Service-learning Capacity Enhancement in Hong Kong Higher Education

This book provides an in-depth, multi-faceted look into capacity building for service-learning, using the case of the higher education landscape in Hong Kong. Service-learning has been proven to be an effective pedagogy for the holistic development of students, as well as promotion of their well-being. It also attempts to promote the well-being of the service recipients and the community. While service-learning is becoming increasingly popular in many higher educational institutions around the world, the learning gains that can be attained from service-learning are only as good as the learning experience allows, and poorly-developed or motivated service-learning may potentially do adverse harm to students and the community. This book reinforces the imperative to enhance the capacity of the institution, teachers, students and community partners by exploring a diverse range of methods for achieving capacity building among different stakeholders. Examples of the methods explored include formal course-based professional development, scale development, action research, and communities of practice. Furthermore, the book includes a series of detailed, qualitative case studies that are aimed at embodying good practice, unpacking “what matters” from service-learning. Aa a useful resource for scholars and educators who are passionate about holistic youth leadership development, this book is also relevant to researchers in the intersection between well-being and higher education.

Grace Ngai is the current Head of the Service-Learning and Leadership Office at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University responsible for facilitating the offering of almost 70 subjects serving 4,000 students every year. She has been active in service-learning for over a decade, and her own computing service-learning subject has brought students on projects in Hong Kong, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Rwanda. Outside of service-learning, she is Associate Professor in the Department of Computing and continues to actively research in the area of human computer interaction. Her research interests are in the interaction of technology and human behavior, including human–computer interaction, natural language understanding, and computer science education. Because of her outstanding work in service-learning, she was awarded the University Grants Committee Teaching Award (UGC Teaching Award) in 2016, which is the most prestigious teaching award in the higher education sector in Hong Kong.

Daniel Shek is Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Program), Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, and Li and Fung Professor in Service Leadership Education at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also Changjiang Scholar (Chiangjiang Chair Professor), Ministry of Education, P.R.C. He has developed two positive youth development (PYD) programs in Hong Kong (P.A.T.H.S. Project) and mainland China (Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project) and published extensively in PYD. He has also conducted many evaluation studies in service-learning. He has to date received two Gold Awards, one Silver Award and two Bronze Awards in the QS Reimagine Education Awards (which are commonly regarded as Oscars in Education) and the UGC Teaching Award in 2018 for his subjects on leadership development and service-learning.