Newsletter No. 74

CUHK Newsletter 4 No. 74 19th September 1995 1. The first project aims at providing a forum for the exchange of ideas about teaching and learning. Dr. Michele Chase says, 'It seems that usually we academics have our doors closed. We don't talk very much about teaching unless, for instance, we're proposing a new course in the department or faculty.' Funding was used to purchase computer equipment and appropriate software for the production of a newsletter, T e a c h i n g a d Learning i n TheChinese U n i v e r s i t yofHong K o n g . The newsletter carries adifferent theme in each issue. Contributions are invited from teachers, administrators, and students of the University with an aim to enhance communication between all parties. The theme of the first issue which came out last May was course evaluation. Three more issues have been planned: volume 2 on teaching with heart, volume 3 on active learning, and volume 4 on teaching and research. Dr. Chase had hoped to finalize preparations for these three issues before she left the University in August 1995. To encourage students to express their views, Dr. Chase started by approaching her own students. On the theme of teaching with heart she asked students what they would like their teachers to know about them. A colleague of hers asked his students the same question. 'So we've a long list of what students would like us teachers to know. I hope that'll stimulate students to feel this is for them.' Both Dr. Chase and Dr. Ho believe the project is timely, with the quality of teaching becoming an urgent issue in face of large student numbers and increased emphasis on accountability and research. *** 2. The second project was an experiment on the effects of quasi-small group teaching in a large class environment. Last year the 112 students of the general education course 'Logic, Argumentation, and Debate' found in their midst 15 'dummy tutors', or tutors who do not answer questions. These were really student helpers hired to sit in the class with the regular students. Dr. Ho explains that it is 'quasi-small group teaching, in the sense that the helpers were there to encourage their classmates to study but not to answer their questions. 'Originally I wanted to call them dummy tutors as they are in away tutors who don't give answers. But I changed it to study helpers because of the negative implications of the word dummy.' These dummy tutors or study helpers were asked to contact their own groups of students to encourage self-study outside the classroom and to collect possible questions for discussion and further clarification in class. As D r . Ho believes that helpers have to be highly motivated themselves to be truly helpful to others, he met individual helpers regularly to keep track of their activities and to assist them develop leadership. To create a new learning environment, class planning was also completely overhauled. Lectures were shortened to allow for immediate discussions and presentations from groups. If any student should be interested in being paid $35 an hour plus given a free textbook to attend class, what are the requirements of a study helper? Very simply, they have to be able to attend all the class meetings, and to have never taken the course before. Compared with their counterparts in the 1993-94 academic year, students in the course seemed muchmore prepared and less stressed before the final examination. In an end-of- semester discussion, they indicated that the presence of the helpers was encouraging to them in their studies. Incidentally, it was also observed that the average exam result of the 15 helpers was markedly higher than the class average. So perhaps being paid is incentive enough to make students more responsible and motivated! Dr. Ho concludes, 'Very often our students are not incapable of doing well. They simply need greater attention and sympathy than before.' *** 3. The third project arose out of discussions about the role and requirements of university tutors. Dr. Ho explains the necessity for such a project: 'Over the last 20 years, I've seen changes in the make-up of tutors. Ten years ago, tutors were supposed to teach. Now they fall into three different categories: teaching assistants, graduate assistants, and postgraduate studentship holders. The latter two groups are here mainly to do funded research. But we're employing them to teach, so we have to train them to be teachers.' The project aims at training tutors in the methodology of teaching and counselling in keeping with their role as teachers. Some tutors are assigned less regular tutorial duty in order that they can take the initiative to approach students and invite questions instead of waiting for students to approach them. Dr. Ho hopes that by adopting a more proactive approach tutors will become more conscious of their teaching, and more importantly, students will feel that teachers do care. 1 feel our students are helpless. On the one hand, they are not highly motivated; on the other, they don't know who to turn to when they need help. And sometimes they may be afraid that asking questions will give the teacher a bad impression of them.' The grant received was used to purchase teaching aids to promote an outreaching approach to teaching. For example, the tutors were asked to videotape a student debate during a tutorial and then show the video in class to illustrate how performance could be improved. 