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HKBU honoured with three UGC Teaching Awards for excellence in education

31 Oct 2024

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Three HKBU educators garner prestigious awards for their innovative approaches to teaching and learning. From left: Ms Anna Qin Lai-yin, Assistant Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts; Dr Kristen Li Yuanxi, Lecturer of the Department of Computer Science; and Dr Theresa Kwong, Director of the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning.
The UGC Teaching Award winners from HKBU pose for a selfie to celebrate the special occasion.
Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor (2nd left) congratulates Dr Kristen Li Yuanxi, Lecturer of the Department of Computer Science (2nd right); Ms Anna Qin Lai-yin, Assistant Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts (1st right); and Dr Theresa Kwong, Director of the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning (1st left), on winning the UGC Teaching Award.
Dr Kristen Li Yuanxi (centre) receives the award in the General Faculty Members category of the UGC Teaching Award. She takes a photo with Mr Tim Lui, Chairman of the UGC (1st right); Mr Kevin Liem, Treasurer of the Council and the Court of HKBU (2nd right); Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU (2nd left); and Mr Philip Tsai Wing-chung, Chair of the Selection Panel of the UGC Teaching Award (1st left).
Ms Anna Qin Lai-yin (centre) clinches the award in the Early Career Faculty Members category of the UGC Teaching Award. She is joined by Mr Tim Lui, Chairman of the UGC (1st right); Mr Kevin Liem, Treasurer of the Council and the Court of HKBU (2nd right); Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU (2nd left); and Mr Philip Tsai Wing-chung, Chair of the Selection Panel of the UGC Teaching Award (1st left).
Dr Theresa Kwong (1st right), as a member of the HAVE Team, garners the award in the Collaborative Teams category of the UGC Teaching Award.

At the 2024 University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award presentation ceremony on 7 October, three HKBU educators garnered prestigious awards for their innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Dr Kristen Li Yuanxi, Ms Anna Qin Lai-yin, and Dr Theresa Kwong were recognised for their outstanding contributions in the categories of General Faculty Members, Early Careers Faculty Members and Collaborative Teams respectively, and the creative flair with which they styled the same HKBU silk scarves at the ceremony also gave a glimpse into their unique pedagogical approaches. 

 

Empowering future innovators  

Dr Kristen Li Yuanxi, Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and recipient of the General Faculty Members Award, has been teaching at HKBU for a decade. Her passion for education is deeply rooted in her time as a PhD student at the University, which she credits as the inspiration for her teaching methods. “I am deeply grateful to HKBU for nurturing my growth and providing endless opportunities for personal and academic development,” Dr Li said.

Dr Li has redefined senior-level General Education courses into a comprehensive, transdisciplinary capstone experience, fostering students’ critical thinking skills and global citizenship. She guides them in exploring global sustainable development issues. By integrating information technology with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr Li enables her students to break down complex global challenges and propose diverse and actionable plans. These include using a drone application to identify and assist the homeless, utilising artificial intelligence (AI) cameras for 24-hour birdwatching, and designing an art therapy app to support caregivers.

“In my General Education courses, most students do not have an information technology (IT) background. My main goal is to help them harness the potential of IT and apply it to their own disciplines. Students are also encouraged to debate the impact of AI on society, preparing them to be future leaders with a vision for responsible technological development,” she said.

 

Integrating design and science for real-world impact 

Ms Anna Qin Lai-yin, Assistant Professor at the Academy of Visual Arts, and recipient of the Early Career Faculty Members Award, brings a unique fusion of design and biomedical engineering to HKBU. Now in her fourth year at the University, Ms Qin is known for her contributions to both academia and industry, especially for her role in designing the Landing Chair for the Shenzhou space missions.

“Like all good designs, the Landing Chair began with extensive research, focusing on user experience and a commitment to pushing boundaries,” Ms Qin said. 

She guides students through the design process, focusing on the 4C framework – Content, Context, Culture, and Collaborator. By incorporating SDGs into her projects, she encourages students to think critically about the real-world implications of their work and challenges them to become “Creative Artspreneurs” who address social and environmental issues through design. 

 

From train-the-trainer to empowering self-learners 

Dr Theresa Kwong, Director of the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning, plays a pivotal role as an advocate for professional learning among educators. She was recognised by the UGC Teaching Award in the Collaborative Teams category as a member of the Holistic Competency and Virtues Education (HAVE) Team.

HAVE is a cross-institutional programme that aims at cultivating holistic competencies and virtues in students, including leadership, teamwork, communication, lifelong learning and creativity. 

“HAVE began as a residential education programme in 2018. We then expanded it into a train-the-trainer initiative aimed at enhancing teachers’ professional development and encouraging them to promote holistic competencies among students. Yet, we found that this approach was still inadequate. Therefore, we expanded it further and partnered with Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Hong Kong Branch to create a student-as-partner programme that empowers students to take an active role in their education, promoting holistic competencies and ultimately enabling them to become self-regulated learners,” said Dr Kwong. 

 

Celebrating HKBU’s first-ever win in all categories 

This year’s UGC Teaching Awards mark a milestone for HKBU, as it is the first time the University has been recognised in all three award categories. Introduced in 2011, the Award aims to honour those who excel in teaching in the UGC sector. The Award not only recognises the teachers’ past and present teaching performance and achievements, but also their leadership in scholarly contribution to teaching and learning within and across universities.