Enhancing Student Learning through Holistic Mentoring ProgramHolistic Mentoring Program

Karen KW Mak1 and Peter FM Lau2

1D t t f Ch i t1Department of Chemistry2Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning

H K B ti t U i itHong Kong Baptist University

HKBUHKBU

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Communities of Practice

This project calls for the perfection of the existing mentoring system and with theintent to make it into a full‐fledged academic advising system. Through theimplementation of a variety of activities the life experience and caring attitude of theimplementation of a variety of activities, the life experience and caring attitude of thementor can be used to inspire our mentees in fully developing their potential asindependent learners and responsible citizens via the four year of university educationat HKBU. Under the advice of the mentor, the in‐depth subject knowledge, genericskills and teamwork spirit of our students can be fostered through their participation inskills and teamwork spirit of our students can be fostered through their participation inthe Video Production Competition. The quality YouTube as the deliverables of thiscompetition after uploading in public domain will serve as a tool to promote publicsciences to our community. To offer students more opportunity in polishing theirEnglish oral presentation skills st dent are enco raged to participate the FameLab anEnglish oral presentation skills, student are encouraged to participate the FameLab, anannual 3‐min presentation competition on science topic organized by the BritishCouncil. In the pilot run of this initiative, selected colleagues from the Faculty of Scienceare also involved.

HKBU G d tGraduate Attributes 4

Findings• ETS Proficiency Profile (ETS)

• Relatively Strong in M h i(ETS)

– From the UST d ’ hi

Mathematics

– Test students’ achievement in Reading, Writing, Critical Thinking and MathematicsThinking and Mathematics

• Academic Proficiency Test (APT) • Relatively Weak inTest (APT)– Local instrumentTest on three areas Use of

Relatively Weak in Communication skill –particularly in English– Test on three areas, Use of 

English, Chinese and Aptitude

particularly in English

p

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FameLabFameLab

One of the greatest initiatives in science communication

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Science Video Production CompetitionScience Video Production Competition

Judging criteria:1. Scientific accuracy1. Scientific accuracy2. Presentation clarity3. Creativity

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Need for science communicationNeed for science communication

• How can we understand science if we are not speaking about science?p g

• Most scientists do not receive formal training in science communication to the publicin science communication to the public

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Need for science communication 2Need for science communication 2

• Underestimate the difficulties• Current outreaching activities are relativelyCurrent outreaching activities are relatively informal, infrequent, under‐recommended by mentorsmentors

• Possibility of infuse formal science communication training into the curriculum in higher educationhigher education

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Civic Scientists

“Science is not finished until it is communicated.”communicated.

Mark WalportSick Science! screencap

G l h t thProf. Xiangyi LI 

UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the P l i ti f S i 2013

Goal: shorten the gap between modernization and 

bli i tifi lit Popularization of Science 2013

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public scientific literacy

Feedback from Students– FameLab Competition (Individual Task)

Percentage of respondents who agreed their achievement(s) in HKBU GAs

100.0%90 0%

100.0%

g f p g ( )

75.0% 75.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

25.0% 25.0%40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

%

0 0%

25.0% 25.0%

0 0%10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

0.0% 0.0%0.0%

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Students’ Evaluation – FameLab CompetitionStudents  Evaluation – FameLab Competition

S d A (C i i )• Student A (Communication)“I was shortlisted as a finalist and had a chance to participate to a workshop on presentation skills facilitated by a science communicator… p p f yI learnt some effective way to explain science topic, by simplifying the concepts or theories for the public audiences.“

• Student B (Creativity and Communication)• Student B (Creativity, and Communication)“Although I didn’t learn new science knowledge from this activity, I knew some creative and simple ways to explain science, such as to made use f d il lif l ”of daily life examples.”

• Student C (Communication)“Some of the events were open to public It provided me an opportunitySome of the events were open to public. It provided me an opportunity to communicate science subject to audiences with different backgrounds.”

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Video Competition ResultsGroup 1 2 3 4 5 6Group 1 2 3 4 5 6Scientific accuracy (40%)

25 30 28 22 not rated

not rated(40%)

Presentation clarity (30%) 23 22 17 20

Creativity (30%) 23 13 15 18

Total 71 65 60 60Total 71 65 60 60

Mentors’ observation• Learning science ‐ improve motivation  =)

C ti it ! ))• Creativity!  =))

• Communication  =||

• Knowledge  =) 13

Feedback from Students– Video Competition (Group Task)

Percentage of respondents who agreed their achievement(s) in HKBU GAs

90 0%

100.0%

g f p g ( )

57 1%

71.4% 71.4%70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

57.1%

35.7% 35.7%40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

%

14.3% 14.3%10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

0.0%

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Students’ Evaluation – Video CompetitionStudents  Evaluation – Video Competition

St d t D (C ti it )• Student D (Creativity)“One of the objective of this activity was to raise the awareness of science from public audience. Thus, we should not just to demonstrate an experiment We finally created a story with a mysterious opening toexperiment… We finally created a story with a mysterious opening to attract the audiences and then explained the concept in a logic and scientific way.”

• Student E (Teamwork)• Student E (Teamwork)“The task was far from individual effort. It required science‐based knowledge, IT skills, script writing, giving a speech, etc… Everyone in my group were so engaged Some focused on topic research others did thegroup were so engaged. Some focused on topic research, others did the speech and post editing… no one get a free ride.”

• Student F (Knowledge)“During the video production we found an interesting topic about ‘plant“During the video production, we found an interesting topic about ‘plant blood’ … I further searched on this topic afterwards and started to think about proposing that as my final year project. As I hope to identify if there was any relationship between plant blood and human blood.”y p p

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Issues Identified SuggestionsIssues Identified

h f “

Suggestions 

h• The concept of “Science Communication” is new to our students.

• Relate the Science Communication with Career Opportunities.

• Science‐knowledge‐based 

pp• Provide extra training 

workshops to students ti l l i tiactivities (such as, FramLab and 

Video Competition) helped raise student awareness on Science 

particularly on communicating science to public audience.

• Implement these activities to Communication.

• Compare to group task, i di id l t k id d

psome curricular subjects.

• Encourage student to have a b l d ti i ti t b thindividual task provided more 

opportunities for student to develop Science 

balanced participation to both individual and group tasks throughout the mentoring 

Communication. programme.16

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