< Back

HSUHK Welcomes New Academic Staff and Inspires Teaching Excellence for the New Academic Year

The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the Human Resources Office, and the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic and Research) jointly organised the HSUHK Induction Programme for New Academic Staff 2026 on 17 and 18 August 2026. The Programme welcomed new academic colleagues and provided them with an overview of the University’s vision, academic environment, and key initiatives.

The Programme commenced with a welcome message from Professor Simon Ho, President of HSUHK, introducing the University’s distinctive “Liberal + Professional” education model and highlighting its commitment to nurturing students with the 5C qualities: Critical thinking, Creativity, Communication/Collaboration, Caring attitudes, and Continuous active learning.

Professor Joshua Mok, Provost and Vice-President (Academic and Research) and President-designate, shared HSUHK’s vision and role in Hong Kong’s higher education sector. Professor Jeanne Fu, Vice-President (Learning and Student Experience), Professor David Tse, Acting Provost and Vice-President (Academic and Research)-designate, and Dr Josiah Chan, Vice-President (Organisational Development), introduced key areas including teaching and learning, student experience, research and scholarship, performance appraisal, governance, and campus wellness.

As part of the Programme, CTL organised a series of seminars under the theme “Teaching Excellence in the New Semester: Refresh, Recharge, and Renew” on both days to equip new academic staff for the new academic year. On the first day, seminars covered AI-enhanced teaching, learning and research, as well as integrating VR and metaverse technologies into teaching and learning, complemented by tour visits to the University’s newly developed LED CAVE system, innovative multimedia tools and facilities.  On the second day, participants attended a Teaching Excellence Awards sharing seminar showcased effective teaching practices, followed by a module redesign session featuring practical examples of AI, service-learning and experiential pedagogy to enhance student engagement and promote teaching innovation.

Highlights of the “Teaching Excellence in the New Semester: Refresh, Recharge, and Renew” Seminar Series

Seminars on Day 1: 17 August 2026 (Monday)

Topic



Speakers







Session Highlights
AI-Empowered Teaching, Learning and Research at HSUHK:
From Guidelines to Practice


Dr George Ho
Associate Professor, Department of Supply Chain and Information Management;
Associate Director (Digital Learning), CTL

Mr Kelvin Wan
Digital Learning Specialist, CTL
Ms Jenny Chan
Learning Support Librarian, Library

Dr George Ho, Associate Director (Digital Learning) of CTL and Mr Kelvin Wan (CTL) delivered their sharing on HSUHK’s approaches towards AI-empowered teaching, learning and research. The sharing provided an overview of the AI landscape at HSUHK that covers guidelines and best practices while Ms Jenny Chan (LIB) introduced the participants to various AI tools that could facilitate their research and the support the University library provides.


(click to enlarge the poster)
Topic




Speaker






Session Highlights
Reimagining Education with VR and Metaverse:
Designing Immersive Learning for Impact


Dr Eugene Wong
Associate Professor, Department of Supply Chain and Information Management;
Director (Virtual Reality Centre), CTL;
Director, Supply Chain Excellence and Innovation Centre

Dr Eugene Wong (SCM) shared insights on transforming student learning through the design of immersive learning experiences that enhance engagement, deepen understanding, and foster creativity, drawing on practical examples and authentic teaching experiences.

Following the sharing session, Mr Matt Chan (VRC) demonstrated the University’s newly developed CAVE System for teaching and learning. Participants then visited the Martin Ka Shing Lee (MKSL) Innovation Lab and the Multimedia Commons, both located in the Creative Humanities Hub, with guided tours led by Mr Marco Man (ITSC).


(click to enlarge the poster)

Seminars on Day 2: 18 August 2026 (Tuesday)

Topic


Speakers








Session Highlights
Bridging Theory and Practice


Dr Valerie Tang
Associate Head & Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design

Dr George Ho
Associate Professor, Department of Supply Chain and Information Management;
Associate Director (Digital Learning), CTL

Moderated by Dr George Ho (SCM), the session featured Dr Valerie Tang (SCM), recipient of the HSUHK Teaching Excellence Award 2024-25, who shared her teaching philosophy on bridging theory and practice through real-world applications. Dr Tang also invited her former student, Mr Manviel Tam (SCM), to share how his postgraduate experiences helped shape his mindset and further build upon the knowledge and skills he acquired during his undergraduate studies. The sharing session concluded with remarks and key takeaways from Dr Ben Cheng, Director of CTL.


(click to enlarge the poster)
Topic



Speakers
















Session Highlights
Module Redesign:
AI, Service-Learning and Experiential Pedagogy for Future-Ready Learning

Dr Christine Choy
Associate Head & Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design

Ms Laura Cavanna
Senior Lecturer, Department of Art and Design

Dr Victor Chan
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Science;
Associate Director (Service-Learning), CTL

Dr Jessie Cheung
Assistant Professor, Department of Management

Dr Christine Choy (AAD) shared her insights on redesigning assessment with AI components within her modules while Ms Laura Cavanna (AAD) informed the participants on embracing AI as a studio partner and how to interact with AI in design.

Dr Victor Chan, Associate Director (Service-Learning) of CTL talked about how to embed service-learning and experiential learning elements to a module while Dr Jessie Chan (MGT) shared her experience on revamping her module MGT2021 Social Entrepreneurship as Creative Problem Solving with service-learning elements.


(click to enlarge the poster)

Dr Ben Cheng, Director of CTL, delivers the welcome remarks and introduces the University Management Team at the opening.

Professor Simon Ho extends a warm welcome to the new academic staff joining the HSUHK family and highlights the University’s commitment to nurturing students with the 5C qualities.

Professor Jeanne Fu introduces HSUHK’s teaching and learning support, student development initiatives, and experiential learning opportunities that enrich the student experience.

Professor Joshua Mok shares HSUHK’s vision and role in Hong Kong’s higher education sector.

HSUHK Induction Programme 2026_Dr Josiah Chan_Photo Caption 6

Professor David Tse introduces HSUHK’s research and scholarly development, as well as the staff performance appraisal system.

Dr Josiah Chan presents an overview of HSUHK’s governance structure and organisational development.

Dr George Ho, Associate Director (Digital Learning) of CTL and Mr Kelvin Wan, Digital Learning Specialist share practical applications of Generative AI in teaching and introduce AI Hub@HSU and the University’s AI guidelines, while Ms Jenny Chan, Learning Support Librarian (LIB), highlights the library resources and support services available to the University community.

HSUHK Induction Programme 2026_MKSL Lab

Dr Eugene Wong, Director of the Virtual Reality Centre, shares how VR and metaverse technologies can be applied to create immersive learning experiences and demonstrates the University’s newly developed LED CAVE system. Participants also visit the Martin Ka Shing Lee Innovation Lab at the Creative Humanities Hub to explore its multimedia tools and innovative teaching facilities.

Moderated by Dr George Ho (SCM), the session featured Dr Valerie Tang (SCM), recipient of the HSUHK Teaching Excellence Award 2024-25, who shares her approach to bridging theory and practice. Her former student, Mr Manviel Tam (SCM), also reflects on his postgraduate learning journey.

On the following day, Dr Christine Choy (AAD) and Ms Laura Cavanna (AAD) share how AI was integrated into curriculum design in the Department of Art and Design, while Dr Victor Chan, Associate Director (Service-Learning) of CTL and Dr Jessie Cheung (MGT) present their experience of incorporating service-learning and experiential learning into module design.