Active Learning Opportunities Outside Classroom and Laboratory

This paper presented a case study for the foundation year subject Greenhouse Gases and Life (ABCT1D09) launched in PolyU in 2019/2020 semester one. We investigated the implementation of blended learning with outside classroom learning component and TAL pedagogies (technology-assisted laboratory classes, virtual lab and remote lab) in the traditional face-to-face (F2F) lectures with the use of institutional virtual learning environment (Blackboard LMS) to improve students' learning experience by enhancing students' engagement in this large GE class (90 students). Feedbacks from survey and students' reflective journal (i.e. 91% of students satisfied with the designed class activities and 75% of students found the learning experience was enjoyable), as well as the students' academic performance suggest this model brings positive impact to students' learning. The results obtained in the present study may offer more new learning opportunities in tertiary all-round education and inform the design of "new-normal” learning after the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Responsive Remote Teaching Capacity Building in Hong Kong During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many educational institutions worldwide, forcing schools, universities and colleges to close. The closure of schools and universities has led to a sudden shift of teaching away from the classroom to online learning. However, with little preparation and training, both teachers and students struggle with remote learning/instruction. Responding to the situation, teaching support teams in three Hong Kong universities had quickly developed supporting programmes. Programmes were for responsively helping teachers to overcome the challenges and develop adequate technical and instructional design capacity for their online teaching and assessment. In this paper, we discuss how these programmes had been developed. In particular, we discuss what support had been developed, how the support had made a significant impact on practices within the community, and the consequences of moving to remote instruction.

Less sex, but more sexual diversity: changes in sexual behavior during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Special Issue: Leisure in the time of Covid-19.)

Recreational sex is a popular form of leisure that has been redefined by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. "Social distancing" rules have imposed limits on sex for leisure while also creating new opportunities. We discuss results from an online survey of 1,559 adults who were asked about the pandemic's impact on their intimate lives. While nearly half of the sample reported a decline in their sex life, one in five participants reported expanding their sexual repertoire by incorporating new activities. Common additions included sexting, trying new sexual positions, and sharing sexual fantasies. Being younger, living alone, and feeling stressed and lonely were linked to trying new things. Participants making new additions were three times more likely to report improvements in their sex life. Even in the face of drastic changes to daily life, many adults are adapting their sexual lives in creative ways.