Continuous professional development 2024

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Continuous professional development

Professional development seminars, workshops and sharing sessions are normally organized during the term break or study breaks. Both FT and PT academic staff are welcome to take part.

Prof. Chng Huang Hoon

Dr Chng Huang Hoon is an Associate Professor (Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She has served on the Board of Directors of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) since 2018, first serving as Regional Vice President for AsiaPacific (2018-2019) and then on the Presidential team (2019-2022). She has established a related education network in Asia called SoTL-Asia. She is currently on the Editorial Board of Teaching and Learning Inquiry (TLI) and has served as a SoTL consultant for Ashesi University in Ghana (2021-2022). She is currently serving on the Advisory Group for the Global Hub for Scholarship and Educational Research for Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK.

Prof. Adrian Lee

Adrian Lee is the former Deputy Director of the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning (CDTL) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). There, his primary responsibility was overseeing professional development programmes. However, his background is in the Sciences—he holds a PhD in Chemistry. His interests in education are wide-ranging and include technology-enhanced learning, especially blended learning, interdisciplinary education, and student living–learning experiences. In academic development, Adrian looks to further a conversation that is both evidence-based and research-informed that becomes part of an academic's scholarly reflective teaching practice.

Year :       2024   |   2023   |   2022   |   2021

 Date/ Time/ VenueTheme/Topic/Speaker(s)SynopsisRegistration
1

23 Sep (Mon)

Cantonese Session

2:30pm – 3:30pm

English Session

3:45pm – 4:45pm

Workshop
(A1217, MC)

[Learning Technologies]

Workshop for iAttend and OLE

Nelson Lee
Assistant Director

Goldcup Tsai
Senior Multimedia Technology Manager

ALTO

This workshop will introduce iAttend, a feature within the iBookcase app designed for taking attendance. iAttend leverages iBeacon technology and integrates with class schedules, offering a convenient method for taking roll call. During this workshop, you will be guided through the attendance-taking process using iAttend.

The workshop will also cover some key features of the OLE:

  • Online assignment submission and marking, including features like Turnitin, batch score uploading, Rubrics integration and online marking tools.
  • Class activities and polling

Moreover, useful tips and tricks will be shared to optimize your experience with OLE features.

Cantonese Session:

Link

English Session:

Link

2

25 Sep (Wed)

Cantonese Session

9:00am – 10:00am

English Session

10:00am – 11:00am

Workshop
(E0311, JCC)

[Learning Technologies]

Workshop for iAttend and OLE

Nelson Lee
Assistant Director

Goldcup Tsai
Senior Multimedia Technology Manager

ALTO

This workshop will introduce iAttend, a feature within the iBookcase app designed for taking attendance. iAttend leverages iBeacon technology and integrates with class schedules, offering a convenient method for taking roll call. During this workshop, you will be guided through the attendance-taking process using iAttend.

The workshop will also cover some key features of the OLE:

  • Online assignment submission and marking, including features like Turnitin, batch score uploading, Rubrics integration and online marking tools.
  • Class activities and polling

Moreover, useful tips and tricks will be shared to optimize your experience with OLE features.

Cantonese Session:

Link

English Session:

Link

 Date/ Time/ VenueTheme/Topic/Speaker(s)Synopsis

Presentation slides (login requied)

1

23 May (Thu)

9:15am – 10:15am

Seminar
(E0311, JCC)

[Pedagogical Principles and Practices]
Best practices for integrating PowerPoint and handouts in lectures

Mrs Caroline Leung
Senior Instructional Designer

ALTO

This seminar will suggest ways to make better use of PowerPoint and handouts as learning aids to support your lectures. We'll consider the various functions we expect these learning aids to fulfil, from seizing and holding students' attention to serving as 'learning objects' students depend on for revision. We will also explore ways of successfully integrating PowerPoint slides and handouts with classroom activities, and identify best practices and potential pitfalls.PPT:
Download

Guide Notes:
Download
2

23 May (Thu)

10:15am – 11:15am

Seminar
(E0311, JCC)

[OBE and Assessment] Getting the most out of rubrics

Mr Ross Vermeer
Senior Instructional Designer

ALTO

It can be deceptively easy to produce the elements of a rubric – but it's more difficult to ensure that all of these parts fit and work together. In this seminar we'll briefly review the main elements of a good rubric, and then focus on diagnosing potential problems when we put them together and try to get them to work.Download
3

