Welcome to the e-bulletin of Communities of Practice (CoPs), where you will be able to catch up with our most updated events and information of the five CoPs in PolyU.

The Introduction to Academic Advising E-learning Course was launched by Communities of Practice (CoP) on Academic Advising and the Office of General University Requirements (OGUR) last year.

This 2-hour self-paced e-learning course aims to provide a brief introduction on academic advising at PolyU, including the philosophy, practice models, key skills, and common student needs handled by academic advisors. Highlight of the course is the sharing of Effective Advising Skills on how to deal with students who: i) have low motivation in study; ii) perform poorly in academic subjects; iii) have poor time management; iv) place too much emphasis on grades; v) have problems in adjusting to their university lives; and vi) do not respond to the invitation to the academic advising session.

Certificate of Completion will be awarded to participants who have completed 70% (or above) of the course and the evaluation form. 

To register this course online, please log in here with your NetID. If you are not yet an academic advisor but would like to register, please call Ms Bonnie Chim at ext. 8240 or send a request with your NetID via email to bonnie.chim@polyu.edu.hk.

The Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering (BME) successfully organized an academic advising activity entitled “Workshop for Study Concentration and Overseas Exchange Selection” for Year 2 students on 13 May 2015. The objective of this workshop was to assist students in making informed decisions on their study options. For further information, please visit CoP or BME websites.

The two rounds of Academic Advising survey were completed recently and the report can be downloaded here.

Two rounds of Academic Advising surveys funded by Academic Advising CoP were conducted by OGUR in 2013/2014. The surveys aimed to identify students: 1) current engagement with academic advisors in the departments and with the OGUR counsellors; 2) views and expectations about advising; 3) preference of style of advising (prescriptive vs. developmental); and 4) needs for advising.

A total of 1,303 students participated in the surveys. The first round was conducted with Year 2 students admitted to the University in 2012. The second around was conducted with Year 1 students from the second cohort (2013/14) under the new 4-Year curriculum.

Results showed that both groups of students agreed that academic advising helped them understand their study options and graduation requirements. They placed "acquiring information about the career aspect of their programme of study" as their most important need in academic advising. Both groups of students showed a significant preference for developmental advising. Suggestions for further research and future practice in academic advising were also collected.

For a hardcopy of the report, please send a request via email to Ms Bonnie Chim (bonnie.chim@polyu.edu.hk).

With Dr Robert Wright as the facilitator, three distinguished panelists, Prof. Jason Choi (ITC), Dr. Doris Chong (RS), Dr. Walter Fung (COMP) were invited to the Roundtable session on 27 May to share their interesting perspectives on using games to foster more engaged learners. They use board games or integrate game elements in their teaching in order to enhance the learning of their students. Students commented that they appreciated the interactions and agreed this practice could enhance their understanding on abstract concepts.

Date:	9 June 2015 (Tue)
Time:	12:30-2:00pm
Venue:	TU411
Speaker:	Prof. Curtis J. Bonk (Indiana University, President of CourseShare)
Facilitators:	Josie Csete (EDC), Joey Wu (EDC), Laura Zhou (EDC)

Curtis J. Bonk is Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University and President of CourseShare. Drawing on his background as a corporate controller, CPA, educational psychologist, and instructional technologist, Prof. Bonk offers unique insights into the intersection of business, education, psychology, and technology.

In this session, Prof. Bonk will look at several technologies and web resources that have emerged over the past few years to transform corporate training as well as higher education.  Some of these technologies tools include smartphones and smart watches, digital course resources, social books, social media, online talking dictionaries, video walls, virtual assistants, and web conferencing.

Also exploding at this time is enrollment in online or virtual learning, blended learning, massive open online courses (MOOCs), and the use of collaborative tools in such e-learning courses.  While these 50+ technology trends and innovation are exciting and highly transformative, each has pros and cons in how they are used in different training and education spaces. To make it more personal, this session will, in part, be a presentation, and, in part, a conversation about learning technology trends and innovations.

Click here for further information and registration.

#Please note that light lunch will be provided from 12pm.

*This seminar is co-organised by EDC and CoP on Using Blackboard LMS to Enhance Learning and Teaching.

Date:	14 - 15 December 2015
Venue:	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Keynote Speakers:	Prof. Terry Myers Zawacki, George Mason University, USA Prof. Rainer Glaser, University of Missouri, USA Dr. Ursula Wingate, King’s College London, UK

As an extension of the CoP on Enhancing Students' English Abilities, Dr. Julia Chen, the CoP facilitator received a UGC competitive Learning & Teaching fund to lead an inter-institution project on Professional Development in Enhancing English Across the Curriculum, and the project now is in effect. This December, an international conference on English Across the Curriculum will be held here in PolyU.

The International Conference on English Across the Curriculum 2015 is a two-day conference that aims to bring together academics from different disciplines and language teaching units to explore ways to enhance students’ English in discipline content subjects. For further information of the Conference, please click here.