Dr Koon Yee Wan of the Faculty of Arts, and Professor Daniel Wong Fu Keung of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have received awards under the 2021 UGC Teaching Award scheme.
The UGC Teaching Award was established to honour academics of the UGC-funded universities for their outstanding teaching performances and achievements, as well as their leadership and scholarly contributions to teaching and learning within and across universities.
Dr Koon Yee Wan has been honoured with the UGC Teaching Award under the General Faculty Members category. Dr. Koon joined the University in 2006 and is currently Chair of the Department of Art History. Dr. Koon’s teaching excellence has been recognised in Faculty and University teaching awards. Her vision is to transform students’ curiosity into a deeper commitment to the arts. Her ‘art history in action’ strategy underpins her innovative and effective redesign of HKU’s art history programme. She leverages her vast networks for student learning to illustrate the role of art in society and highlight the myriad career opportunities in the arts ecosystem.
Professor Daniel Wong Fu Keung, of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, is a member of a cross-institutional team that received the UGC Teaching Award (Teams). The Award recognises the “Joint University Mental-Wellness Project (JUMP)”, which is a collaborative initiative among five local universities led by the City University of Hong Kong. As a research-based project, the team has adopted ‘Positive Psychology’ and ‘Experiential Learning’ approaches to develop and implement various programmes to enhance the mental well-being of students at their own university.
Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) of HKU, extended his warmest congratulations to Dr Koon and Professor Wong and said: “Dr. Koon is an exceptional educator who epitomises all that is best about teaching and learning in academia: her disciplinary expertise, passion, energy and genuine care for her students are an inspiration to all. Her immense contributions have lifted the profile of arts education within Hong Kong and across the globe.”
“Professor Wong is a leader in cognitive behavioral therapy, with a specialism in adapting western frameworks to eastern contexts. His commitment to teaching has previously been recognised at both Faculty and University levels,” Professor Holliday added.