23 May (Thu)

11:15am – 12:15pm

Seminar
(E0311, JCC)

[OBE and Assessment] Adjusting your assessment criteria in a chatGPT-enabled world

Ms Emilie Pavey
Instructional Designer

ALTO

The use of ChatGPT is becoming normalized in work and learning, and many students are using it as a tool to support their studies. In this context, how can teachers ensure that students are leveraging the power of this tool without “outsourcing their thinking” to it in their written assessments? The key may lie in assessment design and criteria. In this session, we will look at ways to design and assess written tasks which shift the emphasis away from pure writing skills and towards essential generic skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.Download
4

24 May (Fri)

9:15am – 10:15am

Seminar
(E0311, JCC)

[Learning Technologies]
Making your in-class teaching materials more engaging with ChatGPT

Mr Francis Tsoi
Instructional Designer

ALTO

We are all aware of the risks of ChatGPT generating inaccurate information, or ‘hallucinations,’ and thus it should not be the sole source for creating teaching materials. However, can ChatGPT be utilized to enhance existing educational resources, making them more engaging? In this seminar, we will explore and discuss various innovative strategies that educators have attempted to leverage ChatGPT in transforming their in-class teaching materials. Download
5

24 May (Fri)

10:15am – 11:15am

Seminar
(E0311, JCC)

[OBE and Assessment] Providing effective feedback on students' assignments

Dr Henry Choi
Senior Instructional Designer

ALTO

Effective feedback on students' assignments is an important component of teaching, and it is found beneficial to students' learning and performance. But what are the features of effective feedback that really helps? In this seminar, a simple framework of effective feedback, including its functions, components and writing guidelines will be discussed.Download
6

24 May (Fri)

11:15am – 12:45pm

Workshop
(E0311, JCC)

[Student Engagement] Transforming large lectures into active learning experiences

Ms Emilie Pavey
Instructional Designer

Mr Francis Tsoi
Instructional Designer

ALTO

Students often struggle to focus during lengthy, content-heavy lectures, and passive learning translates to poorer retention of course content. This workshop will explore ways for teachers to convert their lectures into active and engaging experiences to promote deeper learning. We will look at pedagogically-informed approaches to lecture structure, in-class activity design and how to tackle specific student engagement challenges. Download
  Date/ Time/ Venue  Theme/Topic/Speaker(s)  Synopsis Speaker′s biography Presentation slides (login required)
1

15 Apr (Mon)

2:30pm – 4:00pm

Seminar
(A1217, MC)

Supporting Students with SEN in Higher Education: Sharing of Experience and Perspective from a Frontline Professional and Service Leader

Language: Cantonese (PowerPoint in English)

Dr Iris Lam

Head of Wellness and Counselling Centre of CUHK and Registered Clinical Psychologist

In addition to the rising trend in the number of students with SEN admitted to higher education institutions, there has been noticeable increase in the complexity of their disability conditions. These have posed unprecedented challenges to staff in student affairs and academic units of tertiary education sector. Sharing from her experience as a frontline psychologist and SEN service leader, the speaker will highlight the support services for students with SEN in her work setting. She will also provide perspectives on the best practices and key challenges in driving an inclusive university community.  With professional training in clinical psychology, Iris has gained extensive experience from working in government departments, public hospitals, and university settings over the past 20 years. She aspires to supporting students with special educational needs (SEN) and their families.
Advocating for the evolving capacities of these students, she firmly believes in building collaborative partnerships for the provision of reasonable accommodations and inclusive learning environments. Through her multiple roles as a clinician, researcher, service consultant and supervisor, she hopes to promote professional standards and contribute to the betterment of support resources for this unique population.

Download

  Date/ Time/ Venue Theme/Topic/Speaker(s)  Synopsis Presentation slides (login required)
2

16 Apr (Tue)
2:30pm – 4:00pm

Workshop
(A1217, MC)

[Learning Technologies]

Workshop for building your teaching ePortfolio

Dr Eva Tsang
Director
ALTO

This workshop aims to introduce the CELTICS ePortfolio Platform, with demonstration on how to build an ePortfolio on this platform. Award winners will be invited to share their experience on creating their Teaching ePortfolios. We then begin with an introduction about the Teaching ePortfolio, followed by some hands-on practice on the platform; such as setting up your profile information, creating an ePortfolio page with digital artifacts, linking multi-media to ePortfolios, building an attractive ePortfolio by using special features, and what makes a good reflection.