'In the past, we would just sit through the debate and give them a review afterwards.' Dr. Michele Chase also offered workshops for tutors on how to grade papers and how to be an effective tutor. The most important finding of the project is that some tutors, especially the graduate assistants, are not mentally prepared to be teachers, and have little conviction as to what a teacher should be in the contemporary world. 'It was very clear that students nowadays need more personal attention than their counterparts did 10 years ago. They are much less motivated and much more passive in their studies. The implication is that we as teachers or tutors have to invest more time and effort if we expect to produce graduates of high quality.' Piera Chen 宣布事項 ANNOUNCEMENTS 更改個人資料請通知人事處 Changes in Personal Data Should Be Registered with the Personnel Office 各同人之個人資料如地址、電話、婚姻狀況、學歷等倘 有更改，請儘早書面通知人事處，以便修訂大學之人事紀 錄。大學刊物如《中大通訊》、《槪況》及《校刊》等所載 之教職員資料，均以人事處紀錄之個人資料爲準。 出版此等刊物之出版事務處，並無儲存教職員個人檔 案，亦不負責修訂人事檔案紀錄，故請勿把資料寄往該處。 又已婚同事在選擇其本身或配偶所享有之各類福利（例 如子女教育、房屋、機票津貼等）事宜如有變更，或其配偶 在職所獲之福利有所改變，亦請塡寫特定之表格通知人事 處。 To facilitate the maintenance of up-to-date personnel records at the University, staff members are requested to notify the Personnel Office in writing at the earliest possible opportunity if they have moved house, changed their marital status or telephone number, or acquired additional qualifications. Prompt notification of such changes is essential for ensuring accuracy in the University's official records and publications such as the University Calendar, Bulletin and Newsletter. Please note that the Publication Office, which is responsible for compiling official publications, does NOT keep or maintain such personnel records. Information shouldn't therefore be sent to that office. Married appointees are also reminded to notify the Personnel Office on a prescribed form if they would like to change their options in respect of benefits such as education allowance, housing, passages, or if there have been changes in their spouses' entitlement to such benefits provided by the latters' employers. Enquiries should be directed to the Personnel Office (Ext. 7189). 教職員審議事宜 校方將開始審議一九九六至九七年度教職員之擢升、退 休/延任及申請進修資助等事宜，並就此等事宜向大學行政與 計劃委員會提出建議。 本年度接受提名或申請之截止日期如下： 教員與導師之退休/延任事宜︰ 一九九五年十月十四日 教職員與導師申請進修資助事宜︰ 一九九五年十月十四日 (資助計劃項目見上期《中大通訊》。） 教員與導師之擢升事宜︰ 一九九五年九月三十日 職員之退休/延任及擢升事宜︰ 一九九五年十一月三十日 教員與導師之提名及申請，請於截止日期前送交教師審 議委員會秘書阮健驄先生(大學行政樓南座三樓，內線七二八 五）；職員之提名及申請，則請送交行政事務委員會秘書譚壽 森先生(大學行政樓三樓二零九室，內線七二六九）。有關詳 情可向兩委員會秘書查詢。 至於(乙)類及(丙)類服務條款職員之有關審議事宜，將 於本年十二月另行通告。 大學游泳池消息 Swimming Pool News 大學游泳池將於十月三至六日及十九日停止開放，僅供 成員書院及大學舉辦水運會，敬希垂注。 The University Swimming Pool will be reserved for college swimming galas and the University swimming gala to be held from 3rd to 6th October and on 19th October respectively. First Postgraduate Conference in Hong Kong The first ever conference for postgraduate students in Hong Kong will take place on 20th and 21st October 1995. Organized entirely by postgraduate students from the territory's universities, the conference aims at bringing together students and supervisors involved in research and highlighting the advantages of postgraduate study. A postgraduate careers fair will also be held in conjunction with the conference. The two-day function will cover these major topics: • The future of research in Hong Kong; • Postgraduate life and experiences; • Postgraduate career opportunities; • University systems for postgraduate education. Participants are expected to be postgraduates, lecturers, and final year undergraduates interested in taking higher degrees. Members of the public who may be contemplating taking higher degree courses are also welcome. For more information please contact Alan G. Miller (Ext. 8285, Fax: 26035558, Email: agmiller@ee.cuhk.hk ). Chemistry Lectures The Department of Chemistry has launched a series of distinguished lectures in chemistry on an annual basis for three years up to 1996 under the sponsorship of Advanced Chemicals Limited. ( A C L) The department has invited Prof. F. Albert Cotton, W.T. Doherty-Welch Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Director of Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding at Texas A & M University, to visit the University as 1995 ACL Distinguished Lecturer. He gave a public lecture on 'Mythical Molecules, or Caveat Lector' on 18th September at the Lady Shaw Building. A second lecture on 'Science Policy in the United States' has been scheduled on 22nd September in CTB L2, Sino Building at 4.00 p.m. All are welcome. Staff Bus Subscription Charges Revised Following the revision of bus service charges imposed by Messrs. Keung Kee Tours and Transportation Co. Ltd., staff bus subscription charges will also be revised from 1st October 1995 as follows: Route Existing Rates ($) Revised Rates ($) HK 410 NT & Kowloon 230 250 The new fares for casual riders are $13 per trip for Hong Kong routes and $10 for New Territories and Kowloon routes. New Rates of Travel Allowance The rates of travelling allowance payable to Terms of Service B and C staff (and employees of equivalent grades) will be revised from 1st October 1995 as follows: District in which staff Existing Revised members live Rates ($) Rates ($) Hong Kong Island 94 103 Kowloon, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, 78 86 Yuen Long Sheung Shui, Fan Ling 54 59 Tai Po 32 35 Sha Tin 24 26 訃告 Obituary 大學圖書館系統二級圖書館助理員馮仕謙先生於一九九 五年八月三日辭世。馮先生於一九九一年十月加入本校服 務。 Mr. Fung Sze-him, Library Assistant II at the University Library System, passed away on 3rd August 1995. Mr. Fung joined the University on 1st October 1991.