Session 1: Learning Technologies & Science of Learning

Session 1: Learning technologies & Science of Learning

Presenter: Professor Nancy Law

Venue: RM206, Runme Shaw Building, The University of Hong Kong

Date: 2 June, 2016 (9:00 – 10:30)

-  How are you/your universities using technologies for teaching& learning?

·  Learning focus should be on the learners

-  Scan QR code to go to a website: iLap for SDLS

·  Survey- how everyone is like; what they think

·  Moodle – a platform to support school teachers to do E-learning

·  Focus not on teaching but on learning

-  Survey result

·  More about devices, mobile devices, computer, tablet, etc.

·  Internet - without it, lot of things cannot happen

·  Moodle - Linkup and connect with students

·  The use of technologies requires infrastructure and people to support

·  People value communication

·  There needs to be a policy for E-learning

·  Where there is a policy, it means the leadership has thought seriously about this and put a goal.

-  Video Watch (Sugata Mitra-The Child-Driven Education, 2011)

-  What do you think is the main message of Sugata Mitra’s talk? Do you agree with him?

·  It’s easier to write on paper, why bother to type? – To share, to keep record

·  It doesn’t pay if you only try to use it in a week.

·  Policy, vision and plan are necessary

·  You cannot control what devices your teacher and students to use for learning

·  Children are much more fearless

·  HK doesn’t have a policy on E-learning in higher education

·  Technology changes so fast

-  What is the role of technology in supporting learning?

·  To give the learning back to the child.

·  It doesn’t make sense to give answers if children don’t have questions

·  Learners decide the goal of learning

-  Does HKU have an E-learning policy?

·  Support & Resources

·  What can we do with the technology; why we use the technology

·  Moodle: yet it’s cheap and open source, but the reason to use Moodle is to not tie up the people

·  E-learning technological unit

·  Flipped learning at HKU

·  E-learning strategy 2015

·  Science of learning: how people learn

-  Does HKU have a learning policy?

·  HKU does have a learning policy

·  4-Year undergraduate curriculum

·  Quality and the capacity of the person is the most important thing, not the knowledge of skills

-  How do people learn?

·  Can people learn without being taught?

·  Yes. Learn through interaction.

·  Teacher should be a learning designer, to design learning environment, political, digital, social, cultural, and learning interactions

-  Learning- the what questions?

-  What is the evidence that you have learnt new things?

·  New idea

·  The difference of baby and old person

-  There are different levels of learning: multiple

-  Learning as an organization

·  Everybody needs to learn

·  The team needs to learn

-  Learning at system level

·  SARS: cause the whole society to change

-  Recommend

·  The Horizon Report: higher education (google key words to get the report)

Session 2: Curriculum: Thoughts & Further thoughts

Presenter: Albert Chau (Teaching & Learning)

Venue: RM206, Runme Shaw Building, The University of Hong Kong

Date: 2 June, 2016 (10:30-12:00 )

-  Introduction of Baptist University

Higher education reform

Need to consider the following issues:

-  Globalization, living in a global village.

·  Mobility

·  Cultural awareness

·  Global problems

·  Global competition and collaboration

-  Knowledge Economy

·  Generation of new knowledge

·  Career changes

·  Multi-tasking

High expectations of community, parents, and students

-  Five top reasons for going to universities; a survey conducted in UK

1.  73% to improve their job opportunity

2.  58% to improve salary

3.  57% to improve knowledge in their particular area of interest

4.  46% to meet new people

5.  46% for specialization

-  Employers’ views on graduate’s attributes in HK:

·  Work attitude

·  Inter-personal skills

·  Analytical and problem solving

·  Languages proficiency (English and Chinese)

·  Technical skills

·  IT and Math

·  Management skills

-  The graduates should have the following attributes in the 21st century:

1.  Communication skills

2.  Leadership

3.  Critical thinking

4.  Problem solving

5.  Creativity and innovation

6.  Integrity

7.  Cultural awareness

8.  Team work

9.  Professional knowledge

10.  Life-long learning

Visions and missions of some of the leading universities in both Asia and USA, which reflect how they view education in 21st century:

-  National University of Singapore;

·  Vision: to influence the future

·  Mission: transform the way people think and do things through education, research and service.