Please bring your own laptop computer.




 Date/ Time/ VenueTheme/Topic/Speaker(s)SynopsisRegistration
1

22 Mar (Fri)

2:30pm – 4:00pm

Workshop
(A1217, MC)

[Learning Technologies]

Workshop for building your teaching ePortfolio

 

Dr Eva Tsang
Director

ALTO

This workshop aims to introduce the CELTICS ePortfolio Platform, with demonstration on how to build an ePortfolio on this platform. Award winners will be invited to share their experience on creating their Teaching ePortfolios. We then begin with an introduction about the Teaching ePortfolio, followed by some hands-on practice on the platform; such as setting up your profile information, creating an ePortfolio page with digital artifacts, linking multi-media to ePortfolios, building an attractive ePortfolio by using special features, and what makes a good reflection.

Please bring your own laptop computer.

Rescheduled to April
 Date/ Time/ VenueTheme/Topic/Speaker(s)Synopsis

Presentation slides

(login required)

1

20 Feb (Tue)

9:30am – 10:45am

Seminar
(A1217, MC)

[Learning Technologies]

Use of OLE for Teaching and Learning

Nelson Lee
Assistant Director

Goldcup Tsai
Senior Multimedia Technology Manager

ALTO

This seminar will first introduce features of OLE and iBookcase app, including dashboard, assignment online submission, class activities, polling features, use of Turnitin, Grade Mark features, Rubrics features, and self-study materials on iBookcase app. Tips and tricks will also be shared when using OLE features. Finally, we will also recommend some useful tools for learning engagement that teachers can effectively use to complement their teaching strategies. 
2

20 Feb (Tue)

11:00am – 11:45am

Workshop
(A1217, MC)

[Learning Technologies]

iAttend

Nelson Lee
Assistant Director

ALTO

A new feature for taking attendance, iAttend, has been introduced in HKMU iBookcase app. iAttend makes use of iBeacon technology and is seamlessly integrated with the class schedule, providing you with a convenient way to conduct roll call. This workshop will guide you through the attendance-taking procedure using iAttend. 
3

20 Feb (Tue)

2:30pm – 4:00pm

Workshop
(A1217, MC)

[Learning Technologies]

Workshop for building your teaching ePortfolio

Dr Eva Tsang
Director

ALTO

This workshop aims to introduce the CELTICS ePortfolio Platform, with demonstration on how to build an ePortfolio on this platform. Award winners will be invited to share their experience on creating their Teaching ePortfolios. We then begin with an introduction about the Teaching ePortfolio, followed by some hands-on practice on the platform; such as setting up your profile information, creating an ePortfolio page with digital artifacts, linking multi-media to ePortfolios, building an attractive ePortfolio by using special features, and what makes a good reflection.

Please bring your own laptop computer.

Download
 Date/ Time/ VenueTheme/Topic/Speaker(s)SynopsisPresentation slides
(login required)
1

8 Jan (Mon)
2:30pm – 3:15pmSeminar

(E0311, JCC)

[SoTL in Action]

Why do SoTL?

Prof. Chng Huang Hoon

Prof. Adrian Lee

National University of Singapore

As educators, a key question we need to ask is “How do we know our students are learning?” In addition to paying attention to student feedback about their course experience, we believe a crucial part of the answer lies in the instructor's thoughtful reflection on pedagogy and the systematic inquiry into how course design, assessment and classroom practice may have made a difference in students' achievement of specific course learning outcomes. In this seminar, we will iterate the key elements of a SoTL inquiry (see Peter Felten, 2013), and underscore the importance of adopting a reflective and scholarly stance in the way we teach in order to elucidate the ways our students are or are not learning. 
2

8 Jan (Mon)
3:45pm – 5:15pmWorkshop

(D0811, JCC)

*Parallel session*

[SoTL in Action]

Telling our SoTL stories in the Humanities

Prof. Chng Huang Hoon

National University of Singapore

A key feature of practices in the Humanities is a focus on story-telling or narrative. Doing SoTL in the Humanities essentially means providing a narration of our teaching practice and the impact on student learning outcomes. With each narration, over time, we hope to arrive at what Clifford Geertz called a “thick description”, an enriched tale about our practice. In this session, my aim is to get all of us to come up with our own answers to

  • What are your stories about your teaching and your student learning?
  • How has these stories changed over each iteration of your course?
  • What has motivated these transitions or shifts from one story to another?
  • Knowing what your specific stories are, how can you facilitate the change(s) to improve your teaching and your student learning?

