PolyU nursing scholars awarded prestigious UGC Teaching Award

The Internationalisation at Home (IaH) team from the School of Nursing of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) received the University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award in the Collaborative Teams category for 2023 in recognition of their achievements in pioneering the adoption of novel IaH activities in nursing education. This new education model goes beyond conventional clinical practices to develop students’ cultural awareness and global competence. The Award was presented by Mr Tim LUI, Chairman of UGC at a presentation ceremony held today.

Prof. Wing-tak WONG, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU congratulated the team, and said, “PolyU is committed to pursuing excellence and impact through its education and research endeavours, while nurturing students to be global-minded leaders. The five members of IaH are enthusiastic proponents of innovative teaching and learning, thus helping to foster professionals who are ready to cope with multi-cultural contexts and the growing demand for healthcare. The team has also extended the impact of IaH to collaborating universities worldwide. We warmly congratulate the team on their accomplishments.”

The IaH team, led by Prof. Engle Angela CHAN, Interim Head and Professor of the School of Nursing, included Dr Arkers Kwan-ching WONG, Assistant Professor; Mr Timothy Kam-hung LAI, Associate Professor of Practice; Dr Betty Pui-man CHUNG, Assistant Professor of Practice; and Dr Doris Yuet-lan LEUNG, Adjunct Assistant Professor. To prepare nursing students for their profession in Hong Kong’s culturally diverse society with its increasing healthcare demands, the team has adopted IaH activities in the BS (Hons) in Nursing since 2015. It serves as an alternative to the offline “overseas exchange” learning experience in developing students’ cultural awareness.

The team has worked closely with overseas institutions, including Malmo University in Sweden and La Trobe University in Australia, to design a series of online student-led group activities for exchanging insights on major challenges in nursing. The IaH has additionally provided a platform for cultural exchange activities to continue and cultivate talents with global vision during the pandemic.

The School of Nursing of PolyU has also integrated IaH activities into a Service-Learning subject, a summer exchange programme and collaborative projects with local and international peers designed to enhance students’ global learning experience, impacting over 1,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students globally. With nine journal articles published and seven presentations at international and local conferences on their IaH work, the team hopes to expand the impact of IaH across multiple disciplines and will integrate virtual reality technology to provide students with an immersive learning experience.

Prof. Engle Angela Chan is honoured to receive the award, and said, “I am pleased that our team’s work has been recognised by the UGC. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my teammates and the University for their effort and support. Both drive us to realise our shared vision of providing high-quality training and learning experiences for nursing students. IaH activities focusing on peer learning help students enhance their global competence and ability to communicate with culturally diverse patients by gaining in-depth understanding of clinical practices worldwide through bilateral exchange. We look forward to the wider adoption of IaH activities in collaborative partners to cultivate future nursing professionals.”

The UGC Teaching Award was introduced to honour academics of the UGC-funded universities for their outstanding teaching performance and achievements, as well as their leadership in and scholarly contributions to teaching and learning within and outside their campuses. The Award consists of three categories, namely General Faculty Members, Early Career Faculty Members, and Collaborative Teams. The last is given in recognition of outstanding interdisciplinary pedagogical work.

*** END ***