Teaching & Learning

Dr Simon Wang has been teaching as a lecturer in English at the Language Center since 2016. At the LC he has taught a number of credit-bearing and supplementary courses and co-developed the General Education course GCAP 3056 Taking a Stand: Engaging in Public Discourse through Advanced Research and Writing with Dr Benedict Rowlett, through which he led students to investigate projects and policies of the HKSAR government and write letters to the editor in the South China Morning Post to make constructive suggestions on how the government can better serve the public. He has also been active in developing eLearning platforms working with computer programmers with funding support from the university.  With interest and expertise on academic discourse, he recently joined the editorial board of the prestigious journal English for Specific Purposes. Prior to joining Baptist University, Dr Wang taught at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Hubei. He earned his PhD in English studies from City University of Hong Kong under the supervision of Prof John Flowerdew and received China Oxford Scholarship to pursue a master degree in education at Oxford University.

Dr Wang and Dr Rowlett (the Team) are now teaching GCAP3056 Taking a Stand: Engaging in Public Discourse through Advanced Research and Writing (Level 3 GE Capstone). The Panel appreciated the Team’s strategy of adopting research-informed teaching practices, and the impact of their collaborative work on the development of effective teaching and learning practices.

The Panel was inspired by the Team’s positive teamwork synergy across course development and delivery. Though they taught in separate sessions, they prepared teaching materials and activities together, which showcased their collective effort. They offered their students multiple opportunities to explore the subject through a variety of modes of learning. It was impressive to hear that students’ achievements were published widely and frequently in the press, and that it was indeed a course which sought to make a difference in the society.

In their submission and presentation to the Panel, they showed active engagement in the Students-as-Partners scheme organized by the GE Office to exemplify the University’s aspiration of achieving best student experience. The Panel was pleased to see the positive feedback from students about their course delivery, and their active involvement in community engagement as evidenced by the Team.

The Panel recommended the Team to receive the GE Teaching Award (Team) to recognize their outstanding performance and devotion to the delivery of GE courses and students’ community engagement.