Programme Information
Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Science)
admission@eduhk.hk
Self-Nomination Admissions Scheme
Programme Aims
The programme aims to prepare qualified, competent, professional secondary science teachers capable of teaching senior and junior secondary science subjects as well as satisfying the educational needs of learners with different abilities within a community that values multiple aspects of intelligence. Graduates of the programme will have attained academic excellence and professional competence for effective teaching of science in schools. With a firm and thorough grasp of the interrelationship between theory and practice, graduates will persistently affirm the importance of scientific literacy in our society and will be creative, responsible, and caring individuals who have a solid understanding of science, technology, society, and environment, as well as commitment to ethical values.
On completion of the programme, students are expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate command and understanding of the subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge of one science discipline, Chemistry;
- Apply science knowledge and skills together with appropriate pedagogies to teaching students with diversified abilities and backgrounds, and in different school settings;
- Exhibit professional competence and attitudes in teaching junior secondary science and one senior science subject, Chemistry;
- Utilise different generic skills (e.g. problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity) in teaching and learning, and life-wide and lifelong professional development;
- Exhibit proficiency in biliteracy and trilingualism in Chinese and English that facilitates effective communication in school and social contexts;
- Critically and creatively analyse socio-scientific, technological, and environmental issues and concerns in the local, national, and global contexts; and
- Display commitment to teaching with a professional ethical attitude, and a global and multi-cultural perspective.
Programme Structure
| Domain | Credit Points (cps) |
|---|---|
Major (Chemistry)
|
39 |
| Minor in Junior Secondary Science (JSS) | 15 |
Electives
|
15 |
Education Studies
|
30 |
| General Education | 22 |
| Final Year Project (Honours Project / Capstone Project) | 6 |
| Field Experience | 20 |
| Language Enhancement | 9 |
| Total: | 156 |
Major
This programme aims to prepare qualified, competent, professional secondary science teachers capable of teaching senior and junior secondary science subjects as well as satisfying the educational needs of learners with different abilities within a community that values multiple aspects of intelligence. The programme will offer major in Chemistry in the 2021/22 academic year.
Students enrolling in this Five-year BEd(Science), in addition to a 3-cp Interdisciplinary Course, are required to take 36 cps of Foundation and Major Courses.
Foundation and Major Courses
The 2 foundation courses which include a foundation science and STEM methods course are designed to create the necessary room for students to acquire broad knowledge bases in the science discipline.
There are 10 Major courses covering the subject knowledge of Chemistry as required for effective teaching of the Hong Kong senior secondary Chemistry curriculum, as well as the related parts of the Combined Science and Integrated Science curricula. Courses in this programme are unique because pedagogical content knowledge is inherent in these courses.
Education Studies
Education Studies gives students the chance to study teaching and learning from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will study early childhood/school education from psychological, sociological, philosophical, pedagogical and other perspectives. Students will develop a range of skills necessary for professional practice, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, social interaction, ethical decision making and global perspectives. Education Studies helps students appreciate the importance of professional excellence, ethical responsibility and innovation to the role of a teacher. We aim for our graduates to become beginning teachers who are caring and competent, intellectually enthusiastic, socially committed, and globally aware.
General Education
The EdUHK’s General Education programme prepares students to be active agents of change, by broadening their intellectual horizons, helping them make connections among different areas of knowledge and between their formal studies and life outside the classroom, and strengthening their capacity for sound thinking and good judgement. It offers a varied but balanced mix of individual courses across a range of subject areas and disciplines, set within an integrated structure of (i) General Education Foundation Course, (ii) Experiential Learning, (iii) General Education Breadth Courses, and (iv) University ePortfolio with a total of 22 credit points (cps).
