Liberal Arts Education

LINGNAN UNIVERSITY

A Liberal Arts University With Hong Kong Characteristics

Lingnan is a small university with a distinctive and unique mission of providing liberal arts education to students in Hong Kong. It aspires to be an internationally recognized liberal arts university with Hong Kong characteristics.

What is Liberal Arts Education?

What is a Liberal Arts University with Hong Kong Characteristics?

The Characteristics of Liberal Arts Colleges

Liberal arts education has a history that goes back to ancient times in the East and the West. Confucius spoke about six "arts" encompassing subjects ranging from fine arts to artillery. In ancient Greece, liberal arts education was considered to be conducive to the harmonious development of mind and body. In the sixth century the seven branches of liberal arts learning, namely, grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy were offered by the medieval universities in Europe. In modern universities and colleges, liberal arts encompasses three main areas of study: the humanities; physical/biological sciences and mathematics; and the social sciences. In Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, liberal arts education is commonly interpreted as the offering of only humanities subjects such as history, languages and philosophy. It is in the United States that liberal arts colleges have been firmly established and properly recognized. Liberal arts colleges that began in New England were established some three hundred years ago primarily for the education of the elite, modelled after an elite form of undergraduate education exemplified by the Oxbridge college system in England. Liberal arts colleges have the following distinctive features: Small Size - usually 1,000 to 2,500 students. Residential Campus - usually provide housing for 80-100% of their students to live on campus and the residential programme is a part of the liberal arts education. Student-oriented Faculty - a strong student orientation environment created by its faculty, who are interested in students' academic/personal problems, committed to the welfare of the institution; available to see students outside of office hours; sensitive to the cross-cultural issues of students; who appreciate opportunities for student-faculty interaction and treat students as protégés rather than customers. Student-oriented Expenditure - a much higher percentage of budget on student services.

Liberal arts education is distinctive not because of the academic subjects or disciplines taught but because of the teaching and learning processes or the educational practices. The salient features of liberal arts educational practices are as follows:

• Frequent student-faculty interaction
• Frequent student-student interaction
• Generous expenditures on student services
• A strong emphasis on diversity in teaching and learning
• Frequent use of interdisciplinary and humanities courses
• Frequent use of courses that emphasize writing
• Frequent use of narrative evaluations
• Infrequent use of multiple-choice examinations
• Frequent involvement of students in independent research
• Frequent involvement of students in faculty research

 

Liberal arts colleges are distinctive and exemplify the