DISCOVER HKBU

Celebrating excellence in teaching: Insights from two HKBU distinguished educators

28 Feb 2025

Fostering a culture where staff efforts are appreciated and valued runs deep at HKBU. In recognition of their outstanding performance and devotion to the teaching of General Education (GE) courses, Dr Meilin Chen, Lecturer of the Language Centre, has been awarded the 2024-25 HKBU General Education (GE) Teaching Award (Individual), while Dr Sun Pak Kiu, Lecturer of the Department of Mathematics, has received an Honourable Mention (Individual).  

The joy of validation

Both educators expressed their joy and gratitude for being honoured with the Awards. “I have been participating in events organised by the General Education office, the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning, and other divisions. The positive feedback from my peers who observed my classes, along with receiving awarded the GE Teaching Award, has certainly encouraged me to continue what I have been doing,” says Dr Chen.  

Dr Sun also notes how fulfilling it feels knowing his work is acknowledged. “It is incredibly rewarding to have my efforts over the past 12 years of teaching GE courses recognised by the panel. In particular, the acknowledgment of my work in designing and preparing the course materials for ‘Soccer Beyond the Pitch’ and ‘How to Survive in the World of Misinformation’ is especially gratifying. This recognition motivates me to continue striving for excellence in my teaching.” 

Making learning relevant

A common theme in the two educators’ teaching philosophies is the importance of making subjects accessible and applicable to real-world contexts.

Dr Chen’s GE course made students aware that many stereotypes and injustices in society are reflected in their everyday language. She adopts an inductive approach which facilitates students to reflect on their real-life experiences, which she highlights is just as important as learning about the gender and linguistic theories. “As I usually face groups of students from various disciplines, each with a different level of understanding regarding gender and linguistics issues, I need to make language research more approachable and appealing to them. The focus of the course, therefore, is never about getting students to know all the theories, but getting them to be able to relate the views and theories from the scholars to their own real-world practice and observations.”  

“An effective way of raising students' awareness is never to preach but instead get them to reflect on their own language use and behaviour and those of people around them. Based on discussions with my students, this ‘sense of discovery’ is very impactful and continues long after the course has ended,” Dr Chen continues.

Dr Chen’s course materials weave in viewpoints and researching findings from multiple disciplines, from history, art to neuroscience and psychology. This transdisciplinary approach creates a supportive environment where students from different disciplines feel at home during the course.  

Inspiring student engagement

For Dr Sun, making mathematics relatable by integrating group projects, presentations, and problem-based learning is key. “These methods encourage students to think critically and apply their knowledge in diverse contexts. By working collaboratively, students not only deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts but also develop essential teamwork skills. This holistic approach aims to foster a more engaging and practical learning experience for all students.”

Memorable moments in the classroom often arise from unexpected student insights. For Dr Sun, this happened when a group of students successfully applied data analytics techniques to analyse a soccer match during his course “Soccer Beyond the Pitch”. “Their innovative approach not only resolved the specific issue but also identified errors in existing methods and offered valuable suggestions for improvement. This experience reinforced my belief in the power of applied learning and the importance of connecting academic concepts to real-world applications,” Dr Sun recalls proudly. 

For Dr Chen, she feels touched and encouraged by emails and postcards from her students, who told her they felt safe and free to share their opinions and feelings in her class. 

Continuous improvement and innovation

Both educators are committed to enhancing their course content to keep pace with changing educational needs. Dr Chen has started revising the Gender Course this semester, planning to incorporate more collaborative learning and online, virtual exchange elements into the course. Likewise, Dr Sun is studying literature related to data analytics to enrich the curriculum.