From online chats to Summer Programme – Outreach activities for prospective students go online

While many people are working and learning from home under the COVID-19 pandemic, PolyU Design has been organising a wide range of activities online to stay in touch with secondary schools and other prospective students. In addition to the online lecture series conducted earlier in June, another well received activity is the Live Chat with Design Students. More than 18 sessions were organised within 4 months, attended by around 470 students and teachers from 21 secondary schools. In these Live Chats, our design students shared their first-hand tips on getting into their dream design programmes, and their fruitful campus experience. The interactive and pressure-free conversations helped many students understand what design programmes teach and what design students do. It gives them directions to choosing study path that fits their interests and aspirations. Other online activities like info webinars at the virtual university fairs or events were held to provide information about the school to our overseas and mainland Chinese audience. Another highlight is the ‘WHAT DESIGN’ Summer Programme for secondary school students and teachers on 6-7 August 2020. This annual event aims allowing prospective students to learn basic knowledge of our four disciplines namely Advertising Design, Communication Design, Environment and Interior Design, and Product Design offered under the BA(Hons) Scheme in Design through hands-on exercises. The most rewarding part to many participants is the series of interactions with our faculty members, design students and participants from different schools. This year, around 90 participants from different secondary schools in Hong Kong joined the two half day programme featuring disciplines’ introductions, two workshops on 2D and 3D design topics respectively. It targets to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of design and help them identify which discipline they would like to pursue further studies for. The participants were asked to team up for tasks during workshops. In the Advertising Design workshop (2D), each participant was requested to pick an object that is important to him/her, and tell the class why. Through the exercise, they learned to grab the key point and communicate with an image – this is the essential skill of designing an advertising campaign. In the Communication Design workshop (2D), students tried to analyse logos and explain what work well on them to learn about the importance of branding and visual identity. Many performed very well at the Environment and Interior workshop (3D) ‘Understanding Public Spaces in Hong Kong’. The participants chose their favourite space in Hong Kong and analysed it regarding its planning, aesthetics, materiality and culture. In the meantime, those who joined the Product Design Workshop (3D) were tasked to redesign a product and create something new which gave most of the students the best moment throughout the summer programme.   To most of the participants it was their first time joining online workshops. The group discussions was the most popular part throughout the workshops. A parallel stream of the Summer Programme was tailor-made for secondary school teachers. They were invited to observe students' sessions and attend a discussion with the faculty members of PolyU Design on burning issues of secondary school design and visual art education, and the collaboration opportunities mutually benefiting both university and secondary schools.   Contact us for booking a tailor-made online activity for your school now. Both local and overseas schools are welcome.   