While the language in which we approach SoTL may differ from the language used in STEM SoTL, I hope to show that we are ultimately still trying to arrive at the same endpoint, which is to enhance student learning experience and outcomes. Some examples of SoTL investigation in the Humanities will be used to illustrate the SoTL stories educators in the Humanities tell.

PPT:
DownloadReading 1: Download

Reading 2: Download

3

8 Jan (Mon)
3:45pm – 5:15pmWorkshop

(D0808, JCC)

*Parallel session*

[SoTL in Action]

Taking a quantitative approach to SoTL

Prof. Adrian Lee

National University of Singapore

Pat Hutchings and Lee Shulman said that “SoTL is integrating the experience of teaching with the scholarship of research.” Many of us have disciplinary research skills that are quantitative in nature. How can we apply such research skills to make our students learning visible? Can we rely on student reports of learning? If not, can we identify the direct evidence that will show that students have learnt? In this session, we will look at how to design a SoTL project that identifies what works and why it works. In identifying what works, we seek evidence that is accessible to our research skills and that shows the effectiveness of our teaching approaches. A challenging problem in of itself, but perhaps a more challenging problem for our skill set may be to identify why it works. To answer this question, we will need to employ some of the qualitative approaches more familiar to research in the Humanities. Insights from answering the second question offer us the power to make reasoned decisions for how we may want to change our teaching in the future.

PPT:
DownloadReading 1: Download

Reading 2: Download

4

9 Jan (Tue)
9:30am – 10:45amSeminar

(E0311, JCC)

[SoTL in Action]

Panel Discussion about SoTL

Prof. Chng Huang Hoon

Prof. Adrian Lee

National University of Singapore

 

Mr Kevin Chu

Senior Lecturer
B&A

 

Dr Edsoulla Chung

Assistant Professor
E&L

 

Prof. Ricky Kwok

Vice-President (Research and Student Development)

PO

This panel discussion aims to engage the audience in conversation about SoTL, so that we can learn from one another’s journey, wherever we may be situated.

The exchange can include our stories about how we each may have started our SoTL journey or thinking about how we may begin this work, deliberating about decisions relating to suitable data and analysis when undertaking SoTL projects, as well as discussing opportunities and challenges. We would like this to be a dialogue rather than a question-and-answer session so that we can learn from one another’s experiences.

To ensure a more interactive discussion, we invite you to pre-submit 3-5 specific questions related to SoTL issues when completing your registration form.

 
5

9 Jan (Tue)
11:00am – 12:00nnSeminar

(E0311, JCC)

[Student engagement]

Sharing about Community Development and Leadership

Prof. Chng Huang Hoon

National University of Singapore

The Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre at the National University of Singapore was established in 2017 and in its relatively short history, it has grown from being an informal leadership platform for student engagement to a formalized curriculum offering both a Certificate and Minor Degree to all NUS undergraduate students. In this 45-minute sharing, I will provide a brief developmental history of the Centre’s evolution and share the Centre’s vision, mission, curriculum, and students’ research with community partners. I hope to use this platform to discuss with the audience the possibility of partnership and how we can work together to enrich our students’ learning.Download
6

9 Jan (Tue)
2:30pm – 3:30pmSeminar

(E0311, JCC)

[Pedagogical Principles and Practices]

Sharing about Blended Learning and Teaching

Prof. Adrian Lee

National University of Singapore

Student learning is positively influenced by the amount of active participation in the learning process. Technology is often leveraged as means to engage students, although care should be taken to recognise the pedagogical advantage of the technology rather than its ability purely to engage. Blended learning is a relatively recent model that, by combining face-to-face activities with online experiences, effectively incorporates technology into education. For example, in the flipped classroom approach, technology is used to facilitate the transmission of content and so allow for the repurposing of face-to-face classroom time for activities that are likely to lead to higher-order learning outcomes. In this sharing, I want to highlight the elements of blended learning that have the potential to lead to effective, efficient, and flexible learning.Download
7

9 Jan (Tue)
3:45pm – 4:45pmSeminar

(E0311, JCC)

[Pedagogical Principles and Practices]

Getting Everyone on the same page in a Lecture Theatre Filled with Diverse Motivations

Prof. Ricky Kwok

Vice-President (Research and Student Development)

PO

Despite the advent of active learning practices in a classroom, giving a lecture in front of a big crowd is still a major requirement in courses. Indeed, being able to talk at a class with 200+ students for two, three hours on end is a necessary survival skill in universities. This is further aggravated by the fact that a big audience inevitably entails a very diverse distribution of motivations to conscientiously stay attentive in the lecture.

