regarding the practical experience, it involves demanding ears to listen carefully how voices interact with each other. Listening ability is strengthened in conducting. Students are attentively required to listen and shape the musical voices and point out the weakness during coaching. Ensemble rehearsals provide a complement for the players to listen how his/her line interacts among different parts. These practical trainings allow students to understand deeply the vertical, horizontal, and imitative aspects of counterpoint in music theory. In addition, the concept of teaching in Studio Pedagogy certainly helps student to utilize the theoretical notions into practice, through this lively engagement, they would understand more, and hence, performance and practical teaching become the apotheosis and destination for students to understand how the music theory operates.

eLearning, Online Platform, MOOC, Facebook and YouTube Technology: Prospects for Teaching Faculty in Self-Financing Tertiary Institutions

Brian KT SIU
School of Continuing and Professional Education, City University of Hong Kong

In this paper, we document our eLearning initiative project work which aims towards Better Learning Outcomes for self-financing tertiary education programmes. From online learning platform, eLearning concepts and arguments, distance learning or online learning mode of education arguments, we exemplify that Technology underpinnings such as YouTube Channel, Facebook Fan Page play a rather significant, yet rather ignored concept by academic faculty towards enhancing their teaching and learning tasks. YouTube assisted online learning (in the form of MOOC) targeted for ERB courses will be demonstrated, together with a discussion on different academic faculty’s affinity with Technology on enhancing their work effectiveness through very low-cost Technology models like YouTube Channel and Facebook Fan Page. The paper will conclude with a reference to MOOC’s rationale towards programme marketing, plus a call for Q&A from the participants.

Outcome-based Learning Design for Enhancing Total Student Experiences in the Digital Era

Pamela Mei-hing KWOK
Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Bob FOX
The University of New South Wales, Australia

Student-centred, outcome-based education, blended learning, flipped-classroom, personalised learning and technology-based teaching and learning approaches have been the popular and emerging issues in the higher education sector in recent years. For example, the development of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and technology-based online courses in general, offer additional channels and opportunities for all to access higher education courses in more convenient, flexible and open settings. The impact of these experiences have inspired many educators in Asia-Pacific universities to reassess ways to improve learning experiences and learning designs for campus-based programmes and courses (Ng, Fox & Nakano, 2016). This paper explores experiences in developing and delivering blended learning solutions for predominantly campus-based education and identifies longer-term impacts on changing core practices. Qualitative research in terms of case study analysis has been adopted for the study. A variety of case studies were selected from engineering, built environment, health and humanities courses in Australia and Hong Kong to illustrate some of these changes and lessons learnt at different stages in development.

The cases range from exploring a re-engineered continuing professional education course converted to blended learning; to how conventional course structures, through quality assurance and curriculum development have led to sustainable improvements to student learning experiences through the introduction of blended learning solutions. Arising from these cases described, the paper identifies key elements that support improved opportunities for success in adoption of blended learning in outcomes-based courses. The case analyses present an application of an outcome-based integrated curriculum framework, supported by a technology- rich learning design model to enhance student learning experiences and actively engage students in focused work to evidence achieving intended learning outcomes through blended learning solutions. This curriculum framework is based on extending the “RASE” learning design model (Churchill, King & Fox, 2013), which comprises of four core elements: resources, activity, support and evaluation. The RASE model has been adopted in various universities to enrich course development and improve student learning experiences. The paper concludes by outlining the value of combining the curriculum integration framework and the RASE learning design model, in identifying extended benefits evidenced in the case studies that have led to sustainable and transferable improvements to student learning experiences, especially those adopting open and blended learning strategies.

References

Churchill, D., King, M, & Fox, B. (2013). Learning design for science education in the 21st century. Journal of the Institute for Educational Research 45 (2), 404-421.

Ng, C., Fox, R. & Nakano, M. (2016) (Eds), Reforming learning and teaching in Asia-Pacific Universities: Influences of Globalised Processes in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Singapore: Springer.

