Designing Departmental or Faculty-Based Teaching and Learning Programmes for PhD Students

Event Details

Date : 11 Jun 2026 (Thu)

Time : 12:30pm – 2:00pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS 321, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Facilitators :

  • Dr. Alex Shum, Senior Lecturer, TALIC, HKU
  • Dr. Jannie Roed, Director, TALIC, HKU
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Abstract

This seminar aims at guiding staff members from across the university in designing a teaching programme for their PhD students. All faculties/departments must have a programme in place by September 2027 at the latest. The seminar will provide an opportunity for colleagues to:

  • Discuss the content of a programme in teaching and learning in higher education
  • Understand the support structures needed for an effective programme
  • Explore different programme designs
For information, please contact:

Ms. Canice MOK

Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre

Online Learning to Elevate Campus Events with Safety Mastery

To support student societies in organizing safe, responsible, and respectful student-led activities, CEDARS-LEAF collaborates with TALIC to launch a new online learning course, SAFE2601 Health, Safety, and Conduct for Student-Led Activities Organizers. The course will equip student leaders and committee members of student-led activities in approximately 140 registered student organizations, including faculty and academic societies, residential halls and colleges students’ associations, cultural and sports clubs, with practical knowledge for planning and running campus activities with a strong foundation in legal compliance, risk awareness, and duty of care for a holistic leadership.

How to help student leaders navigate health and safety hazards?

The new course, SAFE2601 Health, Safety, and Conduct for Student-Led Activities Organizers, utilizes a student-centered design to provide training focused on two core areas: (1) recognizing common health and safety hazards and (2) highlighting student conduct, rights, and legal compliance, all aimed at fostering a comprehensive understanding of student leadership.

A major component of the course addresses the practical health and safety risks that commonly arise in student-led activities. These are not abstract concerns, but real issues that organisers may face when planning camps, orientation programmes, outdoor challenges, catering arrangements, or venue-based events. 

The course focuses on common health and safety hazards that student organisers may encounter in camps, orientation activities, and other student-led events. It covers safety in public spaces such as beaches and country parks, including rules on fire use, cooking, and environmental protection, as well as the proper handling of dangerous goods. It also addresses venue and event safety, highlighting common electrical hazards, fire prevention, and the importance of keeping emergency exits clear.

In addition, the course introduces essential food safety principles and raises awareness of serious health risks such as heat stroke and rhabdomyolysis during outdoor activities. It also emphasises the role of health declarations, waivers, and first aid provision in effective risk management and emergency preparedness. Together, these topics help student leaders recognise foreseeable hazards and take practical steps to reduce risks before incidents occur.

How to promote holistic student leadership upholding rights and responsibilities?

Beyond physical safety, the course highlights student conduct, rights, and legal compliance. It helps organisers understand their responsibilities in relation to drugs, smoking, dangerous goods, public order, and university conduct requirements. Students are reminded that activities should be conducted lawfully, responsibly, and with respect for the safety and wellbeing of all participants.

The course further addresses the importance of protecting participants’ rights, including privacy, equal treatment, and respectful conduct. It also introduces key considerations in data protection and data privacy, particularly when handling personal information, medical declarations, photographs, or participant records. Through these topics, the course promotes a holistic understanding of student leadership grounded in safety, responsibility, and respect.

How does student-centered online learning design support the learning experience?

1. Flexible learning for timely preparation

The flexible modular online format of SAFE2601 on HKU Online Learning makes the course especially suitable for student leaders preparing activities during busy periods of the academic year and summer months. Many organisers need to balance internships, exchange programmes, society duties, and personal commitments while preparing for large-scale activities. A flexible online course allows them to learn at their own pace, revisit key content when needed, and complete essential training anytime and anywhere.

2. Multiple levels of support for safe and responsible leadership

The course is expected to bring benefits at multiple levels.

For student leaders and participants, it helps foster safer and better-organised activities by improving awareness of legal obligations, operational risks, and emergency preparedness. Student leaders can build confidence in making responsible decisions, while participants benefit from a safer and more supportive activity environment. 

For personal growth, the course encourages responsibility, ethical awareness, and sound judgement. It helps students strengthen transferable skills in planning, risk assessment, communication, and care for others—qualities that are valuable not only in university life, but also in future professional and community settings.

