Teaching & Learning Projects

The Department of Literature and Cultural Studies (LCS) of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) organised a contest and exhibition about picture books and creative works. The events connected reading, drawing and artificial intelligence, with the objective of encouraging university students to learn about keloid scars and develop a positive attitude towards illness and accompanying patients. Additionally, the events also aimed to enhance students’ humanistic caring spirit and promote to members of the public the idea of caring for others in our society.

Held between November and December in 2024, the contest required participating EdUHK students to read a picture book designated for the contest, and then submit an AI-generated creative output accompanied by a short reflective statement demonstrating understanding and support for keloid scar patients. The picture book, “Worry Leo and Mr Crab”, authored by Dr Elaine Yat-ling Choy, Lecturer I of LCS, is a story about a little lion named Leo who journeys under the sea with his family and runs into an accidnet, which results in an endlessly itchy, painful scar on his arm that is difficult to get rid of. The book, imbued with Dr Choy’s own educational theory (i.e., SMILE), explores how keloid scar patients mentally react to the illness at different stages, and conveys the concept of how they could be cared for. At the end of the contest, a total of seven outstanding works were selected based on the judges’ evaluations and the number of “likes” received on Facebook and Instagram. 

The creative works were showcased at an exhibition dedicated to keloid scar patients, which was held between 19 December 2024 and 15 January 2025, at Joint Publishing’s culture and lifestyle flagship store in Wan Chai. The creative outputs by keloid scar patients engaged in art therapy were also displayed. After the exhibition launched, Dr Elaine Choy attended a sharing session on keloid scars co-organised by Fei Fan Publication and My Book One Club. Apart from introducing “Worry Leo and Mr Crab” to the audience, Dr Choy discussed keloid scars with the other speakers, including Dr Tony Chan from Genesis Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre, Edith in her capacity as the chairperson of the Keloid Association of Hong Kong, and keloid scar patient Rachel. The topics discussed were about how picture books and artistic production bring an influence in terms of caring for patients, what keloid scars are, and how to deal with them.

This project will provide students taking “Honours Project I: Research Methods and Proposal” (HP I) with supplementary exercises to help them develop as passionate researchers, independent inquirers, and knowledge creators in literary and cultural studies disciplines. These supplementary exercises serve to strengthen one of the Graduate Attributes (Innovation) and support three of the Generic Intended Learning Outcomes (Problem Solving Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, and Creative Thinking Skills) laid down by the University. To do this, the project aims: 

• To enhance students’ ability to identify research topics 
• To assist them in devising comprehensive research plans with a more holistic and dynamic understanding of the rationale behind various research skills 
• To inspire them to perform more extensive searches for knowledge relevant to their own research 
• To better prepare them with research visions that will prove sustainable in the long run 
• To develop a practical online platform for them that can be adapted and optimized for future projects 

• To help BA(LS), BEd(EL), and BA(LS) & BEd(EL) Double Degree students effectively present a workable thesis 
• To prepare a document providing user-friendly guidelines on presenting a strong argument in literature papers

• To promote literary walks as experiential learning in current LCS Creative Writing and Children’s Literature courses (LIT 2003 and LIT 1002). 
• To appreciate the creation of local picture books. 
• To apply the reading and writing skills into concretely feasible teaching plans. 

The technique of “stele rubbing” first appeared during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It involves applying Xuan paper dampened with a solution bletilla striata to the surface of a stone tablet, then hammering or beating and brushing with ink before removing the paper to replicate the carved texts and images. This workshop intends to impart this unique skill and achieve the following educational objectives:

• To explore and present history through the use of stone inscription materials
• To appreciate the calligraphic artistry of stone inscriptions
• To pass on the exceptional art of stele rubbing
• To employ stele rubbing techniques in the preservation of cultural heritage

This project teaches students to explore the historical and artistic value of steles, thereby opening up new perspectives for our department’s history courses. The steles replicated under this project can also be used as course materials for the subjects offered by our department, including “HIS 1022 Methodologies: Sources, Practices and Field Research”, “HIS 2031 Chinese History (Part III): From the Song Dynasty to the Mid-Qing Period”, and “Taiwanese History: The Link between Tradition and Modernity.” Furthermore, the stele rubbing techniques taught in this project can be applied to the preservation of stone relics, which not only echoes the “public history” development direction of the Capstone Project in our history curriculum but also serves to strengthen the teaching in our newly established “Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Heritage Education and Arts Management” program.

In line with the recent emphasis in education on the “metaverse,” “virtual reality,” and “immersive learning,” this project will integrate innovative technology into the teaching of Chinese history. Through lectures, workshops, and other activities, our Chinese History major students will gain an understanding of current applications of virtual reality in education and learn how to create VR scripts. Ultimately, the students will develop a localized set of virtual reality teaching materials themed on historical figures. This initiative will not only enhance the participants’ professional competencies in education but also support the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies’s mission to foster students skilled in developing digital teaching materials and advancing their historical education expertise. Moreover, it will assist the Faculty of Humanities in engaging with local primary and secondary schools and in collaborating with both local and international partners to facilitate knowledge transfer, thereby responding to the local need for a broader historical educational perspective. It also aligns with our institution’s commitment to leading educational innovation.