Course Design and Pedagogies: Guiding Engineering Students' Learning Experience through Student-initiated Projects

Kam-tim WOO
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The speaker teaches an introductory engineering course in Embedded Systems. This course focuses on the role of electronic control systems in mechanical and other applications. Most students are equipped with fundamental engineering knowledge, but for many this will be the first and perhaps the only embedded systems course they take. The great challenge and opportunity is helping students to master the basics so that they can deal with a wide range of real- world applications.

To enrich students’ learning experience, students are required to work on a team-based project in the course. In many engineering courses, the projects ideas are often designed for students. These projects have clear learning outcomes and often less challenging in assessment. On the contrary, student-initiated projects are more difficult to assess, but giving them freedom to choose the topic of their interest can be a more engaging learning experience.

If student- initiated projects are to be included in the course, redesigning and fine tuning the course is necessary. Specifically, the in- and out- of class activities need to be redesigned to align with and support each other.

In this presentation, the speaker will share his pedagogies in providing guidance on student-initiated projects within a project-based engineering course. These include the use of videos, social media, peer discussion and Rubrics, etc. He will also discuss how to create an atmosphere where students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning.

Flipping the Classroom in a Nutrition Course: Towards Encouraging Collaborative Learning in Hong Kong Post-secondary Students

Jean Yuk-tin TSE
Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education, The Open University of Hong Kong
Peter Hoi-fu YU
Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Vocational Training Council
Sidney Man-ngai CHAN
The Open University of Hong Kong

This paper presents a one-semester long study aimed at testing out the flipped classroom pedagogy (Bergmann and Sams, 2012) and examining student learning styles as a possible function of classroom flipping in a higher education context.

The participants in question were first year students of a health care degree programme in one of the post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong. A total of 38 consented students were randomly assigned to a control (N = 18) and an experimental (N = 20) group, the latter of which would be delivered a nutrition course in the classroom and additionally through an institutional Moodle webpage.

The primary instrument used to measure students’ perception of themselves as learners, and of the nutrition course, was a set of 82 to 109 item pre- and post-course questionnaires partially adapted from ‘Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scale’ (Grasha, 2002). A control/experimental comparison of the post-course responses revealed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) exclusively in items related to the ‘Collaborative’ domain, suggesting that classroom flipping encourages collaboration amongst peer learners.

The questionnaires also included a section designed to measure orientation towards flipped learning. The post-questionnaire administered to the experimental group also contained items related to attitudes and learning behaviour specific to the flipping pedagogy adopted in the course. That the experimental group found the course interactive (3.9 points, on a 5-point Likert scale) was positively correlated with the students’ belief that classroom interactivity enhanced their learning (r=0.634, p<0.01). In general, the students felt that the video lectures they had watched on Moodle prepared them for the class activities (4.1 points).

The quantitative analysis in this study also included activity logs and score sheets downloaded from Moodle, and two in-class assignments given to both groups.

Towards the end of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants. The interviews formed a basis for qualitative analysis, and together with the questionnaires and learning records they provide insights into the classroom flipping approaches that may be suited to the needs and styles of post-secondary students in Hong Kong.

References

Grasha, A. F. (2002). Teaching with style: A practical guide to enhancing learning by understanding teaching and learning styles. Pittsburgh, PA: Alliance Publishers.

Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

A Critical Analysis on Hong Kong Educational Reform: 3+3+4

Yui-yip LAU
Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Ka-chai TAM
Hong Kong Baptist University
Adolf KY NG
University of Manitoba

In the context of educational research, the 334 educational reforms represent a major breakthrough in Hong Kong education in the 21st century regarding its form, sequence and substance. In order to achieve accountability, quality and market competitiveness, the HKSAR decided to make thorough education policy changes. Starting from 2009/2010 academic year, 2+2 British education model (i.e., the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination) has been completely replaced by New Senior Secondary Curriculum. In order to provide a critical analysis on our study, we have collected a wide variety of sources in government document and conducted 22 semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews with key stakeholders involved in Hong Kong 334 educational reform between February and March 2016. The evolution of Hong Kong 334 educational reform has been critically reviewed. Academic and managerial implications of the study are also given.

