Curriculum and Assessment in Higher Education

Time: 10:00 to 12:00 a.m.
Date: Apr. 20th (Sat.), 2024
Mode: by zoom
Speakers: SUN Jiaan, HAN Xiaoying, OWYONG Xinzi, LIU Yan, WANG Xintong (The University of Hong Kong)
Chair: Prof. Jisun Jung (The University of Hong Kong)
Moderator: JIN Hanwei (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration Link: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsfuyrrjsuGtRD_BkpKRHoIYEpWPg42BLD

Book talk: ‘Student Agency and Self-Formation in Higher Education’

Time: 4:00pm-5:30pm, (HKT)
Date: 22 April, 2024
Venue: Runme Shaw Building 203 & by zoom
Speaker: Prof. Yusuf Ikbal Oldac (Hong Kong Lingnan University), Prof. Simon Marginson (University of Oxford), Prof. Lili Yang (The University of Hong Kong), Dr. Soyoung Lee (University of Oxford)
Chair: Prof. Jisun Jung (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration link: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0NcMaZwQNv8NKhU

Abstract:

In this newly published edited book, Student Agency and Self-Formation in Higher Education, the authors collectively argue for positioning students at the centre of higher education, drawing from the concepts of student agency and self-formation. A main premise behind this argument is that higher education has broader and more important purposes than what a neoliberal human capital approach would suggest. The discourses on higher education teaching and learning need to go beyond the narrow definitions applied in the latest decades, which have reduced students to consumers, income maximisers, or passive information receivers.
How students exercise their agency and realise holistic self-formation in higher education is an important matter for discussion. Edited by Yusuf Oldac, Lili Yang and Soyoung Lee, the book brings together disciplinary, cultural, and contextual diversity and provides international perspectives to readers interested in higher education theories, policies, and practices.
In this webinar, Yusuf Oldac will introduce the book, its overall arguments and its chapters. Afterwards, two of the chapters from the book will be presented and discussed. A Q&A session will follow. The two chapters and their abstracts are as follows.
Simon Marginson will discuss his chapter titled ‘Antecedents of Student Self-Formation in Social Theory and Educational Philosophy: What Do They Tell Us About Structure and Agency?’.
One of the main functions of higher education is ‘subjectification’, the process whereby students emerge as self-determining persons. The contemporary form of subjectification can be understood as the ‘self-formation’ of students. Student self-formation is sustained by, and develops, the will to learn and an epistemically engaged student agency that is autonomous and reflexive. Student self-formation is foregrounded in contemporary societies that rest on socially nested autopoietic individuality. It also has partial antecedents in the educational practices of Confucian self-cultivation in the Chinese civilisational zone, the Greek and Roman work of the self on the self, the Bildung tradition in Germany, and the American pragmatism of John Dewey and others. More contemporary antecedents in political theory, sociology and psychology include Lev Vygotsky, Amartya Sen, Anthony Giddens, Margaret Archer and Michel Foucault. These partly contrary theorisations differ in their ideas of structure and agency and hence the space they make for the self-evolution of students. The chapter reviews these differing partial antecedents. It finds that research on student self-formation is best informed by theorisations in which agency is interactive with structure, but also autonomous and ontologically heterogeneous in relation to structure (e.g. Archer and Foucault), rather than patterned by structure within a structure/agency unity (e.g. Giddens). Focus on agency does not block awareness of the power of structural forces: structure and agency are sometimes but not always in a zero-sum relationship. Unequal student starting points, unequal learning resources, and unequal institutional and policy commitments to subjectification, sharply differentiate the conditions of self-formation. Yet in the face of structural inequalities, it is always self-forming agency that offers the way through.
Lili Yang and Soyoung Lee will introduce their collaborative chapter co-authored with Yusuf Oldac titled ‘Agency and Student Development in Higher Education: A Cross-Cultural and Cross-Disciplinary Exploration’.
Students experience development and growth during their higher education journey, but the exact mechanisms behind this process remain relatively unknown. This chapter seeks to shed light on how students develop, grow, and attain empowerment in higher education by focusing on the interactions between individuals and their surroundings (referred to as I-world interactions). Employing a multicultural and multidisciplinary approach, the chapter begins by examining various cultural and philosophical perspectives on I-world interactions, such as the German idealistic, Chinese Confucian, and Islamic Sunni philosophies. Subsequently, it delves into the implications of these interactions for individual development and growth in higher education, drawing from research in psychology, sociology, and education. The chapter argues that three fundamental elements underlie I-world interactions in all three philosophical approaches: the acknowledgement of agency, exercise of agency and enhancement of agency. Higher education allows students to exhibit agency, as supported by sociological theories and psychological evidence of human functioning. Students actively exercise their agency, especially when engaging with environmental factors both within and outside the university setting. If universities effectively structure and implement this process, they can contribute to the enhancement of students’ agency. The three shared elements among the examined cultural philosophies and the empirical evidence in educational, psychological, and sociological studies together form foundations for understanding how students become empowered in higher education and for positioning the enhancement of students’ agency at the centre of higher education across contexts.

