The University of Macau’s (UM) Centre for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (CTLE) recently organised workshops on “Student-Centred Learning from Classrooms to Residential College Living”. 30 UM faculty and staff members as well as more than 40 fellows from the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UB) participated in the workshops which lasted a whole day.
The morning began with a plenary presentation by CTLE Director Prof Spencer Benson, followed by four interactive workshops facilitated by Prof Benson and Dr Samantha Elliot from the St. Mary’s College of Maryland in the United States, with presentations and interactive group activities discussing a paradigm shift in teaching and learning and its implications for higher education in Asia. The day closed with a presentation entitled “A Student-Centered University” by Vice Rector of Student Affairs Prof Haydn Chen.
In the evening, the group gathered at Shiu Pong College dining hall where a pre-dinner cocktail reception and high table dinner were held. One of the UM participants commented, “I like the arrangement of the activities and particularly the workshops where I was exposed to interactive discussions and different perspectives about teaching and learning”. As the organiser of the seminar programme and major speaker of the day, Prof Benson said: “With the wonderful work and support of the CTLE staff and active participation of the UM and UB participants, the day was a great success, and marked the first resident, multi-day international seminar on the new campus.”
The UB held their 2014 United Board Fellows Program Leadership Seminar on “Student-Centered Education in Asian Universities” on UM’s new campus earlier, from 4 August to 8 August. It represented a unique opportunity for UM to showcase its new campus facilities while building connections with the UB fellows from more than 25 Asian institutions of higher education from eight countries.
