Academics

Discovery festival showcases strengths and unique features of CityU

Karen Cheng

04 Mar 2013

A discovery festival showcasing the strengths of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) in teaching and learning, its unique Discovery-enriched Curriculum (DEC) and academic programmes is being held on the CityU campus from 3 to 7 March.

A major event for the University, the 2013 CityU Discovery Festival allows visitors and participants to learn about the unique features of CityU and to experience a taste of its vibrant University life through a variety of activities. Highlights of the festival include a lecture on discovery and innovation by Dr Allan Zeman, Chairman of the Ocean Park Corporation and an honorary doctor of CityU; displays of students’ achievements along with mini-fairs on teaching and learning; a fair introducing majors, minors and Gateway Education (GE) courses on offer to students; a walk through various landmark buildings at CityU; talks, performances and much more.

The Festival was opened on 4 March by Ms Christine Loh Kung-wai, Under Secretary for the Environment; Dr Zeman; Professor Way Kuo, CityU President; Professor Arthur Ellis, Provost of CityU; and Professor Paul Lam Kwan-sing, Vice-President (Student Affairs) .

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Professor Kuo said, “We have always endeavoured to foster among our faculty and students a spirit of exploration and a zeal for creativity and innovation in their teaching, research and learning.” He said CityU launched DEC to motivate students to explore, gain new knowledge and contribute to the wellbeing of society, and the Festival will showcase some of these achievements.

The ceremony also saw the presentation of the 2012-13 Teaching Excellence Awards to six exemplary teachers in recognition of their contributions to raising the quality of teaching at CityU. The six awardees are

Ms Wisteria Cheung Yuen-yi, Teaching Fellow of the Department of Marketing;
Dr Alice Chong Ming-lin, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Studies;
Dr Chow Chi-yin, Assistant Professor of the Department of Computer Science;
Dr Christoph Hafner, Assistant Professor of the Department of English;
Dr Ron Kwok Chi-wai, Associate Professor of the Department of Information Systems; and
Dr Tom Vinaimont, Assistant Professor of the Department of Economics and Finance.

An inspiring lecture by Dr Zeman followed the ceremony. He shared his experiences with a full-house audience on how innovation and creativity breed success, and encouraged students to explore the unknown through innovative means.

Key events of the five-day Festival inlcude Teaching&Learning@CityU, which provides staff and students with a platform to share their DEC experiences and display students’ interactive projects and works portraying their discovery, innovation and creativity. During the Majors and Minors Fair, the six colleges and schools at CityU will introduce the different majors and minors available to students and help them with their academic planning by providing one-stop academic advisory support. There will also be an exhibition on the exchange and internship programmes at CityU.

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