SLS-2c1 - Building and Piloting - OSL - Subject Vetting

One of the first and most urgent tasks was to support the work of the Sub-Committee on Service-Learning Subjects (SCSLS, or sub-committee) in getting subject proposals developed, vetted and approved.  Workshops were organised to publicise the various aspects of the Service-Learning Requirement: what types of subjects qualifies as service-learning, what are the expected learning outcomes, what are suitable projects, how to conduct and teach reflection, how to assess student performance, how to find suitable partners, how to develop and finance offshore projects, …?  Speakers include staff who are familiar with the policy, such as Dr. Stephen Chan and Dr. K. P. Kwan.  They include staff with experience in teaching service-learning, such as Dr. Grace Ngai of the Department of Computing.  They may also be staff who may not be experts in teaching service-learning but nevertheless have experience in teaching relevant aspects such as reflection or assessment on service, such as Dr. Kevin Chan of the Department of Applied Social Studies.  They may also include external expects such as Prof. Dayle Smith, then of the University of San Francisco.  It turned out that there were plenty of resources that we could draw on. 

Lots of tailor-made assistance were also needed.  Many academics need help in turning general ideas into concrete proposals.  Some are experienced teachers who have, surprisingly, never written a subject proposal before.  Some need help in turning a vague idea of a service project into a concrete, feasible, executable project plan.  Many need help in connecting to the target communities and partners.  Some are simply getting frustrated when they find that it is not so easy to come up with a proposal that satisfies all the requirements.  Patience and perseverance is as much in need as expertise.  

It is somewhat surprising that many academic find it difficult to distinguish between (1) the sub-committee that vets and approves the subject proposals and (2) the Office of Service-Learning that assists them in designing the subject proposals.  While the (staff of the) OSL do all they can to help the teachers design the syllabus, projects, assessments, etc., as best they can to satisfy the requirements laid down by the sub-committee, the OSL cannot predict whether the sub-committee would actually agree.   

As can be expected, members of an academic committee often disagree even with each other, hence the decision on a proposal can be somewhat unpredictable. Academics generally are not surprised when they sit in a committee themselves.  However, the propers often seem genuinely surprised then they are outside of a committee looking in, that this happens. Some teachers find it difficult to fully comprehend why a subject proposal developed with the assistance of the OSL, which they themselves feel confident about, would not be approved by the sub-committee. They confuse the Oil with the sub-committee and cannot imagine why other people may have a different opinion on their proposal. It often leads to discontent, which is quite unfortunate.  

The confusion is sometimes compounded by the fact that the sub-committee often ask that the proposal be revised according to their comments.  The members of the sub-committee do not see it as their duty to put in the time and effort to assist the proposers to revise the proposal, which can be a lengthy process.  That task is often picked up by the OSL.  Hence the proposers may vent this discontent at the OSL, forgetting that the OSL is actually trying to help.  

It reminds us of one of the core challenges of teaching service-learning - to help our students to see an issue, any issue, from a point of view different from their own (the community, partner NGOs (particularly those from a foreign country), students from partner universities, their teachers, teammates, …)  It appears that it is not just students who find that challenging.  Even mature adults, experienced teachers, face the same challenge.  A related observation is that, a teacher who had earlier complained about the overly critical vetting, would become equally critical in vetting other proposals once appointed to the sub-committee.  It is one more piece of evidence that we are not always as objective as we’d like to think of ourselves, that we often change our minds once our position, and hence interests, change.  

In the process, however, we also discover many passionate academics keen on helping students engage with societal issues.  Many have been looking for channels to engage and apply their expertise.  They find service-learning a welcome opportunity.  Many feel stimulated, challenged, energised and revitalised.  The process can be frustrating and even painful.  But eventually satisfying and even rewarding.  

SLS - Building and Piloting 2c - OSL

Service-Leaning subjects are academic subjects. Each addresses some social need from the perspective of appropriate knowledge and expertise. As such, they are properly offered by an academic departments in the relevant discipline. However, most academic departments at PolyU, if not all, had no experience offering service-learning.  In fact, there were few professors in the whole university who had heard of service-learning, let alone knew how to teach it.  We knew we need help.  Hence we embarked on a study of how service-learning are taught at some of the universities that have significant service-learning programs.  These include the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, Purdue University, University of San Francisco, and many others.  We studied the type of SL courses offered, their syllabus, how such courses are offered, what types of projects are done, and how the program was supported.   