Interview with Eddie Wong, Social Designer

Featured Alumnus:  Social Designer takes his first step to make our community better Interview with Eddie Wong, Social Designer Social Design is the youngest discipline we offer in the BA(Hons) Scheme in Design at PolyU. It may still be a brand new concept to many of you. Are you wondering what a social designer do, and what our students of this discipline can do after graduation? Here comes our graduate Eddie Wong (Social Design, 2019) who would like to tell you his story.    DC: Design Channel EW: Eddie Wong (2019 graduate of BA(Hons) in Social Design)   DC: Hello Eddie! Thank you for accepting our interview invitation. Could you introduce yourself to our readers? EW: Hello, this is Eddie. I graduated from PolyU’s Social Design programme in 2019 as one of the first graduates of the programme. Before my design studies, I studied social work and worked in some NGOs for 8 years.  DC: We know that the programme admits students from different backgrounds, not limited to design, but also other social science disciplines, due to its transdisciplinary by nature. The programme aspires to breed a generation of well-rounded dynamic designers and project coordinators who will become design practitioners, consultants and changemakers in service of social needs. Does it tell what you have been doing after graduation? EW: After graduation, I worked as a freelancer ranging from social worker, workshop facilitator and social researcher for around half a year. After that, I joined Making On Loft's Community Design & Research Studio as Senior Project Officer. The team aims to contribute in social innovation by promoting and practising community design process and social well-being, as well as to achieve the most effective and sustainable uses of community space. To answer your question, yes, I aspire to be part of the change-making force to our community.  Making On Loft gathers a group of creative minds who concern the sustainable devbelopment of our community. It is founded by PolyU Design's alumni.   DC: It sounds really interesting and meaningful. Would you tell us more, like any interesting projects you are currently engaged in?  EW: I have engaged in various community projects designed for different stakeholders, for example, a community art project for social inclusion with mentally retarded teenagers and young adults, a community profile study for exploring the correlation between Cultural and Creative Industries and self-efficacy on youth development. Another impressive one was a community production project about designing a trolley by using both tangible and intangible community recourses based on community needs.  These are all meaningful projects that are aimed to make our society a better place. There is another self-initiated and non-funding project called “舊物扭蛋” (meaning “gashapon of old stuff”) that is the most memorable one to me. We made use of upcycled materials collected from our neighbourhood and studio, such as straws, tires and suitcases to create a vending machine and its decorations that targeted to engage the general public through a series of public engagement activities with it. I received an inspiring comment from a lady from the neighborhood, “we are willing to stay longer in the community if there are more special experiments like this.” She inspired me to think more about how to increase vibrancy of communities by different innovative interactions or experiments and motivated me to take actions in this regard.  Eddie's gashapon vending machine made with upcycled materials. DC: What does Social Design mean to you? EW: I think social design is more like a concept or an attitude that emphasises empathy and empowerment in the design process, rather than just a tangible design. Also, it must involve community stakeholders in different stages to deal with social concerns, especially in research stage.  DC: What is your career aspiration? Does your experience in SD influence your career interest?  EW: Looking back at what I’ve learned from the days in PolyU Design, the importance of observation and listening is what I would never forget. If a social project missed these two essences, it is impossible to fulfil the community’s or user’s needs. Besides, I built a strong belief that co-design with different parties can bring infinite possibilities for improving human well-being and having a positive change in the society. Also, I am inclined to explore more about the root problems or issues via research methods before thinking design solutions. With his social work background, Eddie concerned much about the synergies between youth centres and their target audience. His Social Design capstone project was a series of co-creation workshops and toolkits with young adults to design the youth centre services best fit young people’s needs.    DC: What do you plan for the next?  EW: In the future, apart from working with different social stakeholders like NGOs and corporates, I would like to make greater effort to participate in the government sector, starting from the district council. I hope to develop more and more co-creating or social design projects by conducting an evidence-based research study, which can facilitate and stimulate public to understand there are many creative possibilities in our public space, facility as well as service that can benefit our lives.     Read more i-Cable News [小事大意義] Making of Loft

