Dr Jason T.M. Choi, Associate Professor in the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), is a winner of the President’s Award for Excellent Performance and Achievement in Teaching.
Dr Choi joined the University in September 2004. His dedication to teaching is well recognized by both his students and his peers. Dr Choi has consistently received high SFQ scores over the years from his students, who have given very positive comments on his teaching. They said that Dr Choi was very knowledgeable in his discipline, and he used interactive approaches and real examples from the industry in his teaching. During peer evaluation, colleagues of Dr Choi have also expressed high regard for his teaching. They said that his lectures were well-prepared: he organized teaching materials systematically, provided very clear explanation, and demonstrated professionalism in his work.
One could easily notice Dr Choi’s passion for teaching and his great concern for students. His office is often visited by students even after office hours. He is eager and very patient in helping students solve their problems in learning.
Dr Choi is also much committed to his work – he is pleased to assume teaching duties in the evenings and in the summer term, though this may affect his family life particularly when he is now a father of a baby son. His commitment to teaching is also observed in his efforts in quality teaching. He believes that “students will learn well when they find learning interesting and intellectually challenging”. Therefore, he has tried different methods to make learning interesting, and has actively adopted innovative methods in teaching to make learning challenging. Such attempts include short and inspiring class-work, simulation games and scenario-based tutorials, all of which would enable students integrate theories with practices. To supplement his class teaching, Dr Choi has tailor-made a subject website for every subject he teaches. This entails much hard work, and is a good demonstration of his dedication to the enhancement of student learning.
Dr Choi has also demonstrated academic leadership. One example is his leading role in the development of a new innovative programme, MA Global Fashion Supply Chain Management, which involves deep cooperation with two partner institutions in the US and France. The programme enrols students in one of the three universities, and requires them to study one semester in each of the universities. In the process of developing the programme, Dr Choi has demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility and initiative in communicating untiringly with the related parties, and has overcome numerous operational problems. The programme was successfully launched in September 2007, ans Dr Choi has been serving as the Programme Leader.