Good Experience? The Impact of Students’ Background on Students’ Perceptions of an Effective Part-time Lecturer

Ted TH POON
Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Joseph WC LAU
Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, Vocational Training Council

A study conducted by Poon and Lau (2014a, 2014b) enquire into the perceptions of an effective part-time lecturer (PTL) of 225 students in a self-financing tertiary institute using a 31 items questionnaire. As an extension of the study, the effect of students’ background, as measured by their study experience, gender, study mode, and level of their study programmes is investigated. Salient background factors which have strong influence on students’ learning experience are also identified. The results indicate that female students and part-time students have more favourable impression of PTLs. Regarding the specific traits of PTLs, students with more studying experience prefer PTLs with Higher academic qualification. Part-time students are considerably more concerned about PTLs’ Teaching related competencies as measured by Good subject related knowledge, Many years of work experience, Many years of teaching experience and Good presentation skills. For Relationship oriented behavior, part-time students prefer PTLs who can Share experience with them, give Prompt reply to their messages and make the class Interesting. However, part-time students downplay or even dislike Psychological consulting from PTLs. Concerning Task oriented behaviour, part-time students favour instructors who can use Real examples in teaching, give students a Chance to speak in class, Modify course content to fit students’ needs and interests, and use New approach in class. However, PTLs who can use Cantonese as medium of instruction are more desirable to full time students. These findings indicate that students’ background, particularly the various study modes of students, correlate with different preference sets for PTLs. Higher institutions are advised to take a more situational approach in selecting PTLs.

References

Poon, T. & Lau, J. (2014a) “Who are the Preferred Part-time lecturers? – Students’ Perceptions in a Hong Kong Self-financing Institute”. Conference paper presented at the Conference on Tertiary Education, 2014, Federation for Self-financing Tertiary Education (FSTE), Hong Kong, 13th November.

Poon, T. & Lau, J. (2014b) “Students’ Perception of Effective Part-time Lecturers”. Public Administration and Policy, 17:2, Fall, pp.56-73.

Predicting Associate Degree Students’ Psychological Stress Levels with Self-perceptions of Failure, Academic Performance and Grit

Wincy Win-sze LEE
The Education University of Hong Kong
Ada Pui-ling CHAN, Joseph Chi-ho SO & Alvin Yau-tak WONG
Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The issue of psychological stress is relevant to associate degree students, as most have experienced academic disappointment in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination, and the intense competition to get places in university (Kember, 2010). However, most of the public concern and research efforts have only focused on the articulation rate of associate degree graduates (Lee, 2014), and their psychological well-being during their study is relatively under-examined.

The present study aimed to examine the factors contributing to associate degree students’ psychological stress levels. Specifically, we asked whether it is the actual academic performance or the psychological interpretation of it that contributes to students’ psychological stress. Also, we questioned whether the notion of academic perseverance (Grit), which is grounded and popular in western studies, will either help to alleviate or increase psychological stress in Chinese college students.

Three hundred and forty-five associate degree students from a community college in Hong Kong were invited to fill out a questionnaire voluntarily at the beginning of academic year. The questionnaire consists of 24 items on a 5-point Likert scale; 12 measure Grit (Duckworth, 2001); 10 measure global psychological stress (Cohen, Kamarck, Memelstein, 1983), and one their perceived levels of failure. The students’ self-reported DSE scores were also obtained.