About the speakers:

Yusuf Ikbal Oldac is an Assistant Professor based at Hong Kong Lingnan University. He is also a Core Centre Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies of the same institution. Yusuf obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Education degree from the University of Oxford with a full scholarship from the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. His research focuses on international and comparative higher education in the context of globalisation.
Simon Marginson is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford, Director of the ESRC/RE Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE), and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Higher Education. Simon led the ESRC Centre for Global Higher Education between November 2015 and April 2024. His research is focused primarily on global and international higher education, higher education in East Asia, the public and social contributions of higher education, and higher education and social equality. He is currently preparing an integrated theorisation of higher education. His scholarship is widely published and cited.
Lili Yang is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong. She has strong interests in Eastern-Western comparison in higher education. More broadly, her research interests include higher education, comparative and international higher education, and educational and political philosophy. Previously, Lili was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, where she also received her DPhil in Education. Her recent book is titled Higher Education, State and Society: Comparing the Chinese and Anglo-American Approaches (2022).
Soyoung Lee has recently received her PhD degree from the Department of Education, University of Oxford. Soyoung’s research interests involve international students, student agency and cultural differences in higher education. She is a member of Global Higher Education research group and holds her master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. Soyoung’s research was fully funded by University of Oxford and her thesis involves comparing international and local higher education as student self-formation by integrating empirical and conceptual approaches.

Internationalisation in Higher Education

Time: 10:00 to 12:00 a.m.
Date: Apr.27th (Sat.), 2024
Mode: by zoom
Speakers: ZHANG Xueli, HE Huangqing, CAl Renjie, JIN Hanwei, ZENG Zijia (The University of Hong Kong)
Chair: Prof. Jisun Jung (The University of Hong Kong)
Moderator: SUN Jiaan (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration Link: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYodeCvpjgjG9xdHJiX8pMOYR_46y4ETTg2

Higher Education in a Time of Artificial Intelligence

Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm, (HKT)
Date: 29 April, 2024
Venue: HKU Runme Show Building Room 203 & by zoom
Speaker: Prof. Margaret Bearman (Deakin University)
Chair: Prof. Juuso Nieminen (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration link: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3UXptoOWOaQbX5c

Abstract

This keynote explores how teaching and learning in higher education may need to adapt to world with Artificial Intelligence (AI). In a time when generative AI has hit the headlines, it is important to move beyond the positive and negative hype. I do not position AI as a shining utopian opportunity nor a destructive dystopian force. Rather, I explore how we can teach students about (and with) AI in complex and dynamic ways. The concept of an ‘AI interaction’ is introduced as a foundational starting point.  I also introduce specific strategies with concrete examples for teaching students about how to engage with a world of AI.  These emphasise ideas such as developing evaluative judgement and building criticality as a means to help students grapple with an AI-mediated world.

About the Speaker

Margaret Bearman is a Research Professor within the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE), Deakin University. She has a first-class honours degree in computer science and a PhD in medical education. Margaret has taught and researched higher and professional education for over two decades. She is known for her work in assessment design, feedback in clinical environments, simulation, and digital education.

