Staff Profile

School of Education and Languages Home People Staff Profile
Dr. Hui Wai Yi Diane 許慧兒博士
Ph.D. Washington University in St Louis, M.Sc. University of Edinburgh, B.Ed. University of Stirling
Assistant Professor
School of Education and Languages

Biography

Diane is an experienced educator and researcher in discourses, literacies, applied linguistics and assessment. She has taught courses and conducted research in multidisciplinary settings in Hong Kong, the US and the UK. Before joining OUHK, Diane worked at two universities in the past 12 years, where she conducted discourse and literacy research, and taught undergraduate and professional courses to English major undergraduates, pre- and in-service teachers and academic staff from the Education Bureau (EdB), Hong Kong. Her research involved collaborations with local and international researchers through professional networks, and aimed at contributing capacity-building into the changing English, language and linguistics.

Diane’s research is conceptually grounded in semiotic and discourse theories from sociocultural perspectives, and more recently through critical and new literacies, and literacy transformation in applied linguistics. Her research interests include also sociocultural engagement of English language and discourses within networked communities, changing English with popular cultural texts mediated by digital-media technologies, and genre-based English. She has recently completed three projects. The three-year “Learning from new literacies” project (ECS #359813, funded by RGC) has generated 13 scholarly outputs, including one book project contracted by Springer (Contract #64774), two journal articles, two conference papers, one GRF proposal, 6 conference presentations and one new course (ENG 3389 New Literacies in the Digital Age). A recent RGC’s final assessment of funded projects (July 2018) gave a “satisfactory” rating to the ECS project, the best of three rating options.

Besides, Diane is a professional and committed educator. She contributed substantially in areas such as curriculum development (including the development of new courses supported through ECS and TDG projects), knowledge exchange, pedagogical innovation and lifelong learning. Her teaching has significant impact not only at the department level, but also across the faculty and the university, as well as broader academic and particularly secondary school education communities (also knowledge exchange). For example, Diane delivered high-impact professional courses to train all in-service English teachers in school-based assessment (2007-2012; Hui, 2012) and student learning to academic staff at EdB (2011-2012; see Chan & Hui, 2012a, 2012b) as strategic initiatives in support of the DSE curriculum reform.

Also, she is a reflective and innovative teacher who puts a holistic approach to education and learning into practice. Her teaching practice is typically characterized by multimodality, innovation and flexibility to enrich students’ whole-person development, involving wider community engagement in various professional and cultural contexts. For example, in her teaching of English as a subject, she collaborated with local NGOs to foster student understanding and meaning-making of disciplinary-based knowledge through action projects scaffolded via a business-academic-community partnership, involving four local community collaborators (1. J-Life Foundation in Sham Shui Po, 2. Principal Chan Free Tutorial World in Tai Kok Tsui, 3. The Christian Action SHINE Centre in Tin Shui Wai and 4. Salvation Army in Tuen Mun). This approach to learning domain-specific knowledge is fresh and innovative in tertiary English education. Moreover, Diane has supervised and assessed final year projects and dissertations at undergraduate and postgraduate levels (M.Ed.) in addition to teaching practicum.

In addition to academic work, Diane contributed actively to departmental, faculty and university services. For example, Diane was an elected member of Senate to Lingnan University or LU (2013-2015) and a member of the Staff-Student Consultative Committee for the Department of English (2013-2016, LU). She served undergraduate admissions (2011-2012, 2016-2017, LU). She was an active member of the university community and had joined a variety of student activities, including the fund-raising events, graduation dinners, and sports events. Diane also served as a Senior Tutor at a student hall of residence with 320 diverse resident students (2014-2017, LU).

At an international level, Diane has served educational journals and international conferences as a journal editorial member, committee member, paper reviewer and session chair. She has also served as a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Education and Psychology in the Community, a reviewer for the International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (ISI 2.692 in 2010), Journal of Applied Linguistics, Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, and Journal of TESOL Quarterly.