Regression analysis showed that students’ psychological stress levels were significantly predicted by self-perceived failure in DSE, and the two dimensions of grit (interest and perseverance), but not the self-reported DSE scores. These results highlight the importance of students’ interpretation of academic failure but not the actual performance in contributing to psychological stress. Efforts can be made to introduce intervention into induction programs, to help students understand and interpret their prior academic disappointments and failures constructively. Furthermore, the idea of academic grit, which has received much attention in western studies, may not seem to be all-positive to Hong Kong Chinese college students, as it seems to be related to higher psychological stress levels. Further replication and investigation is needed to unravel the cultural nuances of this construct.

References

Cohen, S., Kamarch, T., Memelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.

Duckworth, A.L. & Quinn, P.D. (2010). Development and validation of the short Grit-scale (Grit-S). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(2), 166-174.

Education Bureau (2015). A eBook on student suicide for schools: Early detection, intervention and postvention. Educational Psychology Service Section Special Education & Kindergarten Education Division.

Kember, D. (2010). Opening up the road to nowhere: problems with the path to mass higher education in Hong Kong, Higher Education, 59, 167-179.

Lee, W.W.S. (2014). Opening Up a Road to Somewhere: Associate Degree Students' Generic Capabilities Development in Hong Kong. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33(5), 607-624.

Building Confidence and Cultivating Leadership via a new Whole Person Development Programme

Sam SS LAU, Vicky LEE, Kalia WK HO & Esme KP SUNG
College of International Education, Hong Kong Baptist University

The concept “Whole Person Development” (WPD) has become a catchphrase commonly found in the mission statements of many universities. The delivery of WPD in an undergraduate programme is most effective as it provides the luxury of four years for students to develop reflective awareness gradually. In an Associate Degree programme, the delivery of WPD is comparatively more challenging as it provides a narrow window of only two years for students’ transformation and personal growth to take place. However, careful design and planning was found to be able to make up for the lost time to achieve the same goal. Following the HKBU’s mission of WPD, CIE has adopted the HKBU WPD Inventory designed by the HKBU Student Affairs Office. In addition, CIE has also initiated, designed and implemented a new CIE Whole Person Education Development Programme (WPDP) of its own. This study looks into the evaluation of this new WPDP based on the ADRI model: Approach, Deployment, Results and Improvements.

The “Approach” of the WPDP consists of three main objectives: (i) to help students adapt to the world of higher education, both its freedom and its obligations (ii) to rebuild the loss of confidence that the public examination has inflicted on them so that they see the value of education for one’s whole person development, and (iii) to help students develop a sense of leadership and to revitalize their self-narrative and self-discovery as they equip themselves for articulation into senior years of degree programmes. The “Deployment” of the WPDP is a year-long programme consisting of 92 workshops of 138 hours. Topics include “Life Dialogue”, “Viewing Myself in 5 Aspects”, “Voices from Our Society on Youth”, “Positive Life Inspiration” and “Thematic Art Jamming”. Quantitative and qualitative “Results” have shown a variety of responses from different groups of students. Based on the feedback and findings, areas of “Improvements” on the content and operational mechanisms of the WPDP shall be further reviewed and refined to meet the needs of different groups of students.

The Student Voice – Data-driven Feedback

Lung-sang CHAN
HKU SPACE Community College & HKU SPACE Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Community College, The University of Hong Kong
Simon LEUNG
Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Guy PERRING
i-graduate

The importance of the student voice and the role of students as co-creators of the learning experience have reached the top of the agenda in many institutions. This presentation will explore the work done in Hong Kong across the sector in evaluating and benchmarking the student experience. Guy Perring, Regional Director from i-graduate will give an overview of the student barometer designed to help institutions benchmark their performance locally, regionally and globally and thereby make appropriate interventions to improve the student experience with data-driven feedback. Simon Leung Associate Dean (Development) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University College of Professional and Continuing Education will explore how his institution has used this data and other data sources to ensure improvement and enhancement across the key indices that make for a rich learning experience.

