Preparing for Teaching & Learning at HKUST

Overview:

This program is for HKUST teaching support staff (e.g. Instructional Assistant; Teaching Associate) who are engaged in teaching-related activities, such as small-group teaching and/or marking students’ work.

For new teaching support staff, this session helps you understand how learning works, what pedagogical practices and assessment methods are effective in enhancing students’ learning. For experienced staff, it helps you troubleshoot problems and make your teaching approaches even more effective.

By participating in this program, you will be able to:

• familiarise with research-based learning principles & its implication on teaching
• identify effective pedagogical practice
• Identify appropriate assessment and feedback strategies

Workshop 1: How Learning Works (19 Sept 12:30 - 2:00 pm)

Any effective teaching must begin with a consideration of how students learn. When it comes to teaching, you could base your teaching approaches on personal experience, opinion, habit or your colleagues’ advice - but these approaches may not be ideal if your goal is to be an effective teacher. Understanding the science of learning can improve your teaching and help you address some common classroom challenges, such as why can’t students engage in my class? Why do students continue to apply the same ineffective learning strategies? What can I do to help students apply what they have learned? This workshop aims to introduce research-based learning theory coupled with practical tips to improve your teaching. By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:

• familiarise with research-based learning principles
• generate strategies that leverage these principles for effective teaching in your own context

Workshop 2: Good Practices for Assessment (26 Sept 12:30 - 2:00 pm)

Although assessment has a direct impact on student learning, handling assessment tasks – design, mark and give feedback could be intimidating for any one new to it. This workshop aims to help you identify the kind of practice and feedback that enhance students’ learning, By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:

• design and select learner-centered assessment tasks that fit the purpose
• set rubrics to communicate performance criteria
• generate goal – directed feedback

All Teaching Associate & Instructional Assistant are welcome