A sharing corner for you

Community Voices is a new corner we are introducing this newsletter, where readers can share their thoughts with other members of the FLASS community. We welcome submissions on education-related topics, inspirational life experiences, heart-warming stories that took place at EdUHK, and whatever else you believe would be a meaningful contribution.

In this issue of FLASS FORWARD, several graduates of the Class of 2021 share with us the unforgettable moments they experienced during their studies at FLASS and the lasting impact education at EdUHK has left on them.

Chiu Hin-chun, Alan Wong Wai-lun, Henry Tsui Chun-hin 

Chan Chak-on, Katrina Wan Ka-kai, Philip Wong Shu-fai 

Tsui Ka-mei, Sharon Lee Sze-ho, Eric Ng Kwok-hei, Wang Sijia

I was so excited to be a part of the Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2021, and recalled all of the happy memories I gained while studying at EdUHK. In addition, it was my honor to be appointed as an Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) Ambassador, to act as a role model to promote the holistic development of local athletes.

As a graduate of the Bachelor of Health Education (BHE) programme, I feel grateful for the support and encouragement I received over the last three years. The programme is a valuable platform for full-time athletes like me to advance our academic pursuits. It would have been impossible for me to focus on my professional sporting career alongside my studies without the university’s steadfast support. I appreciate the teachers and staff members so much for dedicating a great deal of effort and time to help me with my studies, especially when I was attending trainings and competitions overseas. They had my back and kept me on track. The curriculum of the programme is designed to comprehensively cover both theoretical and practical courses, enabling me to apply what I learnt in class to real-life settings. I feel very well-equipped after completing the programme.

I chose this programme because it provides students with many overseas learning opportunities. I was able to visit Shanghai and Taiwan for a short study tour through this programme, during which I discovered the cultural differences between these places and Hong Kong.

One of the most unforgettable memories during my four-year programme at EdUHK was from my participation in the University’s rugby team. I played both touch and tackle rugby. Whenever I represented EdUHK in tackle rugby competitions, which involves heavy physical contact like holding or tackling your opponents, it felt as if my teammates and I were engaged in combat on the battlefield. These “battlefield” experiences unified our rugby team so much we were like family, creating memories that I greatly treasure.

I am now a teaching assistant at a primary school. I have already applied for EdUHK’s PGDE programme, and hope that I will be able to return to study in the 2022/23 academic year.

I received a very high-quality liberal arts education at FLASS. The four-year BA (LSE) programme gave me a lot of opportunities to learn about critical and analytical thinking.

Students in the programme were encouraged to apply theories they learnt in the classroom to real-life situations through experiential learning. One of these unforgettable learning experiences was a study exchange tour to Taiwan. The exchange required participants to design a teaching plan to educate Hong Kong students about the history and culture of Taiwan. We also needed to design the teaching plan so that it could cater to the need of senior students in Hong Kong, as well as those with special education needs. Because of this, the exchange not only broadened my knowledge related to the cultural background and socioeconomic development of Taiwan, but also gave me an opportunity to learn about how to connect students and teachers by applying what I learnt from the programme.

In particular I am grateful to Dr Anita Chan, programme leader of BA (LSE), who inspired me to think about the spirit of humanities studies and critical thinking through her meaningful lectures and programme design. I want to especially thank Wallis as well, who organised internship opportunities for students of the programme. She taught me how to handle interpersonal matters during my internship.

One of my secondary school teachers was very passionate about teaching, and he instilled in me a zeal for the teaching profession. The BEd (BAFS) programme teaches students how to teach business subjects in secondary schools. Since I had a passion for teaching and an interest in accounting, I chose this programme when I entered EdUHK.

The BEd (BAFS) programme requires students to do an internship at a secondary school. During my internship, I taught accounting and management. Guided by the principles of a student-centered approach, I designed dynamic and interactive teaching materials by using current affairs news as case studies. I believe this approach motivated the secondary school students more to study accounting. 

Sports activities are one of the highlights of student life at EdUHK, and I was a member of the University’s handball team. The team participated in many competitions in places like mainland China and Taiwan. Through these competitions, I learnt a lot about not only sports skills, but also how to communicate with people coming from different societies with different cultural backgrounds. 

How time flies! I’ve put on a graduation cap and gown after studying hard for five years! This marks the completion of one of my life goals. I am very grateful for the unlimited support of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, and the understanding and flexible cooperation of EdUHK for helping me to complete my degree successfully. It was not easy balancing my education with competitions at the same time. I am very grateful for every step of the way!

