Background
 

「不聞不若聞之，聞之不若見之，見之不若知之，
    知之不若行之，學至於行而止矣。」

    - 荀子《儒效篇》

   "Not having heard is not as good as having heard, having heard is not as 
    good as having seen, having seen is not as good as mentally knowing,
    mentally knowing is not as good as putting into action; true learning is
    complete only when action has been put forth."

    - Xunzi (ca 313-238 BC), Confucian Devotional Writing

In order to provide students with an integrated and holistic education, the Faculty of Science has included an element of Experiential Learning (EL) within the new BSc curriculum, for which all students admitted in or after 2007 must engage in at least one form of EL activities for graduation.

At present, most of the teaching and learning in our curriculum is implemented through a classroom setting. Although lecture- and classroom-based learning has its rightful place in the university curriculum because of its high efficiency in delivering static information and knowledge, its limitations are also obvious. For example, it does not provide a nurturing environment to foster independent learning, and lacks flexibility to allow students to attempt specific topics that cater to their individual interest and ability. It also tends to shield students from the outside world, and fails to facilitate meaningful practices for students to apply what they have learned to real situations. Besides, pedagogy in a traditional classroom setting is difficult to encourage students taking initiative and a more active role in their own learning. In these regards, a multitude of various educational activities need to be introduced to address these limitations. EL activities are such educational activities that can complement and enhance the curriculum so as to give students an all-rounded and whole-person education.

We classify EL activities into the following five categories:

1. Project-based learning
2. Field Studies
3. Internship and Professional Preparation Programme
4. Exchange studies
5. Other form of EL

By participating in different kinds of EL activities, students are expected:

• to gain working experience in a real-world workplace environment
• to have diverse learning experience
• to integrate theory and practice, and to understand limitations of their current knowledge
• to engage in research in their majored science discipline
• to prepare for their life-long career
• to broaden their social and cultural experience, and to develop their social and cultural values
• to work in a team and to collaborate with people with diverse background

These learning objectives fit well within the framework of the future 4-Year Undergraduate Curriculum of the University, in which "diverse learning experiences," "multiple forms of learning and assessment," "multidisciplinary collaboration," "engagement with local and global communities," and "development of civic and moral values" have been identified as five of the seven distinctive features (the remaining two features are "(inter)disciplinary inquiry" and "polycontextual inquiry") of the new curriculum. [Transforming Student Learning: 4-Year Undergraduate Curriculum Reform (Discussion Document), Steering Committee, HKU, May 2006] Obviously, it is unrealistic to expect any single EL activity to embrace all the aforementioned learning objectives. On the other hand, students are not restricted from taking more than one EL activity, and they have options to choose EL activities that suit their individual circumstances and educational needs.

Dr N K Tsing
Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning)
Faculty of Science