Best-Practice Speakers

Dr. Yuhao Cen

Dr. Yuhao Cen is Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Graduate School of Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Dr. Cen is devoted to research on college student development and college impact on students. She actively applies the philosophies of student development in teaching and learning, postgraduate mentoring and education administration. She has been a recipient of National Education Science Research Award and Shanghai Junior Faculty Teaching Award, among other honors. She is the first Asian scholar who serves on the editorial board of Journal of College Student Development.

Topic: Assessing Study Abroad: Understanding Student Learning and Development from the Perspective of Ecological Systems

Professor Ben Chan

Dr Ben, Y. B. Chan is currently an Associate Professor in Engineering Education and the Director of the University’s Center for Engineering Education Innovation. Ben has worked extensively in Engineering Education related areas, including academic advising, experiential learning and teaching pedagogies development. Ben has been the recipient of numerous teaching excellence awards during his almost decade-long teaching at the University, including the finalist of the QS Reimagine Education Award 2018 (Global) organized by Wharton School QS Reimagine Education Award Committhe; School of Engineering Teaching Excellence Appreciation Award in 2016 & 2020; the Common Core Teaching Excellence Award 2016 – Honorary Mention, the Nomination for the 2017 & 2020 UGC Teaching Award, etc. He also accumulated over HK$20M education related grants as a PI and has over 50 journal and conference papers published.

Topic: HKUST/SKKU Intercultural Peer Learning Program

Mr. Tony Chan

Mr. Tony Chan is former Assistant Director of Student Affairs and Head of Leadership Qualities Centre at HKBU. Upon taking up the position since 2015, he dedicates himself to empowering students to become committed “glocal” citizens with a caring heart through different co-curricular service-learning and community engagement programmes. He is also the Co-founder and Director of LxM, a registered charitable organization in Hong Kong, to promote the education and community development in Myanmar.

Topic: Change-Makers Programme

Dr. Wai Chi Chee

Dr. Wai-chi Chee is Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Studies at HKBU. Her research focuses on educational equity of migrant and ethnic minority students in Hong Kong. Currently she is working on a project to promote the intercultural competence of pre-service teachers to meet the learning needs of students from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Topic: Cultural Differences as Assets: Enhancing Intercultural Competence of Pre-service Teachers

Professor Tingzhu Chen

Professor Tingzhu Chen is a researcher at the School of Humanities, University of SJTU. Her research areas include the teaching of Chinese as a second language and Chinese characters especially Chinese characters and individual inscription of Oracle Bone.Her contribution is to how many oracle bone inscriptions in all (National hundred Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Nomination Award of China) in 2008, the second prize of philosophy and Social Sciences for outstanding achievements of Shanghai ninth philosophy and Social Sciences achievements in 2007, Outstanding youth post expert Award of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2013 and Yearly Excellent Teacher Award of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2014.

Professor Siu Yin Cheung

Prof. Siu Yin Cheung is Full Professor of the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her work focuses on issues of importance to scholars and professionals in the areas of sport and physical education, sport psychology, gymnastics, and wellness.

Topic: Incorporating Internationalisation in Graduate Attributes of an Undergraduate Sport Management Curriculum

Dr. Jessie M.L. Chow

Dr. Jessie M.L. Chow is a Lecturer (experiential learning) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong where she has been instrumental in the establishment of local and overseas experiential learning projects across undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes. She is a trained teacher and educational psychologist with extensive experience in working with schools and NGOs, and organising service-learning projects.

Topic: Experiential education for intercultural development: Experiences in ‘normal’ times and potentials in challenging times

Professor Chun Hung Chu

Prof. Chu is Clinical Professor and Associate Dean (External Relations) in the Faculty of Dentistry of The University of Hong Kong. He is the President of South East Asian Association of Dental Education.