Many universities set up a unit that is the focus of SL across the university.  That makes sense for a number of reasons.  SL courses share a number of characteristics that make them different from many regular academic courses.  It is experiential, with a lot of field work outside of the classroom or laboratory.  Special considerations such as risk management and travelling may be required. It involves a target community and a partner which could be a non-profit organization.  It requires the teaching and assessment of reflection, which is non common in many academic disciplines, particularly in science and engineering.  Extra funding may also be required, for equipment, materials, insurance, travelling, etc.  Teachers may need to be trained in relevant aspects.  Development, evaluation and research may be needed on the appropriate pedagogies and overall effectiveness of the program.  Some professors who are particularly resourceful or specially trained can be able to handle all of these demands by themselves. In general, a central unit may support these various needs better across the university.  Hence it was decided early on to set up an Office of Service-Learning (OSL) to promote and support SL across PolyU.

The coordinator of the Task Force on Service-Learning, Dr. Stephen Chan, was asked to set up the Office, and appointed the founding head.  In some aspects, this was an unusual move among universities active in service-learning.  The corresponding office in many universities is often headed by a person with a background in social science or humanities, whereas Dr. Chan’s background was in engineering.  On the other hand, Dr. Chan did have significant experience in organising service-learning projects with students and was instrumental in developing the original proposal to the university to set up the Service-Learning Requirement.  There is also the local reality that PolyU’s core strength is in applied science and engineering.  Having the movement headed by an academic in engineering enhances the credibility of service-learning in engineering.  Certainly it is now easier to imagine service-learning courses applying engineering or scientific skills to practical social needs.  It is not just something only for humanities and social sciences. 

The OSL started with a small team of staff transferred from the Student Affairs Office, who have had some experience organising community service projects for the students.  In fact, the Student Affairs Office had been running a Community Service Learning Program (CSLP) for several years.  It was actually an extra-curricular program which was mainly community service with little teaching and learning elements.  But there was at least a small number of staff with some experience in running community service projects.  Even before the office was established, the work had started flooding in.  The clock had started ticking, towards the formal launching of the SL Requirement in September 2012.  Courses have to be developed, vetted and approved. Teaching staff had tone trained. Projects have to be designed, target communities identified, partners found, risked analysed, funding secured, …

There was a little-known episode which is worth re-telling because it reflects on our values.  Initially the OSL was allocated offices on a high level floor in the main administrative building on campus.  The location was just below the offices of the senior management (president and vice-president), among those of the staff supporting the VPs.  The head, in particular, was allocated a corner office with huge windows on two sides, overlooking the campus and, in the distance, the centre of Kowloon.  It is certainly a very nice, prestigious location for an office.  However, there were a number of concerns.  The few OSL staff were to be seated with staff from other offices in a big, open room, making it difficult to build a sense of cohesion in the office.  Worse, to get to the office, visitors (who were expected to be mainly staff and students on campus) would have to take a long elevator ride and then navigate through the big, open room.  It would be an intimidating experience for many students.   We would like OSL to be a student-friendly office where young people feel welcome.  After consideration, we decided to give up the prestigious location and eventually found an old office vacated by another department.  

Creation and Word

This Sunday morning the temperature was a more manageable 28 C. The sun was sometimes hidden behind clouds. The occasional breeze threatened to blow off my cap.  All in all, a more run-friendly day.  I did a slow 20 km run along the water front between Hung Hum and West Kowloon.  Most of the time, with a man-made concrete forest on one side, and a God-made ocean, mountains and heavens on the other. 

Then I came home to watch Jonathan Webster preaching online.  I was surprised to find him referring to the man made stone forest of the famous Chartres Cathedral in France. He was actually quoting Orson Wells’ movie “F for Fake”.  The names of the men who created the magnificent building and the sculptures which adorn it are unknown.  But the people who actually follow Jesus will be remembered.  

The problem, however, is that we are not as strong as we think.  Even seemingly strong Christians can fall away, just like Peter in the Gospels, and many others in history.  Many Christians are living the form of Christianity without being true followers of Christ.  Many seem to be falling asleep.  We need to wake up and be alive for God.    

I feel I have met God through His creation and His words, all in one morning. 