Teaching Areas & Research Interests

  • Research interests: Literacy transformation in applied linguistics
  • Research interests: Critical and new literacies enhanced by digital-media technologies, and their effects on academic literacies and achievements in tertiary-level English
  • Research interests: Sociocultural engagement of English language and discourses within networked communities
  • Research interests: Changing and mediated English with popular cultural texts, and genre-based English
  • Course Taught: *Critical literacies
  • Course Taught: *New literacies in the digital age
  • Course Taught: *Varieties of English (Genre-based English)
  • Course Taught: Models of speech and writing (Genre-based English)
  • Course Taught: Intercultural communication
  • Course Taught: Professional communication
  • Course Taught: First and second language acquisition
  • Course Taught: Educational psychology
  • Course Taught: Sociology of education
  • Course Taught: *Understanding and fostering student learning for 21st century education
  • Course Taught: School-based assessment (English).
    Note. *New courses (co-)developed by Diane.

Academic & Professional Experience

Selected Research Grants

 

Year

Research

Status

01/2014-06/2017

Learning from new literacies: Enhancing creative expression, performative arts and popular culture in higher education through Web 2.0 tools.

PI, GRF/ECS (#359813), Research Grant Council, Hong Kong (Granted HK$473,670).

Completed in June 2017 (produced 13 project outputs). RGC’s final assessment: “Satisfactory” (the best of 3 rating options).

06/2016-08/2017

Survey research on sector-wide learning, teaching and researching technologies, and implementation strategies of higher education in Hong Kong.

Co-I, Teacher Development Grant (102451), Lingnan University (Granted HK$80,000, Principal Project Supervisor: Dr. Rosiah, Wing Ho).

Completed in August 2017.

01/2015-12/2016

Online resources for developing virtual/ real performances in English Dept. performance-based and creative-based elective courses.

Co-supervisor, Teaching Development Grant (102439), Lingnan University (Granted HK$ 192,000, Principal Project Supervisor: Professor Michael Ingham).

Completed in December 2016.

12/2011-08/2013

Redesigning a genre-based pedagogy for learning English and effective communication from multidisciplinary perspectives.

Co-Principal Project Supervisor, Teaching Development Grant (TG11A3), Lingnan University (Granted HK$426,472).

Completed in August 2014.

02/2012-12/2012

Mediating English language learning with mobile learning tools in formal and informal settings in higher education.

PI, Faculty Research Fund (DA12A5), Lingnan University (Granted HK$28,500).

Completed in May 2013.

09/2010-06/2013

Integrating culture and English language education at senior secondary Level in Hong Kong through popular cultural texts.

Co-I, General Research Fund (749410), RGC, Hong Kong (Granted HK$574,975).

Completed in June 2013.

01/2010-08/2010

 

Mediated learning effects of e@Leader on studentsscholastic achievement in English language learning, and curriculum integration in the Hong Kong primary school classroom

 

PI, The Small Project Grant, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (Granted HK$53,750).

 

Completed in August 2010.

09/2008-08/2009

 

Diagnostic and innovative assessment of language by oral genre with the use of engagement (or DIALOGUE) II: Developing a web-based diagnostic tool

PI, The Small Project Grant, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (Granted HK$35,000).

 

Completed in August 2009.

 

Selected Professional Awards and Recognitions

 

Date of Award

Award / Honour

Organization and other details         

08/2005

The Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for Research Related to Education

The Spencer Foundation, USA
(Accepted 5% of 548 applicants from 156 graduate institutions in the US.)

04/2010

Teacher effectiveness recognition (82.7%)

The University of Hong Kong
(High approval rating of 82.7% for teacher effectiveness from students’ feedback on the course EDUC2203 First and Second Language Acquisition taught in 2009-2010.)

 

Selected Publications

Books

  • Book Contract Issued (Refereed): Work in Progress Hui, D. (March 1, 2017). New literacies in Asia's smart cities: The changing face of English in Hong Kong higher education. Singapore: Springer (Contract number 64774, work in progress). The book is based on the findings of a three-year project funded by the Research Grant Council, Hong Kong (ECS #359813, 2014-2017).

