Evolving Landscape of Residential Education: Enhancing Students Learning in University Residential Halls

This book examines the alignment of residential educational aims and university educational aims in order to provide guidance for implementing university-specific residential educational aims. Grounded in a new theoretical model of residential education, Residential Education in university probes into how university students adopt transformative learning through residential halls in different universities. By reviewing case studies, experience sharing, and residential hall models in renowned universities in Asia, U.K., and USA respectively, this book offers a wide perspective to assess different residential education models in practice and useful programs to promote students learning outcomes. The detailed discussion on how to create learning environments and align educational aims of residence and university to maximize learning outcomes in different cultural contexts provides readers with insight into how the residential experience in university can be improved.

Dr. Sam Chu is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He was Head of Division of Information and Technology Studies (2013–16). He obtained two Ph.D.s in Education―one focusing on e-Learning from University College London, Institute of Education and another one focusing on Information and Library Science from HKU. His areas of expertise include gamified learning, 21st Century Skills, and Social Media in Education. He has involved in over 60 research projects with a total funding of US$ 7,582,075. He has published more than 270 articles and books with over 50 appear in international academic journals. This includes key journals in the area of e-Learning, information and library science, school/academic librarianship, and knowledge management. Dr. Chu is Incoming Editor for the journal Information and Learning Sciences. He was Managing Editor for Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (2015–2018) and was Associate Editor for Online Information Review (2012–16). He is also Member of the Humanities and Social Sciences Panel of the Research Grants Council of HK. He has received a number of awards including the Faculty Outstanding Researcher Award in 2013, Faculty’s Knowledge Exchange Award in 2016, and Excellent Health Promotion Project Award from Food and Health Bureau in 2017. He is ranked as the top 66th author in the world regarding his publications in library and information science (DOI 10.1007/s11192-014-1519-9).

Dr. Yue is Expert in biomedical science and specialized in research of diabetes. Dr. Yue graduated from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, and he subsequently obtained his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry at the same university. He conducted his postdoctoral research at the Universities of Leicester and Manchester. Before joining the Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr. Yue was Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry of the Medical School at the Queen's University of Belfast, United Kingdom. Dr. Yue currently teaches Physiology and Internal Medicine (Endocrine disorders and Diabetes; Renal diseases) in our School. With his increasing interest in Chinese medicine, Dr. Yue subsequently got a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Medicine at the Hong Kong Baptist University, and he is now Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner. He is currently pursuing another doctoral degree in Chinese medicine. Dr. Yue's research focuses on diabetes and diabetic complications, which include the molecular basis of the pathogenesis of different complications and the use of Chinese herbs in the treatment of diabetic complications. Recently, Dr. Yue also studied the correlation between diabetes and osteoporosis, diabetes and bone fracture healing, and diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

Professor Christina Yu Wai-mui is currently Professor (Practice) of the Social Sciences Department and Warden of the Grantham Hall at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). She completed her BEd (Business Studies) and MA (Educational Management) degrees in UK, and PhD Study in Australia.   Her research and publication cover a wide range of areas, including competence development, pedagogical strategies, business education, entrepreneurship education, personal finance education, gender in education, field experience and career education. She received the Certificate of Merit of the Distinguished Teacher’s Award in 2003-2004, the Certificate of Merit of the Scholarship of Teaching Award in 2009-10, the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching (Team Award) and a nomination of UGC Teaching Award in 2017-18, and Outstanding Performance in Administrative Services (Team Award) in 2019-20 at EdUHK. On behalf of EdUHK, Prof Yu won the Financial Education Champion and Quality Award 2021 from the Hong Kong Investor and Financial Education Council.

 Associate Professor Elaine Suk Ching Au Liu, has joined Department of Applied Social Studies, City Polytechnic of Hong Kong as Lecturer in 1990 teaching Social Work courses. She is now the Associate Professor and Assistant Head (Student Life and Learning and Community Outreach) in City University of Hong Kong. Elaine has developed and taught the course Introduction to Social Work for our Bachelor of Social Science in Social Work program since 1992 and three other courses, namely Working with Individuals and Families, Working with Children and Families, and Counseling Children and Youth for social work and counseling students. Before joining City University of Hong Kong, she had various experiences working for different target groups in the Hong Kong community. From 1979–80, she was Relief Worker in one of the Vietnamese refugee camps in Hong Kong. From 1982 to 1990, Elaine joined the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and worked in various positions from serving as a school social worker at four different schools to a supervisor of the school social work team and a youth counselling center during the time with the Federation. Elaine’s research interest and publication areas circle around youth and their relationship with families and youth development and empowerment. As both Social Worker and Academia, her vision is to create and discover innovative ways to practice what I believe about youth and their rights for positive development. In teaching, Elaine adopts experiential and realistic ways to increase students’ motivation to learn. As Residence Master of the Jockey Club Humanity Hall since 2002, she has implemented whole-person development, group commitment, and sense of community as core values to build the hall culture. As Founder of the City-Youth Empowerment Project in 2005, Elaine has reached out to students from the whole university and provide them with community service opportunities to work with target groups ranging from emotional children, ethnic-minority youths, disabled youth, youth who have committed minor crimes…to hidden elderlies, the homeless, etc., to promote social values of social inclusion, social justice, and anti-discrimination.

Dr. Elsie Li Chen Ong has a Master of Science in Applied Cognitive Neuroscience and completed a PhD in Health Sciences. She has worked as a lecturer in Cognitive Psychology for over ten years and is currently working as a lecturer in Biological Psychology in England. Originally she considered helping students to achieve their learning outcomes as her major goal in her teaching career, this perspective has changed since the acquaintance of few suicide cases she came across with the students who appeared to be psychologically and physically fit. Since then, Elsie has dedicated years of work which focused exclusively on the young adults going through University transition.  Her expertise in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology has also initiated further exploration on the mental health issues of young adults going through university transition, and later sparkle potentials for suicide preventions and interventions. Elsie has published her research through internationally renowned conferences and reputed journals such as Frontiers in Psychiatry. These experiences have helped to keep her most up to date on the latest development in mental disorder preventions and interventions.

Dr. Sze Chun Chau is the Director of Experiential Collaborative Learning Office in the Institute of Pedagogical Innvoation and Research Excellence in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. As a faculty of School of Biological Sciences, she has been involved in teaching courses such as Introductory Biology, Microbiology and Immunology /Current Topics in Immunology for the School, as well as General Education Requirement courses such as Science or Fiction?―Biology in Popular Media and the residential education-based Exploring the Science of Good Eating Experience for the general NTU student population. In her current role, she is responsible for developing meaningfulExperiential and Collaborative Learning initiatives for NTU, crossing the curricular/co-curricular divide.

 Dr. Kevin Conn is Student Affairs Professional with over 12 years of professional experience working in both small and large private and public institutions. He currently serves as Assistant Director of Residential Life at New York University. He holds a Doctorate in Education from New York University, a M.Sc. in Human Resources Management from Stony Brook University, and a M.Sc. in College Student Personnel from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

 Dr. Michelle Cheng's research interests lie in the area of student well-being and development, including student motivation, holistic competency development, and residential education. Michelle is currently Senior Resident Tutor in the university, and she has been Member of the university hall community for more than six years, dedicated in bringing educational value in the residential hall settings.