City University of Hong Kong (CityU) proudly announces that four outstanding university teachers nominated by students, alumni or programme committees have won the 2005¡V06 Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA). The four winners were chosen from 27 nominations.

Launched by CityU's Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) in 1993, TEA is the first of its kind among Hong Kong's tertiary institutions. Upholding the importance of professional education through the recognition of outstanding teachers, TEA reflects the University's commitment to enhancing the quality of education in Hong Kong and the region.

The TEA winners this year are: Ms Wisteria Cheung Yuen-yi, an instructor in the Department of Marketing; Ms Julia Han Ji-yeon, an instructor in the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics; Dr Ron Kwok Chi-wai, an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems; and Dr Sun Hongyi, an associate professor in the Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management. (Please refer to Attachment I for the biographies of the winners.)

"This year we added a new criterion for selection which assesses the candidates' commitment to implementing the Outcomes-based Teaching and Learning (OBTL) strategy," said Professor Richard Ho, CityU's Vice-President (Undergraduate Education). "OBTL is an institution-wide project for the University in which all programme aims and objectives and course objectives should be reconstructed to reflect desirable, measurable learning outcomes and constructive alignment in the programme curriculum. The four winners have been making valuable contributions to implementing OBTL."

Professor Ho said the winners this year were excellent role models for both students and teachers. "They have continued learning in order to develop effective teaching methods. They are exemplary teachers and life-long learners," he said.

TEA nominations are made by students, alumni or programme committees. The QAC, led by Professor Joseph Cheng, Professor (Chair) of Political Science, appointed the TEA Selection Panel to carry out a rigorous selection process. This includes a commitment to implementing OBTL; a high level of competency in motivating and facilitating student learning; a constructive contribution to the University's teaching culture/performance; offering students up-to-date knowledge and expertise in the subject area; and an interest in the improvement of teaching and the development of teaching innovations.

To benchmark the quality of CityU's teaching against international standards, the Selection Panel, led by Professor Paul Lam, Professor (Chair) of Biology in the Department of Biology and Chemistry, invited two external members who have received similar awards overseas: Professor Ian Cameron from the University of Queensland in Australia and Dr Aline Germain-Rutherford from the University of Ottawa in Canada to sit on the panel. In addition, a member of the CityU Alumni Association participated in the selection process for the first time. (Please refer to Attachment II for the external members' comments.)

The TEA 2005¡V06 winners will receive their awards at the Congregation in November this year and their names will be engraved on a TEA Plaque at the entrance of the Academic Building, bringing the total number of TEA awards to 68.