A conversation with Professor Eric Tsang on new multidisciplinary programmes offered at FLASS
FLASS is introducing five new multidisciplinary programmes funded by UGC in the new academic year of 2022/23. (For details, please refer to the article entitled “FLASS launches five new programmes in disciplines complementary to teacher education to meet social needs”.) For this issue of FLASS FORWARD, we had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Eric Tsang Po-keung, Head of the Department of Science and Environmental Studies and Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies and Student Learning) of FLASS, about how these new programmes have been designed to meet social needs. He also gave valuable advice to prospective students who are interested in applying to these courses.
Q: What are FLASS’s greatest strengths? How do these strengths play into the launch of these new programmes?
A: There are six departments at FLASS covering a wide spectrum of subjects, including science and environmental studies, social sciences, mathematics, information technology, policy studies, creative and performing arts, and health and physical education. Such diversity has allowed the faculty to house a rich combination of experts from a broad range of disciplines. This pool of diverse talent is one of FLASS’s unique strengths, and better positions us to take up the challenge of introducing non-teacher multidisciplinary courses.
At FLASS, we have academicians of various specialisations across a wide array of disciplines and subdisciplines. For instance, in physical education, we have experts in coaching, sports science and sports facility management. We even have teachers who are professional-standard players for their favourite sport. By combining their expertise with their strengths, the new programme we are launching will be able to train high-quality sports science and coaching professionals. In the same way different combinations of ingredients produce a variety of recipes, FLASS’s diverse talent pool allows us to design new programmes that integrate the knowledge of several subjects, within the same discipline or cross-disciplinarily.
A: I am an environmental scientist by training. I am always concerned about how we can ensure the world is heading towards a sustainable future, for human beings and other species to peaceably co-exist. We see that more and more people are understanding that excessive emissions of greenhouse gases bring about global warming and climate change. People are also becoming increasingly aware of the impact their behaviour has on the environment. I am glad that ensuring the sustainable development of our society has become a main concern among us.
Living in a globalised world means human activities are more likely to affect each other. Nature has no boundaries. The human activities that take place in one region can affect the environment of a faraway location. To a single city, whatever increase it sees in carbon dioxide emissions may seem small. But when we add up all the seemingly small increments around the world, the total amount can be a huge burden on our planet.
One of the five new programmes is about integrated environmental management, designed to address the above concerns. A major aim of the programme is to equip students with the skills and mindset to look at environmental management from a regional and global perspective. We hope that it can teach our students to act locally, but think globally.
A: Like people living in any other modern society, Hong Kong people have been enjoying more recreational time as of late, with higher expectations for health and quality of life alongside a stronger sense of community. On the other hand, the contribution of social enterprises to society is also increasingly being recognised by Hong Kong people. When we designed these new programmes, these trends and the bigger picture were at the forefront of our minds. The new programmes offered by FLASS will meet the growing needs of society for more trained professionals in sports development, life education, social entrepreneurship, community development, environmental management and artificial intelligence.
In a rapidly changing society like Hong Kong, universities need to equip students with multiple soft skills alongside traditional academic knowledge.
In a rapidly changing society like Hong Kong, universities need to equip students with multiple soft skills alongside traditional academic knowledge.
We kept in mind the society's need for good communicators as we planned these new programmes. Apart from teaching our students subject knowledge, these programmes are designed to help them cultivate strong communications skills and the ability to pass knowledge to other people. Through the programme for sports science and coaching, for example, we aim to produce graduates who are not just good at sports, but also equipped with the skills to motivate people to exercise and arouse people's interest in sports.
These programmes also adhere importance to workplace training. Internship opportunities will be made available for students as far as practicable. We want the students to gain first-hand, practical experiences that will prepare them for their future endeavours.
A: I believe students need to understand where their interests lie first. Enduring the hardship that comes with studying for years at university can be challenging without a genuine interest in the subject.
I would also advise prospective students to spend time understanding what our society will need in the future, and consider what sorts of jobs they want to do after graduation. Of course, students need to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Armed with this knowledge, a student can then decide to enroll in a programme that matches their interests, strengths and career preferences.
In secondary school, teaching is one-directional. But at university, students need to learn independently. They need to know how to communicate and discuss their ideas, as well as cooperate with other people.
A university student is on the path to master the skills of analysing data, critical thinking, and formulating and presenting their own views. Aside from knowledge acquisition, building up the above personal skills is vital in university education.
Q: Is there any channel through which prospective students can understand more about these programmes?
A: Every programme has an email address and hotline for public enquiry. Interested parties can send their enquiries through email or call the hotline directly. Our staff is more than happy to answer any questions.
