The Professional Development Course (PDC) is a component of the University’s teaching and learning policy, the ‘Integrated Framework for Curriculum Development and Review’ which can be downloaded from the ‘Quality in Teaching and Learning’ page at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/english/teaching/teaching-learning-quality.html
It aims to orient new teaching staff members to teaching and learning at CUHK, and will introduce useful and relevant tools that may help them realise the educational objectives of their courses.
All teachers at CUHK (at any level) can enrol in the PDC and receive a certificate of completion.
The course comprises three parts; each with a specific focus.
Part I: Mission and Values
The first part (4 hrs) focuses on the mission and values of teaching. It will first familiarise participants with the teaching context at CUHK, including characteristics of the student populations, prevalent teaching and learning “cultures”, and so on. Afterwards, participants will discuss with the course convenor their beliefs about, and goals of, their teaching, and how they may be implemented in light of the local context.
Part II: Techniques & Strategies
The second part of the course (4 hrs) focuses on teaching techniques. It will introduce participants to (a) good teaching techniques and practices both drawn from the fields of education and psychology, as well as from past experiences of excellent teachers at the university; and (b) various teaching tools, including web learning interfaces, electronic devices, as well as assessment techniques, all of which may facilitate effective teaching and learning.
Part III: Practicum
The third part of the course (2-4 hrs) is practicum. Participants will choose from one of three options: (a) analysis of teaching, (b) preparation of statement of teaching philosophy, and (c) attendance of workshops and reflection. Details are as follows:
1. The participant will nominate a faculty member with significant teaching experience as mentor. This mentor can be an experienced faculty member of the participant’s own department / unit, for example: senior lecturer/ associate professor/ associate director grade or above, or a teaching staff member at CLEAR (Louis Lee / Paul Lam);
2. The participant will invite the mentor to attend one (or more) of their teaching sessions of a course they teach, and the mentor will meet with the participant beforehand to discuss the participant’s planning of the course, as well as of the chosen session(s). If the course employs more than one instructional mode (e.g., lecture + seminar / tutorial + practicum / lab work), then the participant may consider inviting the mentor to attend one of each sort of teaching sessions;
3. In case the nominated mentor is not associated with CLEAR, CLEAR will provide the mentor with general materials to facilitate this teaching analysis process;
4. The participant and the mentor will meet again after the viewed teaching session(s) so that the participant will receive useful feedback for consideration;
5. The participant will write a short report on the changes they may bring to their teaching after the analysis, and send it to CLEAR;
6. The mentor will send a short report documenting the teaching analysis process to CLEAR afterwards.
The participant should finish this option within nine months after completing Parts I and II of the PDC.
1. The participant will be invited to have a chat with a CLEAR staff member (choose between Louis Lee / Paul Lam) to discuss the general direction of their statement of teaching philosophy, e.g., what to include in the statement. The CLEAR staff member will also assist the participant in locating relevant materials, such as publications on pedagogy, educational psychology, educational policy, subject-specific educational research papers, and so on;
2. The participant will then prepare the statement on their own;
3. The participant will submit a draft of the statement, and the CLEAR staff concerned will provide comments on the draft for the participant to consider in their revision;
4. The participant will submit a final version of the statement to CLEAR.
The participant is encouraged to complete their statement of teaching philosophy within nine months after completing Parts I and II of the PDC.
1. The participant will choose to attend at least two of the workshops that CLEAR offers all year round;
2. The participant will be invited to reflect upon how the materials of a workshop may be useful to their own teaching;
3. The participant will engage in a short online discussion with other participants on the workshop topic, on a follow-up message board provided by CLEAR. The workshop organiser will act as a facilitator to mediate discussion.
The participant should email us (clear@cuhk.edu.hk) to indicate their choice in Part III, and nominate their mentor for options (a) and (b). CLEAR will then make necessary arrangements. Please register directly at: http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/clear/prodev/1213-s2.htm in case option (c) is chosen
Several rounds of Part I & II are offering in 2013:
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