7 August 2021

The Joint School Advisory Committees Meeting and Retreat of School of Communication of the academic year 2020-21 was held on 7 August 2021. External Advisors and External Examiners of the School and its three programmes were invited to join the academic staff and administrative staff of the School in reviewing the School’s developments and achievements in the past year and also identifying the way forward for the School.

Professor Scarlet Tso, Associate Vice-President (Communications and Public Affairs) and Dean of School of Communication, and Dr James Chang, Associate Dean, gave an overview of the School’s work in the past year in areas including industry engagement, teaching and learning, and student recruitment, etc. Honourable guests were then invited to share their views on online and dual-mode teaching and learning, the challenges the School was currently facing and the School’s future development. With most guests themselves being senior members of enterprises or academics of other local tertiary institutions, they gave the School many insightful recommendations for the enrichment of teaching and learning as well as staff and student development from the perspectives of authentic business operations and with reference to good practices in other universities.

On the one hand, for the sake of enhanced learning for students, it was suggested that the School should enhance collaboration with the industry to offer projects for student participation, thus encouraging students to put more effort into their studies. On the other hand, teachers’ taking part in industry engagement will increase their exposure to the industry as well as update their knowledge from time to time, so that teachers can refine their teaching methods and materials to keep up with the ever-changing industry. Furthermore, given that business journalism is the edge of the School, the guests suggested that this edge be strongly emphasised in the promotion of the School to outsiders, particularly the target groups of secondary school students.

The School was deeply inspired by the ideas put forward in the exchanges and would study them in-depth to further improve in its teaching, learning and promotion.