Multiple Pathways to Triple Helix Model: What Can We Learn from China

Date: 2nd May, 2024 (Thurdsday)
Time: 12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (GMT+8)
Venue: Room 203 , Runme Shaw Building, The University of Hong Kong & ZOOM
Speaker: Professor Wei Ha (Peking University)
Chair: Professor Gerard A. Postiglione (The University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

Triple Helix model has gained popularity since its birth. It categorizes three types of Triple Helix models but has failed to elucidate potential pathways to a balanced triple helix model. Our paper outlines seven development stages given the synergistic nature of the three helix and charts out possible pathways to a balanced triple helix stage. Furthermore, we provide evidence drawn from regional cases in China to show that there is no one-size-fit-all in the construction of a balanced triple helix model. Usually, a region/city would achieve a breakthrough in one of the three helixes followed by subsequent successes in the other two. It would be naïve to take the success of such efforts for granted. In fact, some regions are bound to be stuck in a less than ideal development stage while others may even experience a painful decoupling of its balanced triple helix.

About the Speaker

Professor Ha Wei is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor (with tenure) of Education Policy and Management at the Graduate School of Education, Peking University. He specializes in impact evaluation of education policies in China. In recent years, his research interest concentrates on the effects of the mushrooming of new university campuses on local social and economic development in China. He received his BA and MA from Peking University and his Ph.D. from Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to joining PKU, he served as policy specialist and senior policy specialist with UNDP and UNICEF in the US and in Africa for almost seven years. He frequently consults with Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and UN agencies. Since 2023, he has served as the Associate Editor of International Journal of Education Development and as a member on the Editorial Board of Education Finance and Policy.

Registration Form: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a4p66iuKO3n4RSe

Students’ Motivation and Learning Experience in Higher Education

Time: 10:00 to 12:00 noon.
Date: May.4th (Sat.), 2024
Mode: by zoom
Speaker: KONG Sinying, ZHOU Xinyuan, WU Tong, WANG Liangyu, LIANG Dongqin (The University of Hong Kong)
Chair: Prof. Jisun Jung (The University of Hong Kong)
Moderator: OWYONG Xinzi (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration Link: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcuc–vqjojHNE_cCT4XwMXp90MnCXwdSAg

Knowledge – The Most Important and Least Considered Object of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm, (HKT)
Date: 14 May, 2024
Mode: by Zoom
Speaker: Prof. Paul Ashwin (Lancaster University)
Chair: Prof. Juuso Henrik (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration link: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpfuurqDoiHtcrZeD4Vv_pz8PsMjr4JEFS

Abstract

In this seminar, I will argue that studies of teaching and learning in higher education all too frequently fail to consider the role of knowledge in educational processes. This occurs regardless of the island of higher education research that they inhabit. This means we get discussion of student-centredness, student engagement, or student identities without any sense of how all of these processes are shaped by the knowledge to which students are seeking to gain access. This occurs for both  methodological and conceptual reasons but is ironic given higher education’s primary role as a steward of knowledge for societies. I will argue that without an understanding of knowledge it is not possible to understand what it means to educate students. 

About the Speaker

Paul Ashwin is Professor of Higher Education, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University. He is Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) and leads the Centre’s Graduate Experiences of Employability and Knowledge project, which is examining the experiences of graduates of chemistry and chemical engineering in England, South Africa and the United States. His book, ‘Transforming University Education: A Manifesto’ (2020), argues for a focus on the educational, rather than economic, purposes of university degrees in order to understand their transformational impact on students and societies. He is also the lead author on Reflective Teaching in Higher Education (2015, 2020) written by an international team to support the development of research-informed university teaching.

Relational pedagogies in higher education

Date: 20th May, 2024 (Monday)
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (GMT+8)
Mode: Online (via ZOOM)
Speaker: Dr. Karen Gravett (University of Surrey)
Chair: Professor Juuso Nieminen (The University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

Relational pedagogies involve thinking about relationships, connections and care in higher education. Thinking about connections is not a new idea. But what is new are the pressures upon forging connections in universities. There is a plentiful literature on the difficulties of academic life where institutions have been described as environments that are both uncaring and unhealthy. Educators are also still grappling with the impacts of the Covid pandemic, with increasing workloads, as well as engaging with new questions regarding how artificial intelligence will reorientate engagement. This session explores how we engage in meaningful connections with others. In this seminar I engage theoretical approaches, for example posthumanism, affect theory and sociomaterial concepts, to think about relational connections in new ways. I explore how thinking with theory offers us different starting points for education that positions the teacher or student as entangled within a web of relations, that includes nonhuman others, spaces and things. I suggest that thinking in new ways about relationality and connection enables us to ask different questions, and to notice our students, institutions and learning spaces anew.

