A PROFILE OF FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS IN 2001-02 BY RESEARCH AREA

The Department of Creative Arts is using its research programme to evaluate the effect of the innovative "Arts in Education project on the curriculum. "Arts in Education introduces eight key learning areas and encourages artists and arts organisations to collaborate with schools. Creative Arts staff are looking at the results those partnerships have produced. They are also investigating students' understanding of the arts and how the arts colour their views of other subjects.

The Department of Information and Applied Technology is in the second year of a three-year research and development project, working with two primary schools to develop effective teaching strategies using IT in Chinese, English and mathematics, with particular emphasis on helping teachers to support pupils' individual needs. Both teachers and children are benefiting from the continuing advances IT has to offer.

These and the many other research projects underway at the Institute are helping our lecturers develop an impressive academic profile. As we move towards our goal of attaining self-accrediting status the consistent growth in research output and the wide variety of research undertaken underlines the priority we give to this aspect of staff development. Students are guided, supported and encouraged to set out on a path of continuous professional development by staff who renew their own skills and competencies through research and development activities.

Disseminating research and scholarship outcomes
It is also important for the Institute to share its research findings and contribute to the overall education knowledge base. The Institute continues to develop its own set of publications for the dissemination of educational research. The Staff Research and Scholarship Profile 2001 gives information about our range of publications, research projects, research interests and teaching specialities.

The Institute has developed a range of refereed journals on aspects of education and teacher education. These provide opportunities for scholars to publish on topics of relevance to education in Hong Kong and the region. These publications are now attracting work from scholars of international renown, helping the Institute to develop as an important nexus of educational publication in the Asia Pacific region.

The Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education and Development continues to be published twice-yearly by CRIC with articles in English and Chinese. Its advisory board reflects the breadth of our international links, with 26 renowned scholars from 15 countries offering their services.

The Asia Pacific Journal of Language in Education is now in its fifth volume and continues to publish research based articles on key issues in language, language teaching and learning, literature and culture. This internationally refereed journal published by CLE enjoys a collaborative relationship with another key journal in the field, the Canadian Modern Language Review, facilitating the exchange of articles.