For student societies and the wider university community, the course supports a stronger culture of compliance, safety, and accountability. Better-prepared organisers can help reduce preventable incidents, improve activity standards, and contribute to a more positive and supportive campus environment.

3. Authentic use cases and multimodal design

The development of the course content was led by CEDARS-LEAF Student Leadership Development Programme, based on real case studies and operational concerns commonly encountered in student-led activities. The course draws together guidance on legal compliance, environmental safety, emergency preparedness, and health protection into one coherent learning experience for organisers. This approach helps students connect policy and principles with realistic situations they may encounter in organising student-led activities.

The course adopts a student-centred approach and multimodal design. TALIC instructional designers work with content contributors to curate important training content into flexible online modules that include visuals, interactive activities, scenario-based learning, quizzes, and assessments using innovative edTech tools and AI-assisted coding. This design engages learners in interactive, scenario-based learning that reflects the responsibilities they may face as organizers, and helps them in day-to-day decision-making when such situations arise in student activities.

How does our online program help to foster future leadership?

At CEDARS LEAF, online student-centered learning plays an important role in enriching students’ experience beyond the classroom. The launch of SAFE2601 Health, Safety and Conduct for Student-led Activities Organisers reflects a shared commitment by CEDARS and TALIC to preparing students not only for successful event organisation, but also for thoughtful leadership grounded in safety, respect, and responsibility.

By focusing on both common health and safety hazards and student conduct, rights, and legal compliance, the course empowers student leaders to organise activities with greater confidence and care, while contributing positively to a safer and more inclusive university environment.

CEDARS LEAF Courses on HKU Online Learning 

For Course Information:

CEDARS-LEAF Student Leadership Development Programme

For Course Design and EdTech Support: 

EdTech Consultation

Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme Seminar – Medical Education in the 2020s – Challenges, Lessons Learnt, and the Way Forward

Event Details

Date : 29 May 2026 (Fri)

Time : 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS 321, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Speaker : Prof. Michael Co, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU

Facilitator : Prof. Luke Fryer, Assistant Director, TALIC, HKU

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Abstract

Hong Kong’s rapidly aging population and ongoing brain drain pose unprecedented challenges to our public health system. To ensure a sustainable pipeline of future medical professionals, the SAR Government has expanded medical school admissions. However, this growth has brought about significant hurdles, including limited physical space, staffing constraints, and a scarcity of suitable clinical cases for teaching purposes – all of which impact the quality of undergraduate medical education.

The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated these challenges, temporarily restricting students’ access to hospital premises and shifting didactic sessions to remote platforms. Concurrently, artificial intelligence and tele-education technologies began to revolutionize medical training. Recognizing this shift, the HKUMed has proactively invested in innovative teaching models and techniques to enhance our students’ learning experiences.

In this talk, Prof. Michael Co will share recent developments in Hong Kong’s medical education landscape, highlighting his Faculty’s initiatives such as remote clinical skills training and virtual bedside teaching utilizing AI chatbots. These advancements exemplify how embracing technology can overcome current limitations and prepare our future healthcare professionals for a rapidly evolving landscape.

In addition, Prof. Co will share his Teaching Exchange fellowship to the National University of Singapore, explaining how this fellowship has allowed him and his team to expand their virtual bedside teaching model to the region.

About the Speaker

Prof. Michael Co is a general surgeon, he is also the Assistant Dean (Pedagogy and Assessment) at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong.

Apart from clinical innovation and research, Prof. Co is highly active in medical education. In 2021, he led the development of Hong Kong’s first generative artificial intelligence chatbot for clinical bedside teaching. He pioneered virtual bedside teaching methods and, in September 2022, co-hosted the world’s first cross-territorial virtual bedside teaching session with the National University of Singapore, where he is also an Honorary Visiting Fellow. His innovative teaching approaches have received wide coverage from local and international media including BBC World Service.

In recognition of his dedication to medical education, Prof. Co received the HKU Faculty Teaching Medal in 2021. He is also a member of the prestigious Academy of Master Surgeon Educators at the American College of Surgeons, becoming the second Academic from an Asian Institution to be inducted with such honour.

For information, please contact:

Ms. Canice MOK

Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre