Professor Lee Wing-on, Head of the Department of Educational Policy and Administration was awarded the Medal of Honour in July 2003 by the HKSAR Government for his invaluable contributions to the development of the school curriculum.

The ability to apply scholarship to one's teaching is a key factor in determining what constitutes a Distinguished Teacher. Engagement in scholarly activity related to teaching and learning is not confined to recipients of the Distinguished Teacher Award. On the contrary, there is an expectation that all lecturing staff will engage in such scholarly activities.

Our ongoing scholarship is visible in the many ways that our staff actively contribute to the academic community. In 2003-04, over 60 of our academic staff served on the editorial boards of local and international journals, 87 reviewed manuscripts for publication, 39 were appointed as external examiners by leading universities while a further 24 reviewed competitive research grant proposals both locally and overseas.

Innovative and Quality Teaching
The promotion of Problem-based Learning (PBL) is a prime example of how classroom-based research is supported by policies which promote innovative and quality teaching. Four Teacher Development Grant projects across fourteen modules have established the feasibility of using a PBL approach in teacher education. Subsequent evaluations report improved student understanding, greater interest as well as greater group participation. We are proud of our efforts in this area, which received recognition from the University Grants Committee's Teaching and Learning Quality Process Reviews Panel when it commended our "continued energy in promoting problem-based learning and other student-centred approaches on campus" in their report to the Institute.

Professional Development Policies and Incentives
Nurturing quality students hinges primarily on the quality of staff. Therefore in addition to our push for excellence, we believe that it is crucial to have coherent policies and programmes that will enhance the expertise of our staff and support their further development.

Policy incentives include the provision of study leave, financial support for higher degree studies, research and teaching development grants and a sabbatical leave scheme. With the financial support provided, staff are also able to enhance their international exposure to teaching and research through academic exchanges and educational visits outside Hong Kong.

Dr Wong Leung-wo, Senior Lecturer of the Chinese Department with three of his students who won distinguished awards at the Youth Literary Awards Competition and Hong Kong Short Story Competition.