About the Speaker

Dr. Karen Gravett is Associate Professor and Director of Research at the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK, where her research focuses on the theory-practice of higher education, and explores the areas of student engagement, belonging, and relational pedagogies. She is Director of the Language, Literacies and Learning research group, a member of the SRHE Governing Council, and a member of the editorial board for Teaching in Higher Education, and Learning, Media and Technology. She is also a a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and an Honorary Associate Professor for the Centre for Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin Unversity. Karen’s work has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Society for Research in Higher Education, the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education, the British Association for Applied Linguistics, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Her latest books are: Gravett, K. (2023). Relational Pedagogies: Connections and Mattering in Higher Education, and Kinchin, I. M. and Gravett, K. (2022). Dominant Discourses in Higher Education.

Registration Form: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUufuGvpzIqEte88OsMRHnLsgE2U6UQ5hNo

Revival of “internationalization” in mainland Chinese universities with Christian roots? Historical and empirical inquiries in overseas experienced talent recruitment

Date: 29th May, 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 5:20 p.m. (GMT+8)
Mode: Online (via ZOOM)
Speaker: Dr. Hantian Wu (Zhejiang University)
Chair: Professor Hugo Horta (The University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

Internationalization has been a priority in mainland China’s higher education development for the past two decades, and recruiting overseas returnees has become a strategic approach to facilitate it. Such practices have deep historical roots that predate 1949, especially in Christian universities established by foreign missionaries. Pre-1949 Christian universities in China, such as St. John’s University in Shanghai and Soochow University in Jiangsu Province, were considered “world-class universities with Chinese characteristics” (Perry & Tu, 2020, p.35). Given that recruiting scholars with foreign credentials has become a crucial strategy for improving Chinese higher education, this research adopts historical and empirical approaches to examine the histories and current situations of two case institutions related to this matter. It focuses on answering the main research question: How do the historical roots of the case institutions influence their current internationalization practices, and what are the effects and reasons?

Based on theoretical perspectives related to higher education internationalization and indigenization (e.g., Lingard and Rizvi, 1998; Wu and Zha, 2018), an intrinsic case study, which maintains the research interest in the case itself (Stake, 2005), has been conducted for two Chinese institutions, East China Normal University and Soochow University, and their respective predecessors (i.e., St. John’s University and Christian Soochow [Dongwu] University). Data were collected through historical files, policy documents, interviews, and observations. By examining these two universities with pre-1949 Christian roots, the research intends to identify successful historical experiences with talent recruitment and current challenges and problems with the overseas experienced talent recruitment strategy concerning higher education internationalization. Findings from historical analysis and fieldwork reveal that the role of the current wave of talented overseas returnees has not been fully operative in mainland China’s higher education development for institutional and macro-level reasons, such as utilitarianism and an unhealthy academic culture, which dominate academic communities at the local level and beyond. It highlights that the marginalization of overseas returnees can hinder both substantive international research collaborations and the development of students’ intercultural communication skills, and suggests that further research on mainland China’s academic culture and its historical roots is necessary.

About the Speaker

Dr. Hantian Wu is a professor (tenure-track) and doctoral supervisor at the College of Education, Zhejiang University. He is also the deputy head of the Department of Educational Studies and the deputy director of the university’s Office of Global Engagement. He received his doctoral degree from OISE, University of Toronto, under the supervision of Prof. Ruth Hayhoe, and his master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute of Higher Education, East China Normal University. His research focuses on comparative and international higher education, higher education internationalization and indigenization, transnational academic mobility, and academic knowledge production in a global context. His research on these topics has been published in Higher Education, Studies in Higher Education, and the Journal of Studies in International Education, as well as some prestigious Chinese journals.