Book Chapters

  • Dickinson, A. R., & Hui, D. (2010). Enhancing intelligence, English and Math competencies for the classroom via e@Leader integrated online edutainment gaming and assessment. In D. Russell (Ed.), Cases on collaboration in virtual learning environments: Processes and interactions (pp. 263-283). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
  • Hui, D., & Russell, D. (2009). Understanding the effectiveness of collaborative activity in online professional development with innovative educators through intersubjectivity. In L. A. Tomei (Ed.), Information communication technologies for enhanced education and learning: Advanced applications and developments (pp. 283-302). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Journal Articles

  • Hui, D. (2018a). Learning from new literacies: Effects on the academic achievements of English major undergraduate language learners. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 41(2), 117-133. Retrieved from https://www.alea.edu.au/resources/australian-journal-of-language-and-literacy-ajll-2 (The AJLL SJR impact factor is 0.399 in 2015. It is listed a “Quartile 1” journal according to the “Arts and Humanities” subject area in the “Language and Linguistics” subject category in the “Pacific Region.”)
  • Hui, D. (2018b). Learning from new literacies: The changing face of college English among English major ELL learners. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 13(2), 71-93. doi:10.18261/issn.1891-943x-2018-02-02 (The NJDL SJR impact factor is 0.48 in 2015. It is listed a “Quartile 2” journal according to the “Computer Science” subject area in the “Computer Science Applications” subject category.)
  • Luk, J., & Hui, D. (2016). Examining multiple readings of popular culture by ESL students in Hong Kong. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 29(3), 1-19. doi:10.1080/07908318.2016.1241258 (The Journal Citation Reports® or JCR impact factor is 0.816 in 2015, and 71/181 Quartile 2 ranking in Linguistics.)
  • Hui, D. (2015). Reconceptualising sustainability through computer-mediated engagement within online professional communities of practice from teachers' perspectives. Intl. J. Cont. Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 25(1), 8-27. doi:10.1504/ijceell.2015.066544
  • Chan, R. Y. Y., Huang, J., Hui, D., Li, S., & Yu, P. (2013). Gender differences in collaborative learning over online social networks: Epistemological beliefs and behaviors. Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 5(3), 234-250. Retrieved from http://www.kmel-journal.org/ojs/index.php/online-publication/index
  • Hui, D., & Russell, D. (2007). Understanding innovative professional development for educators through the analysis of intersubjectivity in online collaborative dialogues. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 3(3), 25-38. doi:10.4018/jicte.2007070103
  • Rogers, R., Berkes, E., Mosley, M., Hui, D., & O'Garro-Joseph, G. (2005). Critical discourse analysis in education: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 365-416. doi:10.3102/00346543075003365 (Note. JCR 2005 journal impact: 1.76.)
  • Hui, D. (2003). Managing intersubjectivity in the context of a museum learning environment. International Journal of Learning, 10, 1533-1549. Retrieved from http://dianehui.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.30/prod.148

Selected Professional & Community Services

  • Service to the Department, the Faculty and the University: 2013-2015 Elected member of Senate, Lingnan University.
  • Service to the Department, the Faculty and the University: 2013-2016 Member, Staff-Student Consultation Committee for BA Contemporary English Studies, Lingnan University.
  • Service to the Department, the Faculty and the University: 2011-2013 Panel Member, Admission Officer, Admissions Sub-committee in the Faculty of Arts, Lingnan University.
  • Service to the Local Community: 2017 Collaborator, Collaborations with local NGOs in service learning via ENG 3206 Critical Literaices, Department of English, Lingnan University. (1. J-Life Foundation in Sham Shui Po, 2. Principal Chan Free Tutorial World in Tai Kok Tsui, 3. The Christian Action SHINE Centre in Tin Shui Wai and 4. Salvation Army in Tuen Mun).
  • Service to the Local Community: Since 2014 Membership Representative for the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, Department of English, Lingnan University.
  • Service to the Local Community: Since 2013 Committee Member, Hong Kong Alumni Club, Washington University in St Louis, USA.
  • Service to the International Communities: Since 2010 Editorial Member, The International Journal of Education and Psychology in the Community, USA.
  • Service to the International Communities: 2012 Member, Organizing Committee and Technical Programme Committee, the First International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering Education (TALE) in Hong Kong 2012, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA.
  • Service to the International Communities: Reviewer (journals): International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (ijCSCL, ISI 2.692), USA; Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, USA; The Asian Journal of English Language Teaching (AJELT), Hong Kong; Journal of TESOL Quarterly, USA; Journal of Applied Linguistics, Hong Kong; Journal of New Horizons in Education, Hong Kong; International Journal of Learning, Australia.
  • Service to the International Communities: 2006-2009 Member, Mentoring Committee, Division K, AERA, USA.

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Modified Date: 01 Sep, 2021
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