The project’s objectives are as follows:

• Provide students with a resource repository and interactive platform, with the outcomes also converted into teaching methodology course materials for BEd(CHIST), BEd(HIST), and PGDE(HIST) programs.
• Enable students to understand the teaching purposes and goals outlined in the Education Bureau’s history curriculum guidelines and promote historical teaching in innovative formats.
• Support and encourage students in applying teaching theories to practice.
• Through professional seminars, allow students to evaluate, consolidate, and disseminate related teaching materials and research findings while exploring new directions in multimedia instruction.
• Design VR scripts and worksheets on historical figures for local primary and secondary school students, thereby transferring knowledge and innovation to both schools and the wider community.
• Establish partnerships between the department and local schools to provide our students with more opportunities for school experiences or trial teaching in the future.

• To promote experiential learning in current LCS Creative Writing courses (Chinese and English; LIT 2003 and LIT 3046). 
• To invent new literary and creative writing (Chines and English) pedagogy specifically about integrating the taste, the smell, the touch, and/ or body movement into the creative process. 

The objective of the project is to encourage students who join LIT3012 to watch and appreciate drama; to observe “the Impression of Drama” – a core concept taught in the course – of a play; and to, furthermore, employ the approaches of analysing the impression of drama in their discussion of the play as well as to apply the concept in their own play writing and performance. To achieve this, the subsidies of ticket fee would be provided for students who are interested in joining the programme. 

• To nurture and promote students’ creativity through literary arts and other art forms
• To internationalize the current BEd (EL) and BA (LS) programs
• To strengthen pre-service teachers’ training on how to teach creativity and creative writing in primary and secondary education settings

• To help Year 1 students learn how to write a good final paper 
• To help enhance the quality of teaching and learning in LIT 2043

• Self-Directed Learning: Cultivate students’ ability to independently collect primary materials and engage in in-depth self-study of original texts.
• Collaborative Learning: Foster cooperative interactions among peers and between students and instructors within a research-oriented classroom environment.
• Practical Research in the Classroom: Strive to integrate “research on teaching” with “teaching through research” so that research efforts directly enhance teaching quality.
• Digital and Blended Learning: Develop students’ skills in using academic electronic databases while encouraging the effective examination and utilization of valuable classical texts from East Asia, so that both approaches complement each other.

This project aims to

• Demonstrate the effective usage of popular culture in the university classroom
• Apply some of the existing theories of popular culture pedagogy in Hong Kong context
• Design and incorporate new innovative teaching and learning methods in a popular culture course
• Evaluate various aspects of popular culture education

The Introduction to Literature course is a core subject in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Language Studies as well as several Education Honors programs, and it also serves as a foundational course in the field of literature. Its effectiveness is critical for undergraduates to master literature-related knowledge and to develop their own research and analytical skills. Historically, the teaching materials for this course have been rather inconsistent, lacking fixed and representative resources. The basic learning materials developed a few years ago have been well received and have become indispensable for students, yet they are limited in scope. Students are eager for a broader range of reference materials. This project aims to expand the existing material base to further enhance undergraduate learning and the continuous development of the course.

• Utilize field research methods to compile teaching materials for Li Shangyin’s poetry
• Design teaching activities appropriate for undergraduate levels
• Enhance participants’ academic research abilities through involvement in research projects and teaching activities
• Improve participants’ skills in poetic appreciation and deepen their understanding of historical and cultural contexts
• Promote self-directed learning

• Providing students who are taught by the PI, ie. HIS 2007 Heritage of Hong Kong: Field Study and Experience, GEG 1057: The Culture of Daily Life in China and CHI 1909 Spread of Religion and Social Change, to have direct-touch to the culture practices and enhance their awareness local heritage and history in Hong Kong that were taught in lessons
• Empowering students who are recruited as student helper as researchers by involving students in ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews to the intangible cultural heritage that could benefit for them to launch their potential teaching or cultural sectors careers
• Fostering students’ ability on team work and nurturing their skills in written and verbal communication
• Cultivating our Bachelor of Education in History and Bachelor of Education in Chinese History programs long term connections with local intangible culture heritage communities.

This project seeks to deepen students’ learning and address criticisms from practicum schools regarding “insufficient undergraduate knowledge” among education students by exploring diverse and effective approaches to language teaching. Since students in class typically engage only with the provided text, the method of close reading—compared to traditional, broad, period-based literary history teaching—can be more challenging to master, lacking a fixed pattern to follow. Practical exercises focusing on individual passages are very important, as they will provide concrete examples of how undergraduate knowledge can be applied in the classroom for reference.

Training of innovative ability has been emphasised in secondary education. Many teachers in secondary schools are required to be creative writers and also good at appreciation of literary works. The proposed project helps our students to be well-equipped for their career of teaching Chinese literature. On the other hand, the teaching material can also help to strengthen students' ability on literary analysis and appreciation which is professional training in literary education.

The Application of “Learning-Oriented” Teaching Strategies in Oral Chinese Classes

This project aims to promote a “learning-oriented” teaching philosophy, enhance participants’ understanding of and skills in applying this approach, and improve their oral teaching and assessment abilities. In pursuing these goals, the project is guided by Wang Rongsheng’s principles of learning-oriented teaching:

• Strive to design scientifically sound and practical learning plans that serve as guides for student learning. Through active participation, critical thinking, and hands-on practice facilitated by these learning plans, students can learn how to learn, analyze, and solve problems, thus continuously enhancing their learning abilities.
• Teachers should fully respect students as the primary agents of their own learning and earnestly implement the teaching principles of “teaching determined by learning, learning before teaching, teaching to promote learning, mutual development through teaching, in-class training, and reinforcement for improvement.” By using learning plans as a medium, teachers can effectively transform students’ learning approaches, fostering habits of independent, collaborative, and inquiry-based learning, and making the classroom a space for proactive learning. (Wang Rongsheng, 2006)