CENG Outstanding Teaching Awardees of 2022 share their teaching philosophy.
Dr Denvid LAU
Architecture and Civil Engineering
"An in-depth preparation is necessary for effective teaching, and successful teaching can be achieved by engaging students’ participation during class through an inverted classroom approach, which can significantly enhance the interaction between students and teacher, leading to a positive learning atmosphere in class."
Dr Gianni TALAMINI
Architecture and Civil Engineering
"I see education as contributing to the cultural enrichment and the development of a society of free, creative, independent individuals able to appreciate and gain from both past and present cultural achievements – an environmentally symbiotic, culturally leavened and spatially just society. Under this overarching vision, my approach to teaching builds on demonstration, deduction, digression, discovery, development and dedication."
Dr KHOO Bee Luan
Biomedical Engineering
"Creative learning enables young minds to learn quickly and develop new ideas that go beyond the pedagogical framework. Everyone works differently. One of the key approaches I undertake is student-led learning. We hope that this approach will encourage more students to devote themselves to entrepreneurship, research and academia related to the field of biomedical engineering."
Dr Steven WANG
Mechanical Engineering
"I think my teaching uniqueness is reflected from my enthusiasm and efforts in utilizing online resources and creating visual aids in fundamental (yet difficult) courses so that it can encourage students’ motivation and engagement."
CENG Outstanding Teaching Awardees of 2021 share their teaching philosophy.
Dr Charlie XUE
Architecture and Civil Engineering
"There are two dimensions in using the city as a laboratory. One is the human body experience of built environment. The five senses of people should fit and feel comfortable in using and exploring man-made environment. Another is to design, measure and intervene man-made environment – “learning by making” in a real situation."
Dr Ting Hsuan CHEN
Biomedical Engineering
"In view of the limitations in the current engineering education, my teaching philosophy is to provide a new venue that nurtures students to discover and innovate biomedical devices. Incorporating idea inspiration and incubation, it creates a journey that allows students to experience the product development and entrepreneurship for the biomedical industry."
Mr Gary CHAN
Division of Building Science and Technology
“Teaching is a joyful task and I trust that engaging students in critical thinking and problem-solving can enhance their learning. I therefore design interesting and practical classwork to provide students with opportunities to make discovery, apply their learning across subjects, and learn from mistakes and from one another for improvement.”
Dr Chung CHAN
Computer Science
"DIVE for DEC: I was amazed even first-year students new to CityU were able to dive deep into difficult engineering subjects in our Discovery-Enriched Curriculum. All we did was to create a virtual environment that was Diversified, Interactive, Versatile, and Engaging, so students can explore freely and learn from mistakes."
Dr Cheng WANG
Electrical Engineering
"Equations and definitions can be memorized even without a teacher, and will be forgotten weeks after the final examination. I believe the more important thing is to discuss the fundamental physical pictures, to explain things from students’ background and perspectives, and to put knowledge in real-world context. This will benefit the students even years after their classroom study."
Dr Inez ZWETSLOOT
Systems Engineering
"In my courses I focus on the practical application and intuitive understanding of the material. I believe people fully understand a topic as soon as they can explain the topic to somebody else. Therefore, I focus on interactive lectures with many discussions between students."
The College of Engineering is committed to providing students with a professional education experience that strengthens their knowledge foundation and inspires creativity and innovation. To promote good teaching and fulfil the commitment, the College launched its first CENG Outstanding Teaching Award 2020. The nine awardees are pleased to share their teaching philosophy as follows:
Dr Ray Cheung
Electrical Engineering
"Community-based learning pedagogy is based on the belief that all communities have intrinsic educational assets and resources that educators can use to enhance learning experiences for students. In its purest form, it is a teaching strategy that bridges academic theory and real-world practice, promoting academic learning while simultaneously addressing real-world problems, community needs, and interests. It supports creativity in students as well as boosts confidence towards learning."
Dr Gerhard Petrus Hancke
Computer Science
"I want my students to believe what they have learned is useful and have confidence in their ability to use their knowledge in practice. Students should engage with theory through industry standards and real-world system examples, which they can comprehend and analyse using knowledge and skills they gained from the course."
Dr Calvin Keung
Architecture and Civil Engineering
“Using new technologies in teaching help students succeed in learning. As such, I have adopted Building Information Modelling (BIM), an emerging technology, to inspire and motivate my students. I believe that well-developed curricula, coupled with new technologies, can offer students an excellent learning platform and opportunities for self-directed learning. This learning process paves the way for students to develop their life-long learning abilities.”
Dr Victor Lee
Computer Science
"Students’ learning should be driven by their own interest and curiosity. Teachers can act as a guide to provide a stimulating environment where students can learn professional knowledge, share ideas among themselves, apply knowledge to real-world situations and sharpen their technical competency in order to reach their full potential."
Dr Lu Liu
Biomedical Engineering
"My teaching philosophy is that professors should be enthusiastic and responsive to the needs of their students. They should strive to motivate students to become their best, support them in their life journeys, and equip them with valuable knowledge and the skills they need to succeed in their future careers."
Dr Chee Wei Tan
Computer Science
"I believe successful teaching comes about with a student-centred approach like classroom flipping and peer instructions to impart discovery-enriched curriculum knowledge in the most effective ways. I hope to inspire students to be lifelong learners and innovators, empowering them to develop their innate creative potential to shape the world around them."
Dr Kaili Zhang
Mechanical Engineering
"I help students learn and grow, and encourage them to learn as an active discoverer rather than a passive learner. I also use effective teaching methods to stimulate students’ motivation in learning. More importantly, I arouse their interest in discovering new knowledge by integrating Web 2.0 into teaching and learning."
Dr Chunyi Zhi
Materials Science and Engineering
"I keep telling myself: never forget that you are an educator and a teacher. Even if you feel desperate because you can't educate your students, uphold your enthusiasm and watch over your students. Never give up on them"
Professor Moshe Zukerman
Electrical Engineering
"Salient aspects of my teaching philosophy include having a caring partnership with all students regardless of background and abilities, aiming for students to achieve their full potential, making my requirements clear, providing students with self-contained learning material and using learning activities for students to promote online discussions, self-learning and self-discovery."