- General Education Foundation Course (4 cps)
- Experiential Learning (6 cps)
- General Education Breadth Courses (9 cps)
- University ePortfolio (3 cps)
General Education Foundation Course (GEFC) is a 4-cp course that will run for the whole academic year and be taken by all first-year students at EdUHK. This course will equip students for their intellectual development in the university context by introducing a skill-based development/thematic component in Semester 1 of Year 1. In Semester 2, students will be introduced to a wide variety of themes and topics in general education by taking part in the lectures delivered by Chair Professors/Professors and external Guest Lecturers. These lectures are substantiated by small class tutorials for the purpose of building communities of dialogue and inquiry that foster the intellectual growth of students as reflective thinkers deliberating issues of importance to their own lives, society and the world as a whole.
Experiential Learning (EL) consists of Co-curricular and Service Learning Course (CSLC) and Experiential Learning Course (ELC). CSLC provides students with an opportunity to engage in learning in action and through action in real-life or work-place context while complementing, connecting with, and mirroring their learning experiences derived from formal curriculum. On the other hand, ELC encourages students to learn through experimentation, observation, reflection and (re-) conceptualization while undertaking a wide variety of activities, such as creative work, student-initiated enterprise/projects, thematic overseas trips, outward-bound training, etc.
Students are required to take at least one CSLC and one ELC starting from Year 1 (3 cps each). Courses in Experiential Learning domain can be taken in parallel with Block Practice (BP) I and II (i.e. Field Experience and Experiential Learning Semesters). If that is the case, students need to ensure the course schedule does not clash with BP (students should check the information listed under the course outline and explore the feasibility with course tutors at the beginning of the semester). Students are encouraged to complete courses in EL domain before semester 1 of final year as they will be engaged in BP II and data collection/field work of Final Year Project in this Semester. Careful academic planning on personal basis is needed.
Under the new curriculum (from 2019/20 onwards), the General Education Breadth Courses (GEBCs) (9 cps) are composed of General Education Breadth Learning Strands (1-3) (GELS) (Level 1-2), Positive and Values Education (PAVE) Course and General Education Interdisciplinary Course (GEIC) (Level 4). Students have to take one from each of the components in order to fulfill the GEBCs (9 cps) requirement.
These courses aim to equip students better for the study of the ontological, epistemological and/or methodological issues in a wide variety of disciplines. In addition, a new 3-cp GEIC (Level 4) will be offered on cross-faculty basis for students from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1, in order to enable them to appreciate the complexity of issues and problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries and to make sense of them through dialogues across disciplines.
Students are allowed to take GELS and/or PAVE Course(s) after the completion of GEFC or concurrently with GEFC in Year 1 Semester 2 if they are interested and their curriculum schedules allow. After the completion of any GELS/PAVE Course, students are allowed to take the GEIC from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1.
University ePortfolio is a 3-cp “capstone” course which requires students, when they are approaching the end of their undergraduate studies, to reflect critically on their learning experience within General Education in their disciplinary, professional and co-curricular studies, as well as in their lives beyond graduation, and, to develop an integrated view of how and where they position themselves with respect to their future goals, plans, and aspirations. Students will prepare and submit an annotated University ePortfolio based on their experiences, reflections and stored artefacts from their undergraduate studies. Students are encouraged to keep electronic (soft) copies of all their coursework material starting with the completion of the GEFC for potential inclusion in the University ePortfolio.
The course will enable students to synthesise their learning experiences, by reflecting critically on the value and significance of what they have learned, making connections to their lives, and imagining their own futures.
Students are allowed to take the University ePortfolio course after completion of all the GEBCs required (i.e. GELS, PAVE, GEIC). Also, they have to take the course in the semester of study assigned by individual programmes.
For detailed information and the course synopsis about General Education courses, please visit the website at www.eduhk.hk/geo.
Final Year Project (Honours Project / Capstone Project)
The Final Year Project comprises of two courses:
- Honours Project I / Capstone Project I: Research Methods and Proposal
- Honours Project II / Capstone Project II: A one-year project usually to be conducted in the final year.
Minor
Students are required to take a compulsory Minor in “Junior Secondary Science” (JSS) which will equip students with essential knowledge on local curriculum of Junior Secondary Science.