Access and Inclusion - a Successful Case Study

Bethan ABRAHAM & Clare MAGEE
RMIT University Vietnam

With 25% of students in Vietnam encountering a variety of learning differences or challenges, and a tertiary education system that is yet to fully modernise, there is unmet demand for equal opportunity in education. For students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and visual impairments, traditional classroom materials and online resources present barriers which impact their learning, confidence and academic progress This workshop will present a case study of how a quiet suggestion from an English teacher changed a university’s approach to materials design, leading to changes in the institution’s whole philosophy of teaching and learning. AT RMIT University Vietnam, The English Center through research, practice and collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Unit developed accessible templates, how to guides, training sessions and online materials. These have been adopted by the entire university in Vietnam, blazing a trail for the parent organisation in Australia. Participants in this practical workshop can expect to gain knowledge of learning issues faced by students and how simple low cost changes to materials can lead to an inclusive educational system.

Enhancing Students’ Global, Cross-cultural Experience via Off-campus and On-campus Internationalization

Sam SS LAU, Vicky LEE & Sandy WC CHAN
College of International Education, Hong Kong Baptist University

As educators of the 21st century, we are faced with the responsibility to equip students not only with professional knowledge of a particular discipline but also the generic skills/attributes expected from a college student. With rapid globalization, increasing interconnectedness between the local, regional and international economies, and the growth of mass migration across the world, it is vital for our students to have a multi-cultural awareness, cross-cultural sensibilities and an understanding of the intersections of local, national and global perspectives and contrasting value systems. To this end, HKBU CIE has implemented a number of internationalization initiatives to enhance student learning experience. Student activities under these new initiatives are divided into two main types: off-campus and on-campus. Off-campus student activities consist of collaborative cultural and study tours with overseas universities, discipline specific study trips such as biodiversity protection and natural resources management in Sabah, food safety research internship in Cambodia, language immersion programmes, overseas debating tournament etc. On-campus student activities consist of hosting by students for students from other countries such as Germany, Italy, U.S., Singapore and Japan on campus, conducting academic exchange and cultural tours for visiting overseas students, and coordinating talks by visiting Consulate General or overseas academics.

This study looks into some of the quantitative and qualitative findings based on students’ reflective journals, post-activities reports and focus-group discussions. The following questions shall be explored: what are some of the common reactions of students when they find themselves in a completely foreign environment surrounded by people of a different culture both at home and abroad? How does the experience away from home and outside of their comfort zone create an impact on the way students perceive their own selves and home? In what way are they more aware of their own cultural identity, their own biases and their own connection with the world outside of Hong Kong? How do they construct their own self-narratives when communicating with people of a different culture and language?

Content-focused Feedback to Enhance Students’ Learning Experience in a Writing Classroom

Ivan CHONG
Yew Chung Community College

Content-focused written comments have received little attention from researchers and frontline teachers of L2 writing. A handful of dated studies have delved into how the use of specific commentaries such as suggestions and positive comments result in positive students’ revisions; nevertheless, there is a paucity of studies examining different types and focuses of content-focused written comments and how students respond to these comments. To add new knowledge to existing L2 feedback research and practice, the present study investigates how a teacher gave content-focused feedback in a composition through literature class in a community college in Hong Kong and how the class responded to these comments. The content-focused written comments were divided into 11 categories based on their feedback focus and feedback type, and the findings show that there is not a single most effective feedback type in eliciting students’ responses; as revealed in the findings, effectiveness of content-focused written comments impinges on the alignment between feedback focus and type, as well as students’ perception and knowledge. Lastly, theoretical and pedagogical implications applicable to similar ESL/EFL contexts and even feedback practice in other content subjects would be drawn.

Enhancing VPET Students’ International Learning Experience through the Hidden Curriculum

Alfred KOO
Vocational Training Council

Globalisation has demanded higher education (HE) institutions to embed ‘Internationalisation’ into their institutional strategy so that their students are well prepared to be global citizens and to work sensitively and effectively across different continents, culture and religions upon graduation. In the past decade, HE institutions have put vast amount of efforts to generate students with international learning experience through their ‘internationalised curriculum’.