Registration Form: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAude6pqzssHdfrv_7euAxphDhKYbfCGzNd

香港大學世紀之問 —— 改革開放初期與內地交流的人和事

HKU in the Early Days of Reform and Opening-up 

Jamil Salmi (ed.) (2023). Transforming Lives at the Institutional Level: Equity Promotion Initiatives Across the World

In the ever-evolving landscape of global education, the quest for equitable access to quality higher education remains a pressing challenge. Across the world, countless children and young individuals confront daunting circumstances that impede their educational opportunities due to factors such as race, gender, socioeconomic background, and geographical origin. This particularly affects those in developing countries and marginalized groups globally. To address this issue, promoting inclusivity and pluralism within higher education institutions has become an imperative driven by the principles of social justice and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Throughout Transforming Lives at the Institutional Level: Equity Promotion Initiatives Across the World, readers will gain profound insights into various equity-focused initiatives. From integrating low-income students into university cultures and implementing student aid programs to promoting balanced regional selection and supporting students with disabilities, the case studies offer a wealth of knowledge and good practices. They delve into affirmative action, indigenous inclusion, coaching programs, and many more initiatives aimed at improving access for underrepresented groups. This volume underscores the importance of comprehensive equity promotion policies that encompass financial and nonmonetary aspects. It emphasizes the need for coordination between national and institutional actions, with an equal focus on both access and completion. Long-term perspectives and well-established information systems are essential in effectively addressing equity gaps and measuring progress.

Editor
Jamil Salmi, Global Tertiary Education Expert, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Policy at Diego Portales University, Chile

Gerard A. Postiglione, Christopher J. Johnstone, & Wesley R. Teter (eds.) (2023). HANDBOOK OF EDUCATION POLICY A New Direction for EU Foreign Policy?

Edited by Gerard A. Postiglione (Professor Emeritus, Honorary Professor, The University of Hong Kong), Christopher J. Johnstone (Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, US) and Wesley R. Teter (Research Fellow, Center for Advanced School Education and Evidence Based Research, University of Tokyo, Japan)

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

‘The new Handbook of Education Policy edited by Postiglione, Johnstone and Teter is a welcome addition to the academic literature on the transformation of education policy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 22 chapters of this well-researched book give a comprehensive analysis of how education policy must adapt to a radically changed world. Through a skilful combination of thematic pieces and case studies from a large range of countries, the chapter authors challenge us to embrace new education policy concepts, such as public value governance and knowledge democratization, that can foster innovation and accountability in times of uncertainty. Gerard Postiglione, Christopher Johnstone, and Wesley Teter should be congratulated for this excellent scholarly contribution that has the potential of influencing policy makers all over the world to design and implement more sustainable and innovative education policies.’
– Jamil Salmi, Diego Portales University, Chile
‘This Handbook combines an up-to-date overview with theoretically-informed analysis of global education policies. It is erudite, insightful and original. It will be a vital resource for education policy researchers and an excellent starting point for students, in any location.’
– Stephen Ball, University College London, UK

This insightful Handbook is an essential guide to educational policy around the world. As shifting geopolitics, intensified climate change, and widening economic inequalities persist, the need for informed educational policy is critical.

Bringing together a unique collection of international case studies by scholars and practitioners from over twenty countries, the Handbook highlights how the contextual nature of educational policy and its implementation acknowledges both global trends and local nuance. Chapters explore key contemporary topics including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on international educational policy; opportunities for academic modernization in Ukrainian society; gender equality in Korean and Japanese universities; and inclusive education policies throughout the developing world, including India, South Africa, and Uruguay. It further discusses the ways in which governmental, non-governmental, and global education specialists are shaping new agendas focused on equity and responding to global crises.

Offering new perspectives on educational policy in a post-pandemic world, this comprehensive Handbook will be crucial reading for students and scholars of education policy, politics and public policy, sociology, and university management. It will also be beneficial for educational research associations and international development agencies, including UNESCO, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank.

Click here to access further details about the book.

Book review: Below is the book review for the “Handbook of Education Policy.” You can click on the image to view the full book review or simply click here to explore the book review in more detail.

Tilak, J. B. (2023). Book review: Gerard Postiglione, Christopher J. Johnstone, and Wesley R. Teter (Eds.), Handbook of Education Policy.