On 7 June 2024, Dr Annie Xinyun Hu, Assistant Professor of the Department of Early Childhood Education at the Education University of Hong Kong, delivered a seminar titled "Sharing experience and practice: Teaching & Research" at our College. She has shared with us her journey towards achieving the next level in teaching, research, and impact.

During the seminar, Dr Hu discussed her teaching philosophy, which focuses on motivating all students to become self-directed learners by providing them with self-directed learning opportunities and co-creating learning experiences with them in the Future Classroom. She also shared her innovative approach to teaching and assessment, which involves enabling agency in students through experience, discovery, and creation of unique ideas and learning outcomes.

Dr Hu also spoke about her research profile, which centers on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and aims to support pre-service and in-service teachers. She showcased her work on the improvement of knowledge, skills, and learning engagement through the use of digital technologies in STEM programs. She has shared a case study in Hong Kong from her study, of which a teaching practicum curriculum has integrated both elements of project-based learning and information and communication technologies (ICT).

Dr Hu has also shared how she and her research team transformed learning during the COVID-19 pandemic by investigating the integration of technology for young children and finding directions for future online teaching, such as the impacts of a STEM Education programme "ECE STEM and Maker Education Project" on teachers and children.

The seminar has inspired the audience with innovative approaches to teaching and research, and provided valuable insights into the future of education and the importance of incorporating digital technologies and project-based learning into the curriculum.