Join-the-Conversation: Communication-intensive Courses in the Making: Insights from Pioneers at HKU

Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Details of the workshop:
Date : 4 December 2018 (Tuesday) Time : 12:45pm - 2:00pm Venue : CPD 2.75, Centennial Campus, HKU Speaker : Mr. David Lee (Faculty of Business and Economics), Dr. Evan Pickett (Faculty of Science), and Dr. Angela Yuen (Faculty of Science) Facilitator : Dr. Tracy Zou (CETL), Dr. Michelle Raquel (CAES), and Mr. Simon Boynton (CAES) Organiser : Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Centre for Applied English Studies, and the Common Core

Abstract
The ability to communicate effectively has become increasingly important to our graduates in the knowledge economy. At HKU, we are committed to recognize and develop a number of Communication-intensive (CI) courses that explicitly develop students’ communication-related knowledge (understanding of communication as it relates to human interaction), skills (skills in communicating effectively with others, using language and/or other means) and attributes (the attributes of effective communicators). A number of course leaders have already started the journey towards attaining the CI certification. In this join-the-conversation event, we are pleased to have three course leaders to share with us how their courses develop students’ communication literacies (for example, oral, written, visual, and digital) as well as the experiences and insights associated with CI badging.

About the speakers
David S. Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics where he teaches broadly in the areas of ethics, law, governance, and topics related to fintech, including co-teaching a new MOOC titled Fintech Ethics and Risks. Prior to joining HKU, David worked in investment management and also has experience in investment banks and as a lawyer. David regularly participates in teaching improvement initiatives and has received a number of teaching awards and a teaching development grant. He is especially focused on improving active learning in the classroom through the use and development of case studies, the creation of flipped classroom materials, and incorporating technology to foster discussion and participation. David is heavily involved in student career development and also remains actively engaged with industry. His undergraduate business ethics course will be the first course in the Faculty of Business and Economics to be badged a Communication-intensive Course.

Evan Pickett is a Lecturer within the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong. He studied wildlife demography on frogs for his PhD in Australia (University of Newcastle), and applied this this to birds in Hong Kong as a postdoc. He then shifted to a teaching role within the Faculty of Science, where he teaches ecology, statistics and mathematics. Evan co-created the Common Core course ‘War, Peace and the Natural World’ in 2016, which uses history to teach basic concepts of conservation biology. As a major component of conservation is education of the public, this course requires students to explain historical and conservation concepts to a lay-audience through short, educational videos.

Angela Yuen is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, HKU. She completed her PhD degree in Chemistry at HKU on nanomaterials and optoelectronics materials. Before returning to her alma mater, Angela was working as a research officer in the Department of Health and teaching at the Open University of Hong Kong. Angela is dedicated to promoting science literacy. She has a firm belief that science knowledge cannot be taught merely through lecturing and that science teaching should not be confined to the classroom. She has received two teaching development grants and a teaching innovation grant in the area of chemistry education. With the aim of engaging science and non-science major students in their learning, Angela has created a common core course entitled The Science and Lore of Culinary Culture, aiming to illustrate the scientific principles behind daily culinary experiences. From her teaching experience, she has observed that science students tend to overuse technical jargon when they communicate. Through working toward badging this course as communication-intensive, she is creating the opportunities for students to communicate science concepts in a clear and lucid manner to different audiences including the general public.

More information about CI courses can be found here: https://cics.hku.hk/what-are-ci-badged-courses/