I studied in the Bachelor of Health Education (BHE) programme for five years and learnt a lot here. I got to know what health is, and how to help people be healthy. I have so many memories from my five years of student life. I still remember when I began this programme that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do well in it. Soon, however, many lecturers began to patiently teach me and kept helping me. Little by little, I made progress in the latter half of my studies. I was even encouraged to be a group project leader and help junior students with their studies.

My next challenge is to study for the Master of Social Sciences in Sports Coaching and Management programme. I’m already looking forward to the next graduation ceremony. Wish me luck for the next two years!

Since secondary school, I have always been very interested in both education and information technology. This programme was the best fit for me, as it furthered my understanding of these two disciplines.

The programme organised many experiential learning activities for students, including field trips to Hong Kong Science Park and visits to sci-tech expos. Through these learning activities, I understood more about technological concepts like the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as how science and technology are applied in the real world.

I want to thank one of my teachers—Dr Winnie Lam. One of the courses she taught was Digital Culture. In this course, she designed an Augmented Reality (AR) city hunt game, which integrates both AI and AR technology for students to play on campus. The game examines students' social and logical thinking skills, as well as their problem-solving abilities. It heightened my awareness of how science and technology are closely related to our daily lives.

As an outgoing person, I like hiking and nature. I am very happy to have studied for this programme, which suits my personality very much. The many field trips and teaching practice opportunities of the programme revealed so much about geography to me.

I recall that we once went to Brisbane and Cairns in Australia for a field trip to study both human geography and physical geography. It was very exciting to be able to apply the knowledge I learnt from the programme and recognise various Australian landscape features throughout the field trip. During the trip, we also visited the Great Barrier Reef to conduct an eco-tourism survey to understand attitudes of tourists about environmental conservation. The experience deepened my understanding about the subject.

I am proud to be among the first batch of students who enrolled in the Geography programme. Some of us founded the Association of Geography, where I took up the post of internal secretary for one year. Being part of the team that founded a whole new student association has given me important memories that I will never forget.

The programme exposed me to a wide range of music, such as Cantonese opera. Instead of just focusing on music, the programme’s studies extended to other forms of performing arts, like dance and theatre. During my four-year programme, I joined different ensembles at the University. I sang alto at the University Choir for four years, and also joined the band for one year. Being a member of the choir, I had plenty of hands-on experiences organising the choir’s annual performance that was held on the EdUHK campus.

I also discovered tchoukball at EdUHK. It is a very special sport, and I was in the university’s tchoukball team for all the four years I studied. I had loads of fun with my team! One summer, I joined an immersion programme in Montreal, Canada. I still remember how we used tablet computers to engage in interactive music learning and make music at a university there.

The five-year programme was an eye-opener for me. EdUHK boasts many different performance groups, including an orchestra, a choir, and other smaller ensembles. To a music student like me who wants to be a conductor, I appreciated the many valuable chances I had to sharpen my conducting skills through practicing at these performance groups. It was the most enlightening part of my student life at EdUHK.

Because it is a co-terminal double degree programme, apart from an internship in education, I also took up an internship at an arts organisation called SingFest. At this charitable organisation, I was assigned some marketing tasks, such as photo-shooting. Through it all, I learnt many skills that cannot be learnt from books. The experience broadened my perspective on arts and performances.

Joining immersion programmes in the UK and Australia was very fruitful too. There are things that you cannot learn online, but only through real-life exchanges with people who like music as much as you do. I was also the student hall tutor at the Jockey Club Student Quarters (JCSQ) for two years, during my senior years. In this role, I acquired many organisational, interpersonal and crisis management skills.

I am from Zhenjiang. Because of my long-time interest in social sciences and environmental issues, I decided to enroll in the GES programme. The curriculum is very multidisciplinary, which is quite different from other programmes. It taught me how to use scientific, economic and sociological theories to understand environmental issues.

During the four-year programme, I joined several overseas learning activities, including a summer course in South Korea and an exchange programme in Sweden. I also went to Bangladesh under the University’s Leadership Enhancement And Development Programme (LEAD) to perform community-care services, and participated in a conservation programme sponsored by Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF) to study dolphins in Malaysia. Through these activities, I gained a deeper understanding of different global and environmental issues. For me, these were incredibly illuminating experiences that bolstered my global vision and improved my problem-solving and critical thinking skills across different cultural backgrounds. 

I am now studying for a master’s degree programme in environmental management in Hong Kong. After graduation, I will continue to follow my passion for the environment.