Interview with Giovanni Contreras, PhD graduate of PolyU Design

Featured Alumnus: Challenges and fond moments - my PhD journey in Hong Kong and thereafter Interview with Giovanni Contreras, PhD graduate of PolyU Design,  Lecturer in Product Design, Department of Engineering and Design, University of Sussex DC: Design Channel GC: Giovanni Contreras (2016 PhD graduate)   DC: Hello Giovanni! Thanks for spending time for this interview. Would you introduce yourself to us?  GC: Sure, my pleasure. I am Giovanni Contreras. I am currently a lecturer in product design at the Department of Engineering and Design of the University of Sussex in the UK. I moved here with my family in mid 2016 after completing three years of PhD studies in Hong Kong. Before my PhD studies I worked for several years as industrial/product designer in the mainland China. Between 2010 and 2013 I worked for mobile phone manufacturer Coolpad Corporation at their R&D centre in Shenzhen, and between 2007 and 2010 I worked as industrial designer for ZTE Corporation. I also worked as product design lecturer for Raffles Design Institute in Shanghai between 2008 and 2010. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the San Luis Potosi Autonomous University in Mexico in the year 2000, and after spending a couple of years working for the local industry, I was granted a Fulbright scholarship to pursue graduate studies in the US. I obtained a master’s of design from the Department of Architecture, Art and Planning of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio in 2005, and I stayed there for another year doing an ‘optional practical training program’ (OPT) working as lecturer of industrial design. Upon completion of the OPT, me and my wife travelled to China for holidays in late 2006, opportunity which I also used to ‘get a feel’ for the country and scan the landscape for potential job opportunities, which actually resulted in me landing my first job in the mainland in early 2007.  DC: We all know doctorate studies are all about research. What was your research project about?  GC: My project looked at the development of computer skills in higher education within schools of industrial design. Modelling is an essential skill for industrial designers, and with the advent of computer aided design (CAD) computer modelling has become one of the key skills that students learn at university. However, while most courses teach students how to use CAD software, there are several reasons why the computer skills that students learn needed to be questioned. One of them is that incoming students seem to be less proficient with computers than previous generations, consequently, they not only need training in terms of CAD but with computers in general. A potential explanation for this phenomenon is that education systems around the world may have ‘fallen in the trap’ of assuming that younger generations needn’t to learn how to use computers anymore. The other, is that incoming students are now part of the ‘smartphone generation,’ thus, many of them have actually far less experience using computers than previous generations, and instead use their phones to perform many tasks. The other reason why the development of computer skills needed to be looked into is because—as is often the case with technology—it changes at an ever-increasing rate. Consequently, unless educational institutions are aware, their curricula have become outdated. In the particular case of industrial design schools, new and varied forms of computer modelling have appeared over the past 10-20 years, making it important to know whether the computer skills that students are learning are still relevant. In my research, 100+ industrial design schools from around the world were surveyed in order to look at the breadth and depth to which they taught computer skills. This data was discussed and contrasted against the current and future needs of students in this area.    Presenting at WCETR conference in Barcelona 2014 DC: Was there anything inspired you to do design research? What brought you to PolyU?  GC: By the time I started my PhD studies, I had worked in industry for about ten years. I think the experience of working in industry is irreplaceable and made me grow a lot, not just a designer but in general. Nonetheless, I think most people reach a point in their career in which they feel that they are not growing as much and/or feel that they need to make changes to move on. For me that moment came when around 2011-2012 as I was still working in Shenzhen, China. My job started to feel increasingly tedious, and I didn’t feel that I was growing either professionally or otherwise.  I looked back at the time I had worked as a lecturer and realised that actually those were the times when I was the happiest (at work). So, I started to look for jobs as lecturer, but realised that most of the vacancies open required that I had a PhD. That’s how the idea of doing a PhD came about. I thought it would give me the opportunity to ‘clear my mind’ and figure out where I was going, while at the same time allow me to ‘switch back,’ and pursue a career in academia. So, I started to look for opportunities, and to my surprise I found that ‘right next door’ in Hong Kong, the Research Grants Council Fellowship offered a scheme to pursue PhD studies in any local university. This in turn opened the possibility to do the PhD at the School of Design of the Hong Kong PolyU, which is a school I had been familiar with for long, and which I held in high esteem.   DC: How was your PhD study journey in Hong Kong?  GC: I studied in Hong Kong between August 2013 and August 2016. In addition to the Fellowship Scheme I was also granted a scholarship from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which meant I did not have to worry about the tuition fees. As is probably the case with most PhD students however, I did not manage to bring my studies to a conclusion during the three year period,’ so in mid 2016, as I approached the end of the ‘normal period of study,’ I found myself in the difficult position that—now I see—many PhD students’ faces; I had not finished my PhD, I wasn’t anywhere near finishing, and I was going to lose my income (the Fellowship scheme lasts only for three years), which meant I could not afford to stay in Hong Kong once my stipend was over. I was very busy trying to do as much as work on my thesis as I could, since I did not know what my life was going to look like once we moved somewhere else, I was busy looking for a job, and just if that wasn’t enough I was trying to close things in Hong Kong. This alone made the last stretch of my time in Hong Kong quite stressful, but what made circumstances even worse in my case, was that I was in Hong Kong with my wife and daughter.  The Contreras at Hong Kong's Victoria Peak. Once the normal period of study had almost come to an end, I did what most PhD students in that situation do; I switched from full-time to part-time study mode, and continued working on my studies remotely for almost another year and a half. Finally, in late 2017 I submitted my thesis, which was accepted for examination in early 2018. From there onwards I continued with the lengthily process to prepare for the viva, which I thank God I passed with minor corrections in July of the same year. Looking back, I can see how my lack of experience with the world of academic research made it more difficult for me, but on the other hand, that’s probably the case with many PhD students.  In general however, my study journey in Hong Kong was a positive and joyful experience. While it is true that there were times in which I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, discouraged and disappointed, there were also times when I felt—and still do—very fortunate and deeply grateful. Grateful for having the opportunity to do a PhD, for the opportunity to live in Hong Kong—which I love—for having the opportunity to meet people and make new friends, for being able to travel and present in international conferences, for learning new skills and accomplishing new things.  Undoubtedly something that made my study journey more joyous were my fellow PhD students and friends. They helped me a lot with different things and gave me a lot of valuable advice as I progressed through my studies. Similarly, I think that the Research Office of PolyU has a pretty effective structure to support research students with different matters concerning their study journey.    Giovanni enjoyed the moments with his friends and colleagues in Hong Kong. The second photo is a gathering with his supervisor Prof. Michael Siu and other PhD students of the Public Design Lab. DC: How was your life in HK? Anyone you met here special/important to you?  GC: Life in Hong Kong was both; nice and exciting, while at the same time, challenging and stressful. Still, looking back, that was all part of the experience, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that made life outside of school substantially more challenging, was the fact that I moved there with my wife and daughter. So, to start with, this meant that I could not apply for university accommodation (which, at least at the time that was only available for singles). Consequently, I had to find accommodation in the city by myself. For someone who has no experience living in Hong Kong this may sound trivial, but anyone with an awareness of the housing situation there can immediately relate just how much of a difference that was. It took me about three months to find a decent apartment. Moreover, I was starting to worry about my financial situation, because I knew that whenever I found an apartment I was going to have to pay three months in advance (two for deposit plus one of rent). So, I spent the first five weeks after I arrived in Hong Kong living in youth hostels, ‘jumping’ from one to another because the prices were constantly changing. Fortunately, at that time I was by myself, my wife and daughter joined me a couple of months later. Eventually I learned that the Y-Loft at the Youth Square in Chai Wan had a special offer for international graduate students and I was able to move in there. That made a big difference, not only the accommodation was much better, but the cost was lower. Eventually I found an apartment in Tsuen Wan West, just right in time before my wife and daughter arrived.  The apartment—which costed just a bit more than half of my stipend—was a lot more expensive in comparison to what students living in the university accommodation were paying, but luckily, we managed to complete the three months of rent that had to be paid upfront. Unfortunately, after about a year and a half of living there, the agency through which we made the contract, called us to tell us that the rent was increasing. It was a substantial increase, of about 20%. Apparently, this is a common practice in Hong Kong. Agents constantly instigate landlords to increase rent, hoping that because of the hassle, tenants will accept, and a new contract is made, thus the agents make money through their fees, and the landlords make money with a higher rent. Still we couldn’t afford to pay 20% more, so, we declined and started looking for a new place. Luckily, by this point were were ‘more settled’ and my wife could help with that. After looking at tens of apartments, we found a good deal directly with a young landlord. A smaller apartment, but also cheaper, it was all the way up in Tuen Mun, which meant that my commute to the PolyU which was of around 25 min. became of around 50 min. Still, we were quite happy in Tuen Mun, and we stayed there until we left Hong Kong. [read also: living costs in Hong Kong] Aside from the complications of housing, and the fact that we were quite tight with money as a family, I enjoyed life in Hong Kong very much. While on the one hand I was busier than ever, on the other I was no longer on a 9-to-5 schedule. As long as I kept up with the work, it didn’t matter when or how I did it. This freedom was priceless for me.  One of the things I enjoyed most was simply walking around and exploring the city. In fact, I am quite confident in saying that there are few areas of Hong Kong that I haven’t been around walking. I also developed the routine of doing exercise around lunch time. First, I used to go to the university’s gym, but eventually I started to go out to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. That was something I really enjoyed as well, and it also helped me to release stress.  Church life is always the best spiritual support to Giovanni. Weekend cycling with family and friends. Sundays we also had a nice routine as a family; we used to go to The Vine church in Wan Chai. We’ve been at this church once or twice before we moved to Hong Kong from Shenzhen, because some of our friends used to go there. Eventually however, we made new friends and even our older daughter still remains in touch with a friend she made there when she was only 6. After church we used to go to have lunch as a family to one of the nearby places, usually Fairwood or TamJai SamGor which was our favourite. We still remember how much we enjoyed eating spicy noodles there. In fact, we always say that whenever we have a chance to visit Hong Kong, we will definitively go there to eat noodles. Sometimes after lunch we would take a bus to go to the peak, get a coffee (or iced-coffee) at the top, and then walk all the way down from there to Admiralty. It was such a nice time walking down with my wife and daughter, enjoying the views of the city and of the vegetation around. Another thing I really enjoyed doing with my family or friends was cycling. We would rent a bike in Shatin and then cycle to Tai Po and back. That was the journey we liked the most, and the one we did the most often on Saturday or Sunday afternoons/evenings.  But even the ‘small things’ like, taking my daughter to school every morning, or stepping outside of the office to enjoy a cold can of coffee from 7-eleven on VA core during the hot summer days, are things I have a fond memory of.    Giovanni enjoying his favourite TamJai spicy noodle. His daughter was the regular visitor of the PolyU campus where he spent three years. DC: What are you doing after graduation?  GC: I left Hong Kong in September 2016 to join the department of engineering and design at the University of Sussex, where I have been working as product design lecturer. A typical contract for new lecturers at the time I was hired involved teaching, research, and administrative duties (known as a ‘forty forty twenty’ contract, because of the percentage of time that one is supposed to devote to each respectively). The probation period for new academic staff here is of three years, which meant that I felt under pressure to finish my PhD within that period. However, the department was facing a number of issues at the time I joined. This meant that not only I had to ‘hit the ground running,’ but also that my probation period was quite challenging. Although by the university’s own standards new academic staff in probation were not supposed to teach more than one module during their first year, the following term I was given two ‘half modules’ to teach. Fortunately, I completed my PhD in 2018 and passed probation about a year ago.  Unfortunately, the situation in my workplace, and the fact that I spent the first year and a half after I started working trying to finish my PhD, meant that I wasn’t able to do much research. However, since my appointment I have created 5 modules, supervised 12 final year students, served as academic advisor to 20+ students, taught 4 modules per year, taken part in an extensive curriculum review, completed a mandatory postgraduate certificate in higher education, served as admissions tutor for the product design degree course and served as mentor for new colleagues. Moreover, I have recently collaborated with one of the most established research groups within the department to design a ‘haptic device for virtual reality environments.’  Giovanni with his students. Most teaching was moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic.  DC: Thank you Giovanni for your sharing. Your experience is very helpful to shed light on PhD studies in Hong Kong and help those who are considering to prepare for their upcoming journey. Our best wishes to you and your family, and look forward to meeting you again in Hong Kong!   Read more: Research Postgradudate Programmes at PolyU PhD Fellowship Scheme

My story with design – a sharing by Product Design freshman Leann Wong

September is the favourite month of many of us on campus as it brings us energy, liveliness and laughter in the new academic year. Freshmen come in with their fresh minds, passion, aspirations, curiosity, and readiness for challenges and unknowns; while other senior students we love to see return to the studios after a long break in summer. Leann Wong is freshly admitted to our BA(Hons) in Product Design programme in the coming semester (2020/21). Counting down to her new school life, she would like to make a sharing about the path she has gone through before arriving here.   Hello! My name is Leann Wong. I graduated from Good Hope School and I like writing quotes and reading. I am an optimistic person who enjoys exploring new/ unknown things and will commence my Product Design studies in September 2020.   These are some of the quotes I like. My story with design  I am a dreamer. I often come up with new ideas in my daily life. Sometimes I imagine new products that may help improve our living. However these are just inventions in my mind without digging deeper to find out the feasibility. That is why I feel like studying in design as it is a practical subject that may help me make all my fantasies come true.  Smart and innovative designs always give me inspirations. I feel amazed every time I look at them. I hope that I am qualified enough to make such wonderful things in the future. Exhibitions like TDC’s DesignInspire and PolyU Design Annual Show enlightened me with tones of creative ideas, whilst Instagram pages posting famous design over the world (e.g. producy.daily) and even projects in kickstarter are also sources of my inspirations.     Something I found inspirational from DesignInspire, 2019.   Souvenirs I collected from he Annual Show in 2019.   Nice design projects in my collection. I enjoy having design as part of my daily life. I am trying to build the habit to jot down new ideas that come into my mind so that I can review and develop further. I explore design through reading sources online and books. I never feel shy to ask questions. I approached some PolyU graduates, my classmates who studies visual art, a few adult friends who work in design companies for information about designing skills, design programmes and the design industry which I fancy to get into.   This is the book I jot down my ideas on.   Reading books helps boosting my creativity. My road to PolyU Design Studying at PolyU Design has been my dream. I know that there is a long history for the school. The strong alumni support may help me to get into jobs I want more easily in the future. I also read about the professors’ backgrounds and qualifications. They are all experts and I feel confident that I can learn a lot from them. Comparing to other universities which offer similar programmes, PolyU is the only university I find the subjects practical enough, and its curriculum is more comprehensive.  I participated in the School's Summer Programme in August 2019 where some student ambassadors took us for a tour of the Annual Show. I still remember that I struggled between interest and prospect at that time, until what the student ambassador Miss Ivy Man said during the tour blew my mind. She told me that she would rather study design in a vocational school than study any other bachelor’s degree programmes if she could not get an offer here. This made me reflect how important it is to follow my own will and pursue the things I really want over time.  I met Miss Beatrice Woo from the School’s marketing team in the district-based university fair for Kowloon City on 2 November 2019. I felt so uncertain as I did not know whether I could be accepted without taking the Visual Art subject at school. She shared her experience and answered my questions patiently. I feel grateful to her for being so helpful to line up with two product design students to give me useful and practical advice (Special thanks to Ramona Shiu and Luke Yung!).  13 August 2020 marks a very special day of my life. The university’s main round offer results were announced. I feel very glad that my application for PolyU Design’s BA programme was accepted. Before that I tried not to imagine whether it would be successful or not, as I did not want to be disappointed. When I found the application successful, I could hardly believe and was very touched! Looking forward to in the coming four-year study, I hope that I would have good time management skills and study efficiently, not being a deadline fighter. I also hope that I can meet more friends, not only my fellow design schoolmates but also more people from other disciplines. Widening social circle is quite important to me.  Can’t wait to see you soon at School of Design!   Last but not least, this is my turn to offer my advice for other secondary school students who want to get into PolyU Design: Always step out of you own comfort zone, dare to explore and ask others for getting more useful information. You will soon figure out what you really want and are able to prioritize your alternatives. There are a lot of comments from your parents and relatives. They may judge your decisions. You really have to be certain on your own decision making, as you are the only one knowing what your desired life is like.   Need advice on choosing the right design programme for yourself? Contact us. We are happy to help!

Apply to PolyU MDes 2021 (September Entry)

The University is accepting applications for its 2021-22 taught postgraduate programmes (TPg), Master of Design (MDes) included, from 24 September 2020 to 30 April 2021. The following MDes programmes will be offered: Design Practices (full-time) Design Strategies (full-time/ part-time) Interaction Design (full-time) International Design and Business Management (full-time) Urban Environments Design (full-time) Typically, we will only consider applications meeting the admission requirements. Visit the study programme pages to confirm your eligibility and our FAQ page for a list of support documents required. Local & Non-local applications For Mainland Chinese and foreign nationals, you may apply to the above programmes offered in full-time mode of study as non-locals and will require an entry student visa to study in Hong Kong. You may apply to stay/ return and work in Hong Kong under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) after graduation. Holders of dependant visa and IANG may apply as non-locals without needing an entry student visa. Holders of a valid employment visa/ entry permit may apply as locals to our part-time programme, Design Strategies. The application fee has been aligned for local and non-local applicants. The application fee for the 2021-22 admission is HK$350. Review deadlines During the application period, the School reviews applications in several admission rounds: Early Round: 18 December 2020 Round 1: 29 January 2021 Round 2: 12 March 2021 Round 3: 30 April 2021 Applicants who have submitted a complete application may expect a review to be conducted generally within four weeks after a review deadline. Those who need a result early are encouraged to submit their application before the Early Round deadline. Notice of Offer from the Early Round may be available after the interviews as early as early February 2021. English language requirements If you are not a native English speaker, and the Bachelor's degree programme you attended was not entirely taught in English, you are expected to fulfil the following English language requirement for admission purpose: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 80 for the internet-based test (taken at a test centre) or 550 for the paper-based test; or An overall band score of at least 6 in the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic.  No alternative English tests will be accepted as meeting the University's English language requirements for TPg programmes in the 2021-22 admissions. All English language test scores are considered valid for two years after the date of the test. For the latest information on admission requirements, please refer to the TPg prospectus here. Fees & funding Both tuition fee per credit and number of credits required for graduation remain unchanged (36 credits for all MDes specialisms). See the fees in 2021-22 below: Programme tuition fee HKD167,400 (local students) HKD190,800 (non-local students) Initial programme fee (the prepayment of tuition upon acceptance of an admission offer) HKD18,600 (4 credits for local students) HKD53,000 (10 credits for non-local students) Here are the funding options available for local and non-local students (applicable only to PolyU Design BA graduates): Administered by the Student Finance Office (SFO) of the HK SAR Government Continuing Education Fund (CEF) Extended Non-means-Tested Loan Scheme (ENLS) Administered by PolyU/ School of Design (SD) / MDes Alumni Bursary (subject to approval for 2021-22) Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme (TPgFS) 2021-22 (refer to Academic Registry's website or SD news for details) This summary is prepared for prospective applicants by the MDes programme team. If you have other questions, feel free to contact us by e-mail at sdmdes@polyu.edu.hk or by phone at +852 3400 3400. Last update: 9 October 2020  

Asit named Hong Kong's Champion at James Dyson Award 2020

BRAVO! Our fresh graduate Hang Tat HUI (Product Design) has just been named the National Winner at the James Dyson Award 2020 (Hong Kong), with his capstone project ASIT. The project is a seat and interior design solution for aging population in the future bus. ASIT is now exhibited at the Design Degree Show. Visit here and learn more. Congratulations to Hang Tat, and his tutor Scott Chin! #polyudesigndegreeshow2020 #polyudesignannualshow     Media coverages Headline Daily - https://bit.ly/2HgJlaW HK01- https://bit.ly/2T6Ntgj Ming Pao - https://bit.ly/2HelIQ9 Bastille Post - https://bit.ly/34ddzVd Dotdotnews - https://bit.ly/2IQAZHN Ohpama - https://bit.ly/3m7hOrr

PhD Seminars 2020-21

  PhD Seminars are doctoral seminars organised by PhD student’s committee and driven by their research interest and progress. Enabled by technology, we can now connect the global community on Zoom from wherever we are. The PhD Seminar Series 2020/21 has provided an unprecedented platform to engaged the following speakers on an interactive form of knowledge sharing and critiques. Date Speaker Title/ Topic Sep 16, 2020 Abdumaliq Simone Design Research and the Social Component Oct 7, 2020 Paulo Favero Sensory ethnographic approaches Nov 4, 2020 John Thackara Relational design Nov 18, 2020 Terry Irwin Transition Design Jan 21, 2021 John Wood Metadesign Feb 24, 2021 Dominique Lämmli Practice as research Mar 3, 2021 Arturo Escobar Pluriversality Mar 31, 2021 Lara Penin Sustainable practices and social innovation This might be updated from time to time.

Dean's Speech at the Orientation for New PhD Students (2020/21)

Welcome to all our new students, we are so gratified to have you on-board. This year has posed challenges and served up a difficult situation for all of us. I am so glad that you have persisted and undergone a course of study with us.  A PhD Education at the School of Design will lead you to be the most confident design researcher, in a foremost institution in Asia. You should be proud, and also be ready to work hard!  Building on more than 50 years of history, as a leading design centre in Asia, the School of Design strives to deliver research through a multidisciplinary approach covering social design, design economy and design making.  Our unique approach encapsulates the likes of the doctoral colloquium and Chinese Design Forum. Your contribution to the generation of knowledge will be foundational bricks to build PolyU Design’s research, and furthermore establish the body of knowledge in the Design discipline.  Whatever we do, the School is committed to advancing knowledge, and a PhD is a major undertaking that no person can take lightly.   This is the reason we are here by your side, supporting your PhD research with some of the leading professors in the world, who have a expertise across a broad range of disciplines.  Matching the diverse nature of our professorial staff, are diverse labs that cover themes currently changing the world. We want you to be part of this movement, to join us on our pursuit to lead the globe, and face the challenges of design as the 21st century moves on.  You may see yourselves as students, but we see you as colleagues, tackling the challenges of  our society and making the world of design a better place.  You are helping us as research colleagues advancing and generating knowledge.  Together, we will make the world a better place.  It is this knowledge generation that helps move forward the cause of our institution, and simultaneously raises the profile of our researchers as well. My wish is for you to join us, and together we forge a bond to work hard to sustain and enhance our institution’s position as a world leading research-led design school.  When you are around, please don’t hesitate to say hello, and get involved into everything we are doing. The School always relishes your commitment and engagement to the advancement of knowledge and design.  We will no doubt see you around the School as things settle down, and we get back to a sense of normality.  Good luck to you all in your endeavours and we look forward to working with you together.     Professor Kun-Pyo Lee Dean of School of Design, Swire Chair Professor of Design, Alex Wong Siu Wah Gigi Wong Fook Chi Professor in Product Design Engineering 31 August 2020

Prof Kun-pyo Lee at the Knowledge of Design Week 2020

An insightful discussion on leading future workforce has been conducted at Knowledge of Design Week today between our Dean Prof. Kun-pyo Lee, Mr Tim Kobe of Eight Inc. and Ms Tatiana Gómez-Farigua of Herman Miller, moderated by Dwayne Serjeant.

PolyU Design's online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional ways of doing things in many industries have undergone an evolution. Online activities have become new norms. Design educators are adopting online teaching, like those in PolyU Design. For Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee, Dean of PolyU Design, who will give a speech on future design education at the Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) on 28 August, it marks another unforgettable memory in his career over 30 years. As practising online teaching since February, the School has put great efforts into maintaining students’ motivation and teaching quality that meets students’ expectations. Online classes not only enable real-time demonstration, but also facilitate in-class assignment exercises to maximize student’s engagement. The online critiques are many students’ favourite. Archiving has become easier which allows students review the class anytime. Technologies like VR are used to give rise to students’ interest. Some professors have also used the screen sharing function to encourage students to think from the professors’ view. According to Mr Scott Chin, Teaching Fellow, 'although face-to-face teaching is irreplaceable, students’ feedback to the online mode is positive and welcoming.' There was a subject teaching basic knowledge of electronics led by Dr Clifford Choy. Letting the students do hands-on tasks of building simple circuits is essential. The students were first asked to practise electronic concepts by using a free online simulation software. Then, they received a package with the physical Arduino kit delivered to their doors by courier for them to complete the hands-on exercise remotely. When most students were located in Hong Kong, some others were in Macau, Taiwan (China), Korea, Singapore, China and etc. This challenging mission finally completed is an encouragement to not only the students but also the teaching team. Apart from teaching, other activities have also resorted to the internet under the pandemic. For instance, PolyU Design Degree Show 2020 will be held from 14 September to 25 October remotely through websites, AR and projections. Read full coverage in Chinese: 設計教育的疫下變陣 (14 August 2020, HK01)