Newsletter No. 105

2 No. 105 4th April 1997 CUHK Newsletter I m p r o v i n g University teaching— What Works? What Doesn't? P rof. Alenoush Saroyan from McGi ll University spent a week in CUHK in late February giving talks and conducting workshops on university teaching, the way it is valued and rewarded, and its evaluation for summative and formative purposes. Associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and at the Centre for University Teaching and Learning at McG i l l, Prof. Saroyan was invited by the University's Teaching Development Unit to share her experience with CUHK faculty members in a series of five workshops entitled 'Improving University Teaching: What Works? What Doesn't?'. There were 78 participants in all. According to Prof. Saroyan, university teaching is a complex, cognitive activity. Competence in teaching at this level requires not only considerable expertise in a subject area but well-developed general and subject- specific pedagogical skills. While subject expertise is gained through years of graduate studies and research, the development of pedagogical expertise is mostly left to chance. There is ample evidence everywhere in the world that experience does not bring about pedagogical expertise. Intentional practice and reflection coupled with well-honed problem-solving and decision-making skills and a solid grasp of the principles of course design and teaching do. The lengthy process of acquiring these skills essential to good teaching can be greatly enhanced in an atmosphere of support both at the macro (i.e., institutional) and micro (e.g., Teaching Development Unit) levels. She noted that The Chinese University now requires that courses be evaluated by students, and that there is growing interest in exploring the potential value as well as implications of adopting other mechanisms such as teaching portfolios and peer evaluation for evaluating teaching. In any future decision concerning the evaluation of teaching, she said, it would serve the University well to consider, among other things, two important issues: one pertaining to the purpose of the evaluation, and the other to the consequence of it, particularly the specific ways in which the evaluation w i l l enhance the quality of teaching and student learning. NEW TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS ALONG UNIVERSITY ROAD To improve traffic flow and enhance road safety on Central campus, the Committee on Security has devised a one-way traffic system for a section on Un i ve r s i ty Road to be implemented on a trial basis for two months from 14th April. Salient features of the new arrangement include: ‧ East-bound traffic only between John Fulton carpark junction and Lady Shaw carpark junction. ‧ Vehicles leaving the carparks of the Institute of Chinese Studies, the Benjamin Franklin Centre, and the Lady Shaw Building can only turn east. They need to follow the loop along Central Avenue and the Library Boulevard i f they want to exit the campus via the main gate. ‧ Vehicles driving up from the Chung Chi campus along University Road or Chung Chi Road can reach only as far as the Lady Shaw Building if they head west. S e r v i c e t o t h eCommunityandInternationalOrganizations • Prof. Daniel T. L. Shek, professor in the department of social work, has been reappointed by HE the Governor as a member of the Action Committee Against Narcotics and chairman of its Sub-Committee on Research for two years from 1st January 1997. Prof. Shek has also been appointed by HE the Governor as a member of the Midwives Board of Hong Kong for three years from 17th February 1997. • Mrs. Clara Lee, director of student affairs, has been re-appointed by the Secretary for Education and Manpower to serve on the Joint Committee on Student Finance for two years from 1st May 1997. • Prof. Thomas Y. K. Chan, associate professor in the department of clinical pharmacology, has been appointed as a member of the Education and Accreditation Committee of the Medical Council for three years from 30th January 1997. • Dr. Tso Wung-wai, senior lecturer in the department of biochemistry, has been appointed honorary adviser to the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Space Museum from 21st February 1997 to 14th January 1998. • Prof. Victor Chan, professor in the department of music, has been appointed composer-in- residence to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 1st January 1997 to 31st December 1998. • Mr. Hardy Tsoi, manager of Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, has been invited to serve as a member of the External Advisory Panel, School of Technical Arts (Theatre), The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. • Prof. Arthur K. C. Li, vice-chancellor of the University, has been invited to join the editorial board of the International Journal of Surgical Investigation from March 1997. (Information in this section is provided by the Information and Public Relations Office. Contributions should be sent direct to that office for registration and verification before publication.) New Publication Education Journal, Vol. 24 No.1, Summer 1996 Edited by Tsang Wing-kwong The Education Journal is published twice a year by the Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research and The Chinese University Press. It is a collection of articles on empirical and theoretical studies, research reports, commentaries, and book reviews that attempt a systematic analysis or synthesis of educational processess and systems. Comprising different viewpoints and approaches, it promotes the exchange of ideas and rational discourse between practising educators and educational researchers in Hong Kong and abroad. The current issue covers topics such as curriculum and language developments, challenges to vocational education in China's rural towns, and a review of computer use in special education. ISSN 1025-1936, paperback, HK$50.