Social, political, environmental, and economic activity and learning requires face-to-face, personal interaction with people and the physical environment. Yet to further diversify students’ learning experiences beyond those that can be reached through first-hand contact, and in line with the University’s initiatives and enhanced capacity, the Department aims to make active use of advanced teaching and learning technologies to achieve teaching and learning aims not easily achievable through traditional pedagogies. Where the achievement of students’ learning outcomes can be enhanced, we will make use of the full range of technologies available. As a major initiative in this domain, the Department has created a new Virtual Reality learning space that will offer students the opportunity to experience virtually first-hand social and geographic phenomena otherwise not within their reach.
Augmented Reality Sandbox (AR Sandbox) allows users to create topography models by shaping real sand, which is then augmented in real time by an elevation color map, topographic contour lines, and simulated water.
Application:
- To assist the teaching of geographic, geologic and hydrologic concepts, and students’ reading of topography maps and contour lines in Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Geography).
- To support schools to set up the AR Sandbox in facilitating the teaching of map reading, physical geography and human geography topics.
Our department will have a Virtual Reality(VR) Learning Space in the coming year. Our professor Dr. Lewis Cheung Ting-on is leading a project with Hong Kong Baptist University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong on using VR technologies to build students' risk awareness and knowledge of environmental hazards.
For more details, please find here: http://bit.ly/VRProjectWithUniversities
Sharing of Mr. Cheng on using E-Forum
Student attempted to join an E-Forum in Moodle for the preparation of their group projects and individual essays in BUS 6001--Analysing Employability Skills and Workforce Education Needs.
Comments from students:
E-forum helps me a lot when I prepare for the group project. The E-forum not only allows teachers to answer the question, students also can. When my classmates share their ideas or make some comments, it will become a kind of mutual learning resources. When I find some good ideas from my classmates, I can learn from it. I think it is the most valuable part of its function.
More information on Blended & Online Learning & Teaching: https://www.bolt.edu.hk/
A major initiative in this domain involves creating a Virtual/Augmented Reality Learning Space that will offer students the opportunity to experience virtually first-hand social and geographic phenomena otherwise not within their reach.
Blended Learning for University Enhancement (BLUE) Initiative: One Course One Online Lesson
This website is a funded project entitled “Develop a blended learning course on Advanced Qualitative Research Skills ”from the Department of Social Sciences, EdUHK. As supervisors of Honours Projects for undergraduates, we noticed that our students usually did not have enough knowledge and skills to conduct a proper research. By organising a series of workshops (which were completed in years 2016 and 2017) and by developing this online course, we hope to provide additional tips and guidelines for students to sharpen their understanding of qualitative research methods.