A Handy Microscope for STEM Service-Learning

A microscope used to be very expensive.  Now you can get one for 90 Hong Kong dollars, or less, which can give you a magnification of 80 to 120 times.  They can be easily linked to your smart phone or computer.  

Our team is experimenting with several different models.  The one I tested works with a smartphone.  Clamp the microscope onto your phone. Align the viewport of the microscope with the lens of the camera on the phone. Align the specimen in front of the lens of the microscope.  Find something to support the weight of your phone. Focus the lens of the microscope. And you are in business.  

It was interesting to see that some hairs are rounded, while others are flat. And the same hair can be partly straight and partly flat.  My wife explains to me that this is why some people have naturally curly hair - flat hair curl easier than rounded hair.  So that  is why. 

I can imagine shipping the same microscopes to Asian and African kids. Then having African kids with curly hair examine their hair under the microscope, having Asian kid examine their straight hair under the microscope, and exchange their hairs for cross-examination.  Then they would see with their own eyes why some would have curly hair while others are straight, and some are in between.  The next question maybe: why do some have flat hair while others are rounded?  And that is just the hair.  

That would be an interesting, hands-on scientific study of ethnicity.  Just one of the many exciting things we can do to make STEM fun through service-learning.  With little cost but imagination and willingness to work. 

Stay tuned. 

Self Regulating Learning

The corona virus forced all our offshore service-learning projects to be cancelled, and drastic changes even to local projects for the summer, and the foreseeable future.  The reaction of the students makes very interesting and revealing studies. 

Many students became traumatised.  Many had been eagerly looking forward to travel to a foreign, exotic country such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Rwanda or Tanzania.  When the trips were cancelled, they became despondent. In the subsequent online classes, they didn’t want to participate.  They remained silent, disinterested.  To a large extent, it was understandable.  Who wouldn’t be?  Many of them had been preparing for months for the trip.  They had bought new clothes, hiking shoes, travel gadgets, etc.  They were expecting to see and make friends with exotic-looking people with amusing customs.  When all these were “taken away”, they were lost.  They felt hurt.  Some were angry.  But they couldn’t really pinpoint the culprit.  Some would lash out at people within reach, such as their teachers.  Even though they knew that the situation was out of the control of their teacheres, who have actually tried very hard to savage the situation.  Including initially trying to postpone the travelling, and when all hope was lost, try to design alternate service projects so that they can complete the course. So they sulked. Some dropped the course altogether.  Some were not willing to give up what they have “invested” in the course already, and decided to stay in the course.  But they lost the motivation to work hard on it.  They did the minimal to get by.  They had a miserable time, and made it miserable for people around them, students and teachers alike.  

Later on, when alternate projects were designed, some of these students started serving children online, locally as well as in a foreign country such as Cambodia and Vietnam, they came alive.  These children are so cute, and they are so eager to have any interaction at all - having been coopted up at home for months - that these students found the experience very rewarding and enjoyable.  They worked hard on preparing the lessons.  They worked hard to make the kids understand what they are supposed to do.  They enjoyed the lessons when the kids responded to them.  They ended up having a very good time at the end.  

A minority of the students were equally disappointed, from the beginning.  But after getting over the initial shock, they were able to stop and think: what now?  It is impossible to travel now.  And it seemed a waste to just sit around doing nothing.  They were able to find something positive to do, amid the carnage.  If I have to learn online, let me figure out what is interesting and useful about learning online.  If we have to find a way to deliver some service online in order to finish the course, let me find out how we can do that. These skills may be useful for the future. 

The inadequate network bandwidth is going to pose a problem?  Let me see whether there is some way to solve or at least alleviate the problem.   The parents of the kids in Rwanda don’t know how to install ZOOM?  Let me see how I can help them install it.  The bandwidth is too limited to show them how to use 3D glasses and Virtual Reality glasses interactively?  Perhaps we can record the instructions as videos and send them the videos so that they can learn from watching the videos.  Doing it will cause a large amount of additional  work?  It is undesirable, but it seems important to not disappoint the parents and the kids - they seem so eager to learn.  They also seem so happy with what we are doing for them and with them.  It feels so satisfying doing this for them it seems the extra work is worthwhile. 

Both types of students - those who cannot self-regulate and take control of the situation, and those who can - have always been there.   Challenges, difficulties, disappointments, setbacks have always been there.  But this is a particularly bad year in terms of difficulties.  Difficulties amplify the different ways that these two types of students deal with them - and the consequences - tremendously.  

