SCOM’s Third Teaching Sharing Seminar in Academic Year 2022-23

Monday April 24th, 2023

April 13, 2023

The School of Communication (SCOM) held its third teaching sharing seminar of academic year 2022-23 on 13 April 2023. The sharing session was moderated by Associate Professor Dr Keith Cheung. The theme of the sharing seminar was “Use of Technologies in Teaching and Learning”. Staff members of BA-CMCT modules of the SCOM, including Mr Earnest Li, Mr Rex Ma, Mr Sam Lam, Mr Sanchez Lam and Mr Stanley Yuen were invited to share their teaching experiences with using various technologies.

Dr Keith Cheung kicked off the sharing seminar by discussing the increasing use of software tools and online communication platforms in teaching and learning practices. He discussed how these tools have allowed more interactive and creative ways to present subjects, improve teacher-student connections, and facilitate collaboration among students. He also highlighted the recent advancements in Generative AI, including ChatGPT. AI tools have been anticipated significantly impact education practices.

Mr Earnest Li shared that some students are using ChatGPT to create written content. Whereas for graphic design or imaging projects, he requested the use of specific software such as InDesign for drafts. He said that these practices ensured that students applied design principles and skills in producing their work and emphasised the importance of the process over the final product. Mr Li also allows his students to use ChatGPT in their assignments, with the condition that they submit their dialogues with ChatGPT to demonstrate how they addressed problems through question-and-answer interactions.

Mr Rex Ma addressed the Hong Kong government’s initiative to establish a ‘Smart City’ that integrates Web 3.0 technologies. He emphasised the importance of preparing students to adapt to changing technologies, work environments and society. To achieve that, he has introduced new technologies such as NFT, virtual assets and metaverse in his classes to give his students practical experience. He observed that students were keenly aware of technological advancements and their applications, as evidenced by the insightful questions raised by students during guest speaker sessions in his class.

Mr Sam Lam discussed his approach to teaching web accessibility for visual impairment in his web-media production course. He uses experience design, in which students wear a surgical mask to cover their eyes, together with iPhone’s accessibility tools to access websites. Through the experience, students better understood the importance of considering accessibility requirements and how small design efforts can make a large difference for certain users.

Professor Ronald Chiu, Associate Dean of SCOM, suggested that while the University has yet to establish a formal policy on the use of ChatGPT, SCOM will raise the issue with the School Board and consider providing guidelines to professors and lecturers on the appropriate use of ChatGPT in classrooms.

Drawing from his experience in teaching sound and audio processing modules, Mr Sanchez Lam proposed co-teaching for some subjects due to the rapid development of technological applications. For example, when discussing audio distribution, the latest HTML5 embed live streaming has become a common application, which overlaps with modules that focus on web media production. He also emphasised the importance of creative training in technical modules.

Mr Stanley Yuen also discussed how he has updated the assignment format in his module to reflect the increasing use of AI tools. Rather than solely focusing on the final output, the emphasis has shifted to the process. Students are now expected to explain their decision-making process and rationale behind their results.