International learning experience can be acquired from the formal curriculum (scheduled programme delivery), informal curriculum (e.g. extra-curricular activities) and hidden curriculum (e.g. non-academic activities such as student ambassador schemes). A lot of studies have been done on how the formal and informal curriculum have contributed to international learning experience of students. However, the hidden curriculum, which always provides rich, contextual and ‘not openly intended’ learning experience, is rarely discussed. It is also evident that there is a lack of literature on student ambassador schemes in particular about the impact of these schemes on internationalisation or student learning experience.

One of the vocational and professional education and training (VPET) institutions in Hong Kong has its institutional-wide strategic initiatives in place to implement internationalisation. Among these initiatives, internationalisation of the curriculum has been an important agenda. Significant efforts have been put into developing an international curriculum in every programme. However, such development is mainly focus on the formal curriculum and informal curriculum. The role of the hidden curriculum in the internationalisation process is seldom discussed openly among management and frontline staff.

The International Development Office of the institute has initiated an International Student Ambassadors (ISAs) Scheme to further promote internationalisation among students across different campuses. The schemes aims to: (i) enhance students’ cross cultural awareness; (ii) strengthen students’ social and communication skills to accommodate different cultural situations; (iii) extend students’ social network beyond the institute and Hong Kong; (iv) prepare students for the globalised workplace after graduation; and (v) support the internationalisation activities of the institution. This scheme and its related activities, as the hidden curriculum, help to fill in the gap that the formal and informal curriculum have left.

In this paper, we: (i) study how a group of ISAs acquired international learning experience through the hidden curriculum; (ii) report the achievements accomplished by these ISAs in terms of leadership, communication and presentation skills, and teamwork as well as international exposure; (iii) identify the difficulties encountered by students in acquiring international learning experience; and (iv) suggest measures that can enhance students’ international learning experience.

Understanding Associate Degree Students’ Learning Orientation, Strategy and Experience: A Grounded Theory Approach using Social Network Data

Warren CK CHIU and Peter P YUEN
College of Professional & Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Public examinations in Hong Kong often serve a gate-keeping function opening doors to a selected few but turning away many who are equally keen to pursue further study. Among these less fortunate, many will enroll in sub-degree programmes in self-financing tertiary institutions. They aim to articulate to a government subsidized university upon completion of their 2-year study. They embark on an alternative learning journey which is somewhat different from that of the regular university students.

Their learning experience is documented in close to 6,000 text messages posted online since its inception in 2013. These were extracted for analysis from a Facebook Page created by students of a Hong Kong self-financed tertiary institution. Adopting the Grounded Theory methodology, we coded, categorized, theme searched all the data upon which we subsequently derived a conceptual model which depicts students’ aspirations, strategies and outcomes of learning. The model tells a story from a student’s perspective describing how their instrumental learning orientation will lead to bulimic learning behaviors and often suboptimal learning outcomes.

Specifically, some students who failed to enter a local government funded university are likely to feel inferior to their more fortunate peers. Motivated by shame, articulation to a local university thus becomes their main goal. To achieve this end, they refrain from participating in extra curriculum activities but spend much time drilling on lecture notes and past examination papers. They select teachers who are easy on grades yet demand from these teachers extra help and examination tips. When necessary, these passive learners cheat. They accept rote learning as a sure way to obtain good grades. They refrain from sharing knowledge but ironically they want to find study partners whom they can ride on free. Unfortunately, greedy minds think alike. They often find themselves in a group of free-riders.

Their attitudes and behaviors lead to problems. They learned to be cynical. They know the cost of learning but see little value in it. They feel bored, lonely and exhausted about studying and grow increasingly anxious about their future. Indeed, interacting with one another with such a mindset gradually shapes the culture of their institutions. Once formed, this culture of cynicism will reinforce and normalize existing perceptions of and approaches to learning forming a downward spiral of counter-productive learning. A good proportion of them will finally make it to university. But it is questionable to what extent they have become better learners.