Topic: Global Citizenship in Dentistry (GCD)

Dr. Jagriti Gangopadhyay

Dr Jagriti Gangopadhyay is currently an Assistant Professor at the Manipal Center for Humanities the Coordinator of Center for Women’s Studies at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

(Present with Dr David Parkinson)
Topic: Students Speak for Research: Design and Perceptions of World Class Day
Abstract: In this presentation, we will consider some effects of a recurrent student conference for its designers, mentors and participants. World Class Day is an online conference where students present snapshots of their original research and engage simultaneously with an international audience. Without cost, they practise and refine their skills in international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary research communication. They situate themselves within an international community of research and gain exposure to diverse perspectives from around the globe. In the last eighteen months, World Class Day has taken place three times, involving seventy students in seven countries at sixteen universities. In this session, we will evaluate the principles, design, and outcomes of World Class Day from two perspectives. First, we will consider why and how this conference is student-led, student-mentored, and humanities-oriented. Second, we will discuss students’ perspectives on the experience of presenting and mentoring at this conference, with an emphasis on the unique features of these experiences. We hope to engage our audience in a discussion of these features and their significance and potential in a world under pandemic.

Mr. Patrick Leung

Prior to joining CAES, Patrick taught general and academic English at several secondary schools and post-secondary institutions. At CAES, he mainly teaches English-in-the-Discipline courses for undergraduates from a range of disciplines. His main research interests include corpus linguistics, language assessment, and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) / Language Across the Curriculum (LAC).

(Present with Professor Matt Ragas)
Topic: Intercultural Research-Based Learning through Virtual Inter-Institutional Exchange: Experiences during Covid-19

Dr. David Parkinson

Dr David Parkinson is a Professor of English at the University of Saskatchewan, where his teaching practice centres on undergraduate research and international collaboration.

(Present with Dr Jagriti Gangopadhyay)
Topic: Students Speak for Research: Design and Perceptions of World Class Day
Abstract: In this presentation, we will consider some effects of a recurrent student conference for its designers, mentors and participants. World Class Day is an online conference where students present snapshots of their original research and engage simultaneously with an international audience. Without cost, they practise and refine their skills in international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary research communication. They situate themselves within an international community of research and gain exposure to diverse perspectives from around the globe. In the last eighteen months, World Class Day has taken place three times, involving seventy students in seven countries at sixteen universities. In this session, we will evaluate the principles, design, and outcomes of World Class Day from two perspectives. First, we will consider why and how this conference is student-led, student-mentored, and humanities-oriented. Second, we will discuss students’ perspectives on the experience of presenting and mentoring at this conference, with an emphasis on the unique features of these experiences. We hope to engage our audience in a discussion of these features and their significance and potential in a world under pandemic.

Professor Matt Ragas

Matt Ragas, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University in Chicago, USA. A recent highlight of his teaching experience at DePaul has been a Global Learning Experience (GLE) virtual collaboration with a colleague and his students at The University of Hong Kong. Matt has served as academic director of DePaul’s nationally-recognized public relations and advertising graduate program. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of five books including Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators (Emerald Publishing, 2021), Mastering Business for Strategic Communicators (Emerald Publishing, 2018) and Business Essentials for Strategic Communicators (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014). An award-winning teacher and researcher, he has served as faculty adviser on multiple student case studies that have won the Jack Koten Page Principles Case Study Award. He holds a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business from the University of Central Florida. Contact Matt at: mragas@depaul.edu.

(Present with Mr Patrick Leung)
Topic: Intercultural Research-Based Learning through Virtual Inter-Institutional Exchange: Experiences during Covid-19

Dr. Emilie Tran

Dr. Emilie Tran (PhD in History and Civilizations, EHESS, Paris, France) is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the European Studies | French Stream at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). Her research interests include China-Europe relations and diaspora communities. She teaches French politics, European societies, economic and business life. Having been teaching in higher education since 2004 (University of Macau, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Saint Joseph and HKBU), she is keen to develop new teaching and learning ventures to broaden the horizons of her students through international partnerships and double degrees, academic mobility, community outreach, and service-learning. She is Principal Investigator in the Pilot Project Scheme supported by the Community of Practice on Internationalisation of Teaching and Learning (CoP-ITL), titled “1, 2, 3, Prêts! Partez! Internationalisation at Home for a Successful Year Abroad”.

Topic: “1, 2, 3, Prêts! Partez!” Internationalisation at Home for a Successful Year Abroad