Dr. Cecilia Ka Yuk Chan

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Innovative Curricula Design Conference Higher
Education in 2020
Innovation in Engineering and Science Education

• Dr. Cecilia Ka Yuk Chan
• Associate Professor
• Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and
  Learning (CETL)
• University of Hong Kong

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• Tere hommikust.
• Meeldiv kohtuda
• Ma ei räägi palju eesti keelt.

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Think Out of the Box Puzzle
Pretend that the above is drawn on a piece of
paper, draw 4 straight lines with an imaginary
pen without lifting up the pen so that the lines
go through all the dots using only 4 lines. How
can it be done?
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My Life - From Engineering to Education

• Bachelor Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics
  Trinity College Dublin
• PhD DSP, Computer Vision Trinity College
  Dublin
• Researcher/Software Consultant in Industry
• Lecturer and an Assistant Head in Engineering
• Postgraduate Dip. and MA in Higher Education
• Associate Professor in Centre for the Enhancement
  of Teaching and Learning
• Fellow in Kings College London
• Education Research (esp. Science and Engineering)

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Research Vs Teaching
TEACHING
RESEARCH
Tenure and Promotion
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University of Hong Kong World Rankings

• 2013 2014 (No. 43)
• 2008 2009 (No. 18)
• 2013 2014 (No. 26)

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Engineers and Scientists Perception
PBL, isnt that what we have been doing for the
last 20 years with our student projects?
How can you do active learning in mathematics?
That just wont work in engineering
Student retention, motivation, engagement,
learning, blah!!
We cant afford to spend time to teach them
skills that are unrelated to the core subjects?
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Overview Primary Issues in Engineering and
Science Education

• Student Retention
• Student Recruitment (Quality Vs Quantity)
• Pedagogy active learning
• Assessment
• Generic skills/Global competence
• Student Motivation and Engagement
• Internationalization

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Active Learning

• Why plan for Active Lectures?
• Problem of Attention span
• Psychological constraints on learning
• Concentration drops with sustained and unchanging
  low level activity (such as sitting and
  listening), but to follow lecture content
  concentrated effort is required.
• Students attention is typically maintained for
  _____________ minutes???

10 15 mins
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• English How are you?
• Chinese ????
• Pinyin Ni hao ma?

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Two ways to tackle some of the issues

• Common Core Curriculum
• Experiential Learning and out of classroom
  Learning

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HKU Common Core Curriculum - Goals

1. To enable students to have a broader perspective
   and a critical understanding of the complexities
   and interconnectedness of the problems and issues
   that they are confronted within their everyday
   lives
2. To enable students to have a deeper understanding
   of their own cultures and other cultures, and to
   appreciate the interrelatedness and diversity
   among cultures
3. To enable students to see themselves as members
   of local as well as global communities and to
   play an active role as responsible individuals
   and citizens in these communities
4. To enable students to develop the key
   intellectual skills that will be further enhanced
   in their disciplinary studies.

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HKU Common Core Curriculum - There are 4 main
area of inquiry
The Humanities 39
Global Issues 37
Scientific and Technological Literacy 44

• China Culture, State and Society 37

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How do the students learn?

• Diverse modes of learning
• participative and experiential nature of learning
• case-based learning, inquiry-based learning,
  problem based learning, action-based learning,
  small group learning, etc.
• to enable students to engage in collaborative
  work, provide leadership in team work, conduct
  critical analysis, see things from different
  perspectives, make informed decisions

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How are students being assessed?

• Diverse modes of assessment.
• Keeping a journal to reflect on lectures and
  readings
• Making a movie
• Engaging in fieldwork
• Undertaking research
• Constructing a website
• Doing group projects and presentations.

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A Common Core Course

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vseazn3xp704

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Experiential Learning _at_ HKU

• I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do
  and I understand. Confucius (Chinese
  Philosopher)

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Forms of Experiential Learning

• Cooperative education placements
• Practicum experiences
• Classroom-based hands-on laboratory activities
• Field studies
• Exchange studies
• Community service learning
• Many more..
• This bottom-up initiative has been made as one of
• the common learning experiences in the 4-year
• curriculum.

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Bringing the real project into classroom

• Through planning, design, management of
  construction and until completion of a real
  project, students gain a sense of ownership and
  satisfaction of the project
• Improvement in communication skill when meeting
  with people from different social and cultural
  backgrounds
• Promotion of teamwork and multidisciplinary
  cooperation

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Project Mingde

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vHdjxqO07sTM

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• http//hke3r.cetl.hku.hk/

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• In order to motivate our student, we need to
  motivate ourselves first
• Students are the seeds of today and are the crops
  of the future

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Thank You

• Thank you for your participation!!!
• If you wish to contact me for further information
• Email Cecilia.Chan_at_cetl.hku.hk
• Phone [phone]

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Answer to the riddle