In this talk, the speaker will share some simple tactics that might help the teacher to successfully get everyone on the same page, literally; thereby, hopefully making the lecture a useful event for all stakeholders.

Download
810 Jan (Wed)
10:00am – 12:00nnSeminar (E0311, JCC)

[Pedagogical Principles and Practices]

Mastering Course Development and Maintenance: An Engaging Discussion Session

Dr Eva Tsang
Director

Dr Henry Choi
Senior Instructional Designer

Francis Tsoi
Instructional Designer

ALTO

As a Course Development Coordinator (CDC), have you ever considered the effective coordination of your course development project, particularly under the new HKMU’s academic reform?

This session aims to provide guidance on the essential aspects of the DL course development process, including initiation, development procedures, and guidelines. Additionally, practical tips and strategies to overcome common challenges will be shared. Throughout the session, participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive Q&A sessions.

To ensure a more customized and informative discussion, we invite you to pre-submit 3-5 specific questions related to course development when completing your registration form.

Please note that this session will be conducted bilingually in both Chinese and English, providing a comfortable and inclusive environment for colleagues from various disciplines to freely share their opinions and insights

 
910 Jan (Wed)
2:30pm – 3:30pmSeminar (E0311, JCC)

[OBE and Assessment]

Teaching with reflection in the era of AI

Emilie Pavey
Instructional Designer

ALTO

Reflection is a valuable and powerful learning strategy, developing students’ critical thinking skills and metacognitive capacities. This session will look at the role of reflection in the learning process and will invite participants to consider how to integrate reflective activities into their teaching. The session places a special focus on the potential of AI to support student reflection. In an interactive activity, participants will put themselves in students’ shoes and experiment with the use of Riff – a Stanford-developed AI reflection chatbot – as a tool to extend thinking about learning experiences. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops.

Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops.

Download
1010 Jan (Wed)
3:45pm – 4:45pmSeminar (E0311, JCC)

[Learning Technologies]

Video Feedback

Ross Vermeer
Senior Instructional Designer

ALTO

Writing comments on student assignments and exams is nobody’s idea of fun. It’s time-consuming, difficult work. Might there be a better way – one that might also engage students’ attention better? Many academics today are turning to the use of video feedback on student work. Video feedback can be used to communicate rich, nuanced comments; it’s versatile; and it has an immediacy that helps build more personalised connections with students. In this seminar we’ll consider different approaches to producing video feedback, analyse the qualities that make it effective, and outline some ways of integrating it with written feedback. We’ll also consider how to produce video feedback efficiently, and overview some tools you can use for video capture.Download
1111 Jan (Thu)
2:30pm – 3:30pmSeminar (E0311, JCC)

[OBE and Assessment]

Including student reflection in your assessment strategy

Emilie Pavey
Instructional Designer

ALTO

The advent of generative AI has had a profound impact on assessment in higher education, particularly traditional forms of written assessment, and many teachers are having to rethink their assessment strategies in these circumstances. This session explores how teachers can enhance their course assessment strategies by incorporating student reflection as an additional modality. We will look at different reflection task formats and consider how to align these forms of assessment with course learning outcomes. The session will also provide practical guidance on evaluating and grading student reflections using a rubric.Download
1211 Jan (Thu)
3:45pm – 4:45pmSeminar (E0311, JCC)

[OBE and Assessment]

Raising the bar: Scaffolding your classroom teaching to boost students’ potential

Caroline Leung
Senior Instructional Designer

ALTO

Scaffolding is a straightforward but effective teaching method which can boost students’ absorption and comprehension of content. It is easy to implement in any subject area. This seminar will focus on scaffolding strategies for content delivery in the classroom. We will demonstrate how to break down complex concepts into manageable steps and gradually guide students towards mastery of the material. Examples will be used to illustrate how content can be delivered more effectively through a scaffolding approach.Download