Electives
On top of the compulsory Minor in “Junior Secondary Science”, students can choose either one of the following options:
- Free electives
- Second Minor
Field Experience
Students will be placed in schools which are important sites for learning to teach and where they will interpret, generate, interact and experiment with theory:
| 1 | Year 2 Semesters 1 & 2 | Attend an introduction (FE Foundation Course with 3 cps) to the teaching profession. Students will be guided and supported by a professional tutor to understand the roles and expectations of a teacher and build one’s own identity and mission, whilst adapting to the changing role from a student to a teacher. |
| 2 | Year 3 Semester 2 | Conduct Block Practice I in schools (5 cps) for 8 weeks, accompanied by the taught course of FE and Professional Learning Portfolio I (2 cps) in small-group tutorials that support students’ active engagement in the Field Experience and help them connect theory and practice. Through group and individual guidance, students will produce an e-portfolio which is a collection of evidence of their learning to support reflection and professional growth. |
| 3 | Year 5 Semester 1 | Conduct Block Practice II in schools (7 cps) for 8 weeks, accompanied by the taught course of FE and Professional Learning Portfolio II (3 cps) in small-group tutorials and individual guidance that enhance students’ understanding of the schools and the role of a teacher as a caring cultivator, an inspirational co-constructor and a committed role model for students. They will further develop their e-portfolio for more in-depth reflection and records of their professional development. |
Language Enhancement
From September 2012/13, FT BEd non-language-major students will be required to meet Language Exit Requirements (LERs) for English and Putonghua. The exit benchmarks are IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) for English, and PSC (Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi) 3B for Putonghua. Students are required to study a comprehensive package of English, Chinese and Putonghua enhancement courses.
English Enhancement Programme (EEP) consists of two credit-bearing courses in Year 1/2. These courses will equip students with academic literacy essential to their study at tertiary level and help them develop general English language proficiency. They will also lay the foundation for students to learn English independently in subsequent years through participation in self-access learning activities, blended learning, and optional language enhancement courses appropriate to their level and developmental needs. In addition, students will be required to study two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses. Optional IELTS preparation workshops will also be offered to familiarise students with the EdUHK-sponsored IELTS after they have completed the EEP.
Students are also required to study three Chinese enhancement courses, and up to two Putonghua enhancement courses depending on their level.
Chinese Enhancement Programme (CEP) consists of one mandatory credit-bearing course and two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses, which provide students with the input on Chinese language skills as well as elements of literature and culture.
Students may be exempted from selected Chinese course in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual courses.
Putonghua Enhancement Programme (PEP) Students have to take up to two mandatory, non-credit-bearing courses depending on their Putonghua levels at entry via the Tertiary Putonghua Test (TPT), and could opt for other non-credit-bearing Putonghua enhancement courses after Year 1.
Students may be exempted from selected Putonghua courses in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual courses.
Cantonese Enhancement Courses (For non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students) Non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students will be required to study two non-credit-bearing Cantonese courses. The successful completion of the Cantonese courses will be recorded in the student's transcript.
For Chinese (including Putonghua) and English, language consultation services and other self-access materials are provided at ASLLC, the self-access language learning centre (these arrangements are subject to changes).
Our Staff Members and Facilities
This programme will be taught by highly qualified and experienced science educators and experts. There are many different types of science laboratories available for research, teaching and learning of various science courses and they are fully equipped with the essential hardware equipment and software facilities for performing advanced experimental activities as well as for microteaching of all senior secondary science subjects. These laboratories are managed by a team of well-qualified and experienced technical staff, who are ready to provide professional advice and technical assistance to both teaching staff and students in designing and conducting the relevant teaching and learning activities within and outside the campus.
Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications
Graduates will lead to a qualified teacher status (QTS) in Hong Kong. They will have acquired sufficient subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in their chosen science subjects. They can individually teach the junior secondary science subject and two senior secondary science subjects and co-teach the senior secondary Integrated Science subject. They should also be capable of taking up non-teaching positions in editing, publication, community and social services, government and non-government organisations, etc.