A glimpse of university life: YCKMC students visit EdUHK campus

Around 40 Form 5 students from Yu Chung Keung Memorial College (YCKMC) participated in a half-day campus visit at EdUHK on 7 March to learn about FLASS’ programmes and studying at EdUHK. Following a programme briefing by Professor Stephen Chiu Wing-kai, Associate Dean (International Engagement) of FLASS, and Dr Manpreet Singh and Ms Ellen Xie Yishan from the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT), the secondary school students visited the STEM Lab and the Human Performance Laboratory at the Tai Po campus. Two students from the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) also shared their learning experiences with the secondary schoolers during the campus tour.

In his welcoming remarks, Professor Stephen Chiu from the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS) stated that EdUHK has revamped all existing Bachelor of Education programmes into five-year double-degree programmes which will receive their first cohort of students in the 2025/26 academic year. “The double-degree design integrates non-education subjects with the education curriculum. While the cross-disciplinary approach deepens students’ understanding of education-related subjects, it equips them with knowledge in other academic subjects simultaneously. Graduates can earn two degrees from a single programme in five years,” he explained.

Professor Chiu continued to explain the entry criteria for enrolling in EdUHK’s programmes. He remarked that students taking Applied Learning Subjects and other language subjects in the HKDSE curriculum should be aware that results from these subjects can be converted into admissions scores when applying for EdUHK’s programmes. “In addition to evaluation based on HKDSE results, EdUHK also provides various nomination schemes such as the School Principal’s Nominations Scheme and Self-Nomination Admissions Scheme. Through these schemes, we aim to enrol students who have contributed to social services, showed outstanding achievements in areas like sports, and demonstrated leadership abilities during their secondary school studies,” the professor pointed out.

Dr Singh, subject coordinator of the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Artificial Intelligence and Educational Technology and Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Information and Communication Technology and Primary Science) (BSc(AIET)&BEd(ICT&PSci)) co-terminal degree programme, and Ms Xie explained the structure of the programme and its entry requirements. “The programme will expose students extensively to different subjects in ICT and STEM, providing them with a solid foundation to teach in both primary and secondary schools. Meanwhile, students will learn essential skills in elementary programming, neural networks, natural language processing, machine learning, and robotics design. This knowledge will broaden their career options beyond traditional education roles,” Dr Singh said.

“The programme is designed to meet societal demands for talent with multiple skills and knowledge sets. While students acquire knowledge through conventional classroom teaching, we encourage them to participate in public competitions, internships, international conferences, and overseas study tours. The combination of theoretical instruction and experiential learning broadens the horizon of students and widens their career paths, including embarking on a career in IT and AI-related fields,” Ms Xie added.

In addition to the programme briefing by academics, the half-day visit included a student sharing session. Current HPE students Manson Yiu Yat-hong and Tommy Lam Ho-yeung shared their learning experiences at EdUHK. They explained the benefits of taking the double-degree programme in Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sports Science and Coaching and Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Physical Education) (BSc(SPSC)&BEd(PE)).

Manson highlighted that graduates from the programme can work as teachers or in other sports-related positions. “It teaches knowledge about various kinds of sports, as well as pedagogy about physical education, enabling graduates to pursue careers in both sports and education fields,” he said. Tommy told the secondary schoolers that through opportunities like designing games to improve primary school students’ physical fitness and participating in charity runs, HPE students can apply theories learnt from the classroom to serve the community.

During the campus tour, students from YCKMC also had the opportunity to visit the STEM Lab and the Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) in person after the classroom briefing. At the STEM Lab, students used 3-D goggles to survey their surroundings. Staff at the laboratory showed students a football pitch model produced by a 3-D printer, and demonstrated how to control the movements of a robotic dog. Members of YCKMC’s athletic teams expressed great enthusiasm when visiting the HPL, where Ms Ruby Chen from HPE explained how to use various equipment and apply principles of sports science to improve sporting performance. They were eager to learn how to utilise technology to analyse movement patterns and track progress.

Ms Lee Lok-yee, Career Mistress of Yu Chung Keung Memorial College, thanked FLASS for arranging the tour and said that students found the campus visit interesting. “YCKMC has set up a career team to provide students with information about further studies and work, and to arrange talks on life planning. However, students often do not fully understand what it means to study at a university. Today’s campus tour not only helped them visualise what it is like to study at a university, but also highlighted the urgency of the matter. As my students learn more about the curriculum design and admissions requirements of different programmes, they are now better prepared to plan their paths after completing the HKDSE in just over a year,” Ms Lee said.

Pursuing further studies is a critical moment, as the decision students make about which higher education institution to attend and which programme to study has a vital impact on their career and personal development. “FLASS reaches out to prospective students, whether they are taking the HKDSE or non-HKDSE curricula, locally or beyond the border. Through these outreach efforts, we provide them with comprehensive information about EdUHK and our programmes, and encourage them to explore the diverse opportunities available at EdUHK,” Professor Stephen Chiu remarked.

For detailed information on entrance requirements to EdUHK, please click here.