About the Event :

Higher education institutions are continuously searching for new teaching strategies and ways to help student learn. It is important to understand students' backgrounds and their attitudes toward both academic and social life in order to engage a group of students. Students' interaction with peers and immersion within education vary from generation to generation. The educator must acknowledge and utilize these rather than disregard them. Higher education researchers have been researching and implementing strategies to assist students' social integration. Although many discussions have developed about social media used in education institutions, very limited academic research has been done on interactive tools in learning design. More and more university students are turning to social networking sites to help them build and maintain friendship networks. Alexander (2006) and Hoffman (2010) argued that social media hold great potential for improving teaching and learning through creating student-centered learning, promoting collaboration among students, supporting individualized learning, providing an enjoyable learning experience, and enabling flexible learning schedules. Meltzoff and Metzoff (2007) showed in their experimental studies, that social interactions are essential for learning. They stated that humans have powerful implicit learning mechanisms that are affected by social interaction. Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggested seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. A good teacher does the following: (1) encourages student-faculty contact; (2) encourages cooperation among students; (3) encourages active learning; (4) gives prompt feedback; (5) emphasizes time on task; (6) communicates high expectations, and (7) respects diverse talents and ways of learning. To make a meaningful impact on student learning, it is important that we as faculty understand net generation students' changing values, needs, behaviors, and the way they learn.

Facilitator(s) :

Dr Eun Jin Hwang

Dr Eun Jin Hwang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development, Fashion, and Interior Design at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA. She received a Ph.D. and Master degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her recent research and teaching focuses on fashion merchandising, strategic management with respect to textiles and apparel, the textile and apparel industry and trade, sustainability in apparel retail industry, the connection with consumers via social networking in apparel retailers and self-construal on consumers' decision-making styles on clothing purchasing. She also has expanded her research on technology and education and was invited to speak at various conferences. Dr Hwang received the Best Paper Award at the Advances in Business-Related Scientific Research Conference (ABSRC) 2012, Venice, Italy. Dr Hwang is also highly regarded professional reviewer with the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, International Textiles and Apparel, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, and Fashion and Textiles. Currently she is chief editor of Journal of Economic, Business and Management (JOEBM). She has reviewed seven textbooks from three different publishers and written a case study for a textbook. Dr Hwang has been the keynote speaker at several international conferences.

Intended Learning Outcomes :

Upon completion of the seminar, participants would be able to:

•  investigate the use of social media in the real settings of higher education to gain deep understanding of the complexity of this uses, 
  
• explore how we can define the seven principles operationally so as to appropriate for traditional and online classroom; and 
  
• make a meaningful impact on student learning, it is important that we understand net generation students' changing values, needs, behaviors, and the way they learn.
  

Target Audience :

All VTC Staff

Enquiry :

Mr LAI Siu Man, Chris
Deputy Director and Head/Centre for Learning & Teaching
Tel: 2836-1237  
E-mail: chris-lai@vtc.edu.hk

Ms CHUNG Kit Man, Gloria
Senior Project Officer
Tel: 2919-1557  
E-mail: gloriac@vtc.edu.hk