This paper concludes with recommendations to educators on how to meet learners as they are and to provide help that may mitigate negative impacts on students’ development in the context of learning.

An Integrative Approach to Enrich Student Life at the Community College of City University

Rose Cheuk-wai FONG
Community College of City University

Student life at the Community College of City University (CCCU) has always been one of the major attractions for students looking for an exciting way to enrich themselves. Its mission is to nurture students’ intellectual growth, creativity, integrity and global outlook and empower them to contribute their talents to the society. This aligns very much to the broad goals of liberal education.

Liberal Education is an approach to learning that empowers students and makes them good citizens. It broadens students’ horizons with specialized knowledge and skills in a particular discipline. In Hong Kong, most colleges and universities including CCCU have included in their programmes a general education curriculum that provides wide learning in diversified disciplines, along with in-depth study in a major.

According to the statement of liberal learning provided by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (1989), liberal education also assists students to develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings. To implement this thought, CCCU has developed excellent whole person education using the following co-curricula activities.

The Study Abroad Scheme at CCCU sponsors students with good academic performance to take part in short overseas academic study programmes on a competitive basis, not only to deepen understanding of their main areas of study, but more importantly, to enhance their language skills and insight into different cultures through immersion in a different learning environment. Upon completing the academic programmes at overseas universities/institutions, students may be granted credit transfer to relevant courses at CCCU. These opportunities not only bring knowledge, but also foreign friendships, confidence, and adaptability. In 2015/16, about 420 students were able to benefit from the Scheme and attended courses at various universities all over the world. Furthermore, CCCU also organizes regular Overseas Study Tours. In 2015/16, about 900 students participated in Study Tours to over twenty different countries. In addition, about 55 students spent one semester at the Shanghai University, China through the Overseas Attachment Scheme.

In 2015/16, 42 local co-curricular activities were sponsored, to enrich the learning experiences of about 2,700 students. These activities covered community services, cultural awareness, language training, skill training, teacher-student gatherings and others. In order to get students prepared for the future, the Internship Programmes at CCCU provide an avenue for students to immerse themselves in different professional communities. They are great opportunities for students to walk through their learning journey with industry practitioners, from whom they learn best practice and gain an eye-opening experience.

CCCU believes that in today’s globalized world, with increasing internationalization, liberal education will nurture students with all qualities of a successful and caring citizen. In order to measure the effectiveness of such diverse co-curricular activities, student participants and event organizers are asked to align the activities' outcomes with the intended learning outcomes or graduate attributes. The presentation will share the current practices on assessing the effectiveness of the whole person development programme and the future plan as well.

How Reliance on Teachers affects Students’ Perception of Effective Lecturers: The Case of Community College Students in Hong Kong

Ted TH POON
Hong Kong Community College, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Joseph WC LAU
Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, Vocational Training Council

In studying students’ perceptions of their teachers, some researchers (e.g. Onwuegbuzie et. al, 2007; Schonwetter, Clifton and Perry, 2002) follow a contingency approach: whether teachers are perceived to be “good” by students should depend on the context where the teacher and student interact. The present report is extracted from the qualitative section of a mixed methods study which aimed to examine students’ perceptions of the qualities of a good teacher. Eighteen recent graduates of a community college in Hong Kong were interviewed; data collected were analysed via thematic analysis. The study reveals that students can be classified into three distinct groups based on their expectations for their teachers: Prescriber, Pathfinder and Inspirer. Students from the Prescriber group are entirely dependent on their teachers just as patients being dependent on their doctors. Students from the Pathfinder group are partially dependent on their teachers for guidance. Students from the Inspirer group are generally independent of their teachers, yet inspirations from teachers are considered important. The results of the study indicate that teachers should adjust their teaching approaches with respect to the various degree of reliance found in these distinct groups of students.