-  Harvard College:

·  To educate the citizens and citizen leaders for our society. We do this through our commitment to transformative power to the liberal arts and sciences education.

-  MIT:

·  To advance knowledge and to educate the students in science and technology and other areas of knowledge that will serve the nation best and the world in the 21 century.

Then the question arise how we can do that? The ways might be the following:

-  Re-define curriculum

·  Flexible curriculum

·  Interdisciplinary

·  Diverse ways of learning; exchange, internship, and etc.

·  Co-curriculum

-  Internalization

-  New pedagogies

-  E-learning

-  Teaching-research nexus

-  Fund raising

We have mechanisms to make sure that things are going well/ quality assurance loop:

Such as; vision and mission statements, learning outcomes, graduates’ attributes, competencies, student’s feedback, survey, and etc.

But somethings are really missing in our education system

The question is about holistic vs reductionist

-  Spirituality

·  Existential question

·  Relation to nature

-  Values

-  Too structured; killing intellectual curiosity

-  Missing Ah-ah experiences

-  Liberal education,

-  Missing role models/ professors

Practical Issues:

-  Can we measure soft skills?

-  How can we measure success of students?

-  Only by qualitative data; that is not enough

-  Need to consider qualitative data as well

-  Diverse ways

-  Need to consider the special need of students

-  Give more freedom

Need to give room for professor’s intellectual journey:

-  Ah- ah experiences

-  Teaching as a creative process/ intellectual stimulation

-  Teaching as a sources of gratification

-  Mutual benefits between teaching and research

How can we recognize supporting staff?

-  We need to recognize them not as service providers but as contributors/ educators

-  They are also role models

-  They take this profession as passion

-  Though recognition of their works.

Q&A Session:

Q: How can you engage our kids with the real world/ natural world as they are more inclined to the virtual world?

A: That is their real world. I think we should think this way, we can ask them to go to your world, there are many things to learn; lot of good thing. Many students started their business by using their mobile phones. Teaching and learning can be more effective by engaging them in twitter or Facebook

Q. How can we include the spiritual aspect in education? What could be the ways by which we can give our students spiritual dimension of life in education?

A. We can hold some universal values which are common to all societies, cultures and religions; higher level of qualities. Students are to be exposed to other cultures, societies, so that they can decide themselves what is right and wrong.

Session 3 A: Student Development

Presenter: Viki from WE CARE, Auti/ Keisha from Stories of Us; Talk, Read, Sing, Play.

Venue: RM206, Runme Shaw Building, The University of Hong Kong

Date: 2 June, 2016 (14:00 – 15:30)

-  Viki from We CARE (Presentation Title: What ELSE do university students do?)

·  WE CARE, as a social inclusion project of HKU

§  Works with domestic workers in HK in order to have a better understating between employers and domestic workers.

§  To give the domestic helpers a sense that we are all equal, human being.

§  Make them aware of their rights

v  Started in 2012.

v  Four students in journalism and medicine and nursing

·  Background Information

§  Domestic workers consist 3% of HK population, and 6% of ethnic minority.

§  Sunday as day off for them, but nowhere to go

§  Some sit at HSBC building

§  They are victim of physical abuse to verbal abuse and salary delay.

·  We are helping them to hanging out and other activities, mainly four activities:

§  Music/ concert

§  Painting

§  Medical care

§  Casual hang out/ we have topic to discuss

-  Auti/ Keisha from the Project: Stories of Us; Talk, Read, Sing, Play.

·  Early childhood literacy efficiency development.

·  As a project of social inclusion project of HKU.

·  Parents want to provide their kids best education possible, but they cannot afford that because of high cost of education in HK.

·  Which causes depression, even suicide.

·  Stories of Us might provide a solution.

·  It provides a platform to talking, reading, singing for the people belonging to different cultures, ethnic groups, faith groups, languages.

·  Parents can engage more with their children.

·  Can enhance parent-child love bond, which is very important for early childhood education.

·  Provide necessary tools for parents

·  Bond with teacher is not enough for that development

Question &Answer Session:

Q: How to get the Funding?

A: General Education Fund; HKU, is not enough

Donation (individual, through online).

Funding is a major challenge

Session 3B : Student Presentation

Presenter: Alice and Sara from Sesame, Clarence form Medical outreachers HK, Armita Sanju Daryanani working in India, Fung from Science outreach & Venture Capital

Venue: RM206, Runme Shaw Building, The University of Hong Kong

Date: 2 June, 2016 (14:00 – 15:30)

-  Alice and Sara from HKU, project called Sesame (Southeast Asians Supportive, Assimilating and Merging Education)

·  Working for the kids of domestic helps or kids of SE Asian

·  Problem of them:

§  Difficulty in Chinese Learning è low rate to go to university

§  Limited job opportunities

§  Low Income

·  The steps to start the project

§  Joined Young Social Entrepreneuir Programme

§  Received funding support

§  First round begin

·  Our goal

§  Promote integration among kids and University students

·  Our team

§  Chairlady

§  Vice-chairlady

§  Mentors or volunteers ( hope to increase mentors)

·  Some activities: tram taking, dumpling,

·  Volunteers reflected that the project are meaningful.

·  Achievement and impact:

§  Culture promotion activities

§  Enhanced Chinese proficiency

§  Increased understanding of HK

§  Better understanding of Chinese culture

§  Enhanced understanding of outer worlds

·  Promote social concerns

·  Future Directions:

§  Explore different service opportunities that promote social inclusion and cultural integration

-  Clarence Chan: Medical outreachers HK

·  To educate, to share and to educate

·  Reach out to create

·  Sustaining improvement

·  Medical service

§  Local (domestic worker)

§  Regional (mainland, the trip to Kenya, Nepal: teach first aids BASIC CPR, some health education)

§  International

·  Status of MO: Charity

·  Humans of Medical outreahers ( Facebook & Twitter)

·  HKU X MO: Funds + sharing

Faculty of Medicine: Advices

·  HKU Learning Outcomes: Intercultural understanding and global

·  Medicine learning outcomes: community-based experience & core and options approach”

·  Key theme: Medical ethics, professional attitudes

·  Experiential learning: patient & doctor relationship

·  To understand the people we serve.

·  Registered as a company

·  Charity status

Note: Other possible ways of operations: Society registered in police

And association under the student union, HKU

-  Amrita, from JMSC, a service trip to Mumbai, India to teach Chinese culture.

·  Profile of Armita Sanju Daryanani:

·  India (Family)

·  Indonesia (12 Years)

·  China & HK (9 years)

·  Visit Mumbai-2009

·  èDo something for the home countries

§  Volunteers: From different Faculties and Majors

§  Serving 6 Public schools in India to help

·  With different school locations and size of school

·  330 underprivileged of different backgrounds

·  Change education system in India

·  Activities in serving: make lantern. Crafting, dance and Culture exchange program

·  Other outcomes: Volunteers’ development and Cultural exchange

·  Future direction? Become NGO and have teachers and students to provide sustainable service.

·  Motto: Be the change you wish to see in the world. I am a Genie.

-  Fung from Science outreach team to provide science education in Taiwan

§  Science without borders:

·  Founded in 2012

·  Formed by young, passionate science undergraduatse in hKU with aims to promote sicene to the community

§  Our mission

1.  To promote science literacy in the community

2.  To exchange and communicate with other people

§  Our last project:

·  Visit 3 primary schools in Taiwan

§  What we teach?

·  Everyday science

·  Teaching mathematics through games

·  Cultural exchange

-Venture Capital + Universities

§  Venture Capital: to invest on start-up company: provide experience and networkè gain the return

1.  Background of the presenter:

HKUà Gonnectà AccelatorHKà Substainablility Jamà HKSTP Incubationà Opes Anorà Post Mortemà Jefferson Trustà Fresco Capital

2.  Vision of HKU

3.  Vision of Venture Capital: People Diversity Impact

4.  Venture Capitals and University hare a lot of common:

5.  Do similar things :Support outstanding founders + long term + invest + returned capital

6.  Lasting impact: just in different ways

Question and Answer:

Q: University concerns the Impact to the society. However, venture capital concerns the transformation of company to gain profit?

A: Social change and venture capital are not exclusive. Internet are found by academia. Internet become widespread when there are Google and Facebook

Q: How to communicate with Indian children?