Those who cannot self-regulate are at the mercy of the external environment.  When the world is not favourable, they suffer and become hapless.  When the world is giving them what they want, they enjoy and thrive.  

On the other hand, those who can self-regulate are in control, not necessarily of the external circumstances.  But more importantly, of themselves - their mood, their outlook, their learning, and eventually their own destiny.   I wonder how many students are aware of that, and are able to learn to self-regulate.  

Come to think of it, the same is true not just of students.  But of us all.  Such is life.  What kind of person do we want to be?

A Foldable Globe

How does one make the teaching of science online more tangible, interactive, and above all, fun?  One idea is to make a foldable globe.

There are plenty of templates that can be found on the Internet.  Simply download one, print it out, cut it out carefully, and start folding, also carefully.  

Some students may lack the Internet access, proper printers, proper papers, or the dexterity to cut it out properly.  Depending on the age and skills of the students, one can ask them to do more, or less themselves.  

But the students must be asked to fold it and glue it together themselves.  That is the part which gives them the most satisfaction and learning, seeing the product of their own effort.  I know how it feels when it is done.  

Then it can be used to discuss geography, culture, history, transportation, politics, and a lot more.  

Online teaching does not have to be just one way lecturing.  

Where are you, God?

Where are you when we need you, God?

Where are you when people are beaten by thugs for no good reason?

Where are you when people call others cockroaches and treat them as dirt?

Where are you when the people who claim to be installed in power by you treat the people they govern as enemies?

Where are you when the leaders tell the flock to submit to the powerful instead of you?

Where are you when powerful people brutalise and arrest people at will, with no retribution?

Where are you when the powerful call the deer a horse with glee, and make that the “truth”?

Where are you when people tell lies to justify their evil deeds, God?

Where are you when people preach prejudice, discrimination and hatred?

When are you when young people are so desperate they resort to violence in the name of good, God?

Don’t you care about people suffering, God?

Don’t you care about justice on earth, God?

Don’t you care about the truth, God?

Don’t you care about the weak, the sick, the down trodden, the poor, God?

Don’t you care when people lost all hope, God?

Yes, we know your wisdom is beyond us. 

Yes, we know your timing is not our timing.

Yes, we know we do wrong instead when we actually want to do good. 

Yes, we know we do not deserve to be treated as righteous, because we are sinners ourselves. 

Yes, we know we have no right to demand anything from you.

Yet, can you at least let the world know you are still in charge, for your own sake?

Can you at least show the world justice is what you demand?

Can you at least remind those who brutalise others that there will be retribution?

Can you at least remind those who abuse their power that you remember?

Can you at least remind those who lie how much you hate it?

Can you at least remind people peace cannot be achieved by violence and hatred?

Can you at least give a little bit of hope to those without it?

Can you at least remember to bless those who suffer for righteousness?

Please, God?

Mooncake and Tea

My wife bought my favourite mooncakes from a small local bakery in Tai Kok Tsui:  ham mooncake 金華火腿月餅 and nuts mooncake 五仁月餅.  When I was small, I was only interested in the salted egg yokes.  Once I found my father eating a ham mooncake.  I took a bite and liked it.  Everytime I eat it now, I remember eating it with my father.  I cannot remember how old I was, and where we were.  All I can remember was my father, and the mooncake.  

And we also bought  雞仔餅. 

We washed them down with a special pu er tea 普洱 made with a delicate tea set, both gifts from our daughter A.  The regular pu er you get at the restaurants loses taste and color after 2 or 3 times.  This special pu er can be used 10+ times, and it still tastes good. 

Topped with a good book from A’s collection. Mario Vargas Llosa’s Conversations in a Cathedral. 

Good food. Good tea.  Good book.  A perfect evening.

A Tale of Two Opposite Runs

A menacing, darkening cloud sweeps in from the east, with flashing lightning, deafening thunder, and biting rains, threatening to engulf the harbour. 

A couple of boats stream towards the still-bright west, seemingly fleeing from the pall. 

In the mean time, a lone boat drives towards the dark east, seemingly braving the impending doom. 

Two very different ways to deal with the same threatening situation.   Somehow, it reminds me of how we deal with challenges in life.