Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Geography)

Programme Aims

The programme aims at training pre-service teachers who will be able to teach Geography curriculum in the secondary schools.

On successful completion of the programme, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a solid understanding and command of geographical concepts and theories and apply the knowledge to solve geographical problems in the local, regional and global contexts with complex human-physical interface;
• develop learning capability to be a competent and effective learner and teacher in a dynamic and an ever-changing society;
• apply critical thinking to analyze the geographical and environmental issues that address the relationship among land, nature and people in the physical and human environments;
• demonstrate the pedagogical literacy and competency required for the development and implementation of curriculum in secondary schools; and
• develop essential abilities to plan, execute, report on field work and geographical research with the skills of data analysis, Geographic Information System, remote sensing and field studies.

Programme Structure

Domain	Credit Points (cps)
Major Major Cross-Faculty Core Course Major Interdisciplinary Course	39 (33) (3) (3)
Education Studies Education Studies Core Pedagogy for Major	30 (24) (6)
General Education	22
Final Year Project (Honours Project / Capstone Project)	6
Electives (including Free Electives, Minor or Second Major)	30
Field Experience	20
Language Enhancement	9
Total:	156

Note:
(1) Classes will be held in Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre / Kowloon Tong Satellite Study Centre / Sports Centre as decided by the University.
(2) Students admitted into this programme starting from the 2023/24 cohort are required to visit the Greater Bay Area (GBA) for a short trip (e.g. 1-day or 2-day 1-night trip) in order to complete the Cross-Faculty Core Course. While the GBA trip is heavily subsidised, students are still required to contribute 18% of the estimated cost of the trip ("student contribution"), whereas personal entertainment, meals expenses, travel document fee and personal insurance costs will not be supported. The estimated cost of the GBA trip for students admitted to the 2023/24 cohort is not available yet as it is subject to a variety of factors such as changes to the cost of the GBA trip as a result of inflation, trip duration, traveling expenses, the exchange rate, etc. The exact amount of student contribution is thus not available.
(3) Students admitted into this programme are required to join a compulsory overseas residential field study and contribute at least 18% of the estimated cost of the trip in order to complete the programme.

Major

The Geography Major is aligned with the existing geography curriculum of secondary education, which integrates the robust pedagogical training into the solid geographical content. The Major equips students with essential skills in geography teaching, such as Geographic Information System (GIS) and field work, which will enhance graduates’ ability in guiding field trips and applying the GIS in their teaching career. Major courses cover both physical and human geography topics that allow students to have a balanced geographical knowledge for teaching geography in senior and junior forms at secondary schools effectively.

The Cross-Faculty Core Course (CFCC) will comprise 3 individual components with 1 credit point each and separately assessed with the aim to widen students’ horizon and look beyond Hong Kong. In Component I, lectures with topics related to Basic Law / National Security will be arranged; in Component II, students will have the opportunities to undertake visits in Greater Bay Area; in Component III, a variety of themes which are linked to the University’s development niche areas will be offered by Faculties.

Education Studies

Education Studies gives students the chance to study teaching and learning from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will study early childhood/school education from psychological, sociological, philosophical, pedagogical and other perspectives. Students will develop a range of skills necessary for professional practice, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, social interaction, ethical decision making and global perspectives. Education Studies helps students appreciate the importance of professional excellence, ethical responsibility and innovation to the role of a teacher. We aim for our graduates to become beginning teachers who are caring and competent, intellectually enthusiastic, socially committed, and globally aware.

General Education

The EdUHK’s General Education programme prepares students to be active agents of change, by broadening their intellectual horizons, helping them make connections among different areas of knowledge and between their formal studies and life outside the classroom, and strengthening their capacity for sound thinking and good judgement. It offers a varied but balanced mix of individual courses across a range of subject areas and disciplines, set within an integrated structure of (i) General Education Foundation Course, (ii) General Education Breadth Courses, (iii) Experiential Learning, and (iv) University ePortfolio with a total of 22 credit points (cps).

1. General Education Foundation Course (4 cps)
   General Education Foundation Course (GEFC) is a 4-cp course that will run in Semesters 1 and 2, and will be taken by all first-year students at EdUHK. In view of the fact that Year 1 students usually lack the writing, thinking, presentation and research (inquiry) skills required for further academic pursuits, the 4-cp GEFC will build in a new 1 credit point skill-based development/ thematic course to equip them better for their intellectual development in the university context in Year 1 Semester 1. In Semester 2 of Year 1, students are still required to take part in the 3-cp GEFC lectures delivered by Chair Professors/ Professors and external Guest Lecturers on a wide variety of topics/ themes/ issues focusing on the domains of humanities, social sciences, science and environment as what have been practiced in recent years. These lectures are substantiated by small class tutorials for the purpose of building communities of dialogue and inquiry that foster the intellectual growth of students as reflective thinkers deliberating issues of importance to their own lives, to society and to the world as a whole.
    
2. General Education Breadth Courses (9 cps)
   Under the new curriculum (from 2019/20 onwards), the General Education Breadth Courses (GEBCs) (9 cps) are composed of General Education Breadth Learning Strands (1-3) (GELS) (Level 1-2), Positive and Values Education (PAVE) Course and General Education Interdisciplinary Course (GEIC) (Level 4), students have to take one of each component for fulfilling the GEBCs (9 cps) requirement.
   These courses aim to equip students better for the study of the ontological, epistemological and/or methodological issues in a wide variety of disciplines. Side by side with these existing components, a new 3-cp GEIC (Level 4) will be offered on cross-faculty and/ or cross-departmental basis for students from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3, in order to enable them to appreciate the complexity of issues and problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries and make sense of them through dialogues across or integration of disciplines.
   Students are allowed to take GELS and PAVE Course after the completion of GEFC or concurrently with GEFC in Year 1 Semester 2 if they are interested and their curriculum schedules allow. After the completion of any GELS or PAVE Course, students are allowed to take the GEIC from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1.
    
3. Experiential Learning (6 cps)
   Experiential Learning (EL) is composed of a 3-cp Co-curricular Service Learning Course (CSLC) and a 3-cp Experiential Learning Course (ELC) which will be offered by departments under the GE domain. Students have to take one of each component for fulfilling the EL (6 cps) requirement.
   The 3-cp CSLC provides students with an opportunity to engage in learning in action and through co-curricular learning activities with direct service elements in real-life or work-place context while complementing, connecting with, and mirroring their learning experiences derived from formal curriculum. The 3-cp ELC encourages students to learn through experimentation, observation, reflection and (re-) conceptualization while undertaking a wide variety of activities, such as creative work, field studies, projects, thematic overseas trips, outward-bound training etc. These courses enrich students’ learning experiences and skills through learning, thinking and reflecting on practice, in practice and for practice, while exposing them to authentic and real-life contexts.
   CSLCs and ELCs will be made available for all undergraduate students, expect final year students of non-BEd programmes.
    
4. University ePortfolio (3 cps)
   After the completion of these courses, students will take a 3-cp course at Consolidation Level to complete their University ePortfolios normally before the final year. Based on their on-going evidence-based reflections on learning since Year One through Years Two-Three/Four, students are required to complete the construction of their University ePortfolios that are made up of the artifacts and evidence derived from a wide variety of learning experiences (e.g. Language Enhancement, GEFC, GELS, PAVE Course and GEIC, Majors, Minors/Electives, Field Experience/Internship, Exchange Programme, CSLCs, ELCs etc.). It provides an intellectual platform for students to synthesize their learning experiences garnered from the academic journey at the EdUHK by critically reflecting on the values and significance of what they have learned, making connections to their lives, and charting or imagining their own future.
   Students are allowed to take University ePortfolio after the completion of all General Education Breadth Courses required. Normally, students are expected to complete their UePortfolios in the year before the final year. Also, they have to take the University ePortfolio in the year of study assigned by individual programmes.

For detailed information and the course synopsis about General Education courses, please contact General Education Office at ge@eduhk.hk.

Final Year Project (Honours Project / Capstone Project)

Student will complete either an Honours Project or a Capstone Project in the final year of study.

Electives

Students can choose either one of the following options:

1. Free electives
2. 1 Minor plus electives
3. 2 Minors
4. Second Major

Field Experience

Students will be placed in schools which are important sites for learning to teach and where they will interpret, generate, interact and experiment with theory:

Year 2 Semester 1 & 2	Start with an introduction (FE Foundation Course with 3 cps) to the teaching profession. Students will be guided and supported by a professional tutor to understand the roles and expectations of a teacher and build their own professional identity and mission, whilst adapting to the changing role from a student to a teacher.
Year 3 Semester 2	Conduct Block Practice I in schools (5 cps) for 8 weeks, accompanied by the taught course of FE and Professional Learning Portfolio I (2 cps) in form of small-group tutorials that support students’ active engagement in the Field Experience and help them to connect theory and practice. Through group and individual guidance, students will produce an e-portfolio which is a collection of evidence of their learning to support reflection and professional growth.
Year 5 Semester 1	Conduct Block Practice II in schools (7 cps) for 8 weeks, accompanied by the taught course of FE and Professional Learning Portfolio II (3 cps) in form of small-group tutorials and individual guidance that enhance students’ understanding of the schools and the role of a teacher as a caring cultivator, an inspirational co-constructor and a committed role model for students. They will further develop their e-portfolio for more in-depth reflection and records of their professional development.

Block Practice will be conducted in local schools where the medium of instruction may vary depending on the policy of the schools. Students should be able to demonstrate a proficient level of Cantonese / English / Putonghua (for Chinese Language teaching in some schools) to conduct Block Practice.

Important Note: The University will ask students of our full-time teacher education programmes (e.g. Bachelor of Education programmes) to declare whether they have been convicted of or are being prosecuted for any sex-related offence in Hong Kong or elsewhere, and to provide relevant details prior to undertaking teaching practice. Such information may be released to their placement schools. The University reserves the right not to allow these students to attend the block teaching practice. If so, they won't be able to meet the graduation requirements of the programmes.

Language Enhancement

From September 2012-13, FT BEd non-language-major students will be required to meet Language Exit Requirements (LERs) for English and Putonghua. The exit benchmarks are IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) for English, and PSC (Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi) 3B for Putonghua. Students are required to study a comprehensive package of English, Chinese and Putonghua enhancement courses.

English Enhancement Programme (EEP) consists of two credit-bearing courses in Year 1/2. These courses will equip students with academic literacy, reading and writing skills essential to their study at tertiary level. They will also lay the foundation for students to learn English independently in subsequent years through participation in self-access learning activities, blended learning, and optional language enhancement courses appropriate to their level and developmental needs. In addition, students will be required to study two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses which are for their preparation for English language tests. Optional IELTS preparation workshops will also be offered to familiarize students with the EdUHK-sponsored IELTS (once only) after they have completed the EEP.

Students are also required to study three Chinese enhancement courses, and up to two Putonghua enhancement courses depending on their level.

Chinese Enhancement Programme (CEP) consists of one mandatory credit-bearing course and two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses, which provide students with the input on Chinese language skills as well as elements of literature and culture.

Students may be exempted from selected Chinese course in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual course.

Putonghua Enhancement Programme (PEP)
Students have to take up to two mandatory, non-credit-bearing courses depending on their Putonghua levels at entry via the Tertiary Putonghua Test (TPT), and could opt for other non-credit-bearing Putonghua enhancement courses after Year 1.

Students may be exempted from selected Putonghua courses in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual courses.

Cantonese Enhancement Courses (For non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students)
Non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students will be required to study two non-credit-bearing Cantonese courses. The successful completion of the Cantonese courses will be recorded in the student's transcript.

For Chinese (including Putonghua) and English, language consultation services and other self-access materials are provided at ASLLC, the self-access language learning centre (these arrangements are subject to changes).

Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications

In-depth academic and professional knowledge confer graduates of the programme with excellent career prospects. They will possess a Qualified Teacher Status in Hong Kong and are ready to become fully qualified teachers in local secondary schools. In addition to the professional teaching career, graduates will possess the academic knowledge and intellectual skills to embark on a wide variety of other relevant jobs in the government sector, green non-government organisations, commercial organisations, environmental consultancies, etc.

For details, please visit: https://www.apply.eduhk.hk/ug/programmes/bedgeog

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in this website is correct. Changes to any aspects of the programmes may be made from time to time due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and the University reserves the right to make amendments to any information contained in this website without prior notice. The University accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from any use or misuse of or reliance on any information contained in this website.
Any aspect of the course and course offerings (including, without limitation, the content of the course and the manner in which the course is taught) may be subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of the University. Without limiting the right of the University to amend the course and its course offerings, it is envisaged that changes may be required due to factors such as staffing, enrolment levels, logistical arrangements, curriculum changes, and other factors caused by unforeseeable circumstances. Tuition fees, once paid, are non-refundable.
EdUHK is one of the teacher education providers in Hong Kong. Graduates of the University’s teacher education programmes are eligible to apply to become fully qualified and registered teachers. As regards teacher registration, graduates should approach the Teacher Registration Team of the Education Bureau (EDB) to submit applications directly. All applications will be assessed by the EDB which will consider, among other things, whether an applicant has been convicted of any criminal offence (including sex-related offences) in Hong Kong or elsewhere, or is involved in any ongoing criminal proceedings or investigations. For details, please browse the EDB's website.