Excellence comes from passion for teaching

Three winners of the 2002-03 Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA) shared their tips for success at the TEA 10th anniversary reception, 14 October. Despite differences in teaching strategies, they held one thing in common — a passion for teaching.

 

Dr Kokin Lam, Principal Lecturer in the Division of Commerce, said, "If you want to be a good teacher, you have to give your heart." Instead of giving students the answers, he challenges them with questions, and inspires them to find the answer. His mott "Winners do not quit. Quitters do not win."

 

Dr Kai Lim, Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems, adopts a strategy of partnership with students. "That gives students a role to play and empowers them to learn more. " He also believes in making students' grades transparent, so that everyone in the class knows how he is doing.

 

Dr Maris Martinsons, who received the award for the second time at CityU, said, "Teaching is a journey of discovery I take with my students. Excellent teaching is a journey of continuous improvement." He has exemplified such a process in his emphasis on action learning and e-learning with the coming of the Web age.

 

Also attending the TEA gathering were Professor Richard Ho, Chairman of CityU's Quality Assurance Committee, and Professor Sritawat Kitipornchai, TEA Panel Chair, who described the selection process as "vigorous by international standards".

 

The TEA winners will have their names added to a permanently displayed register, in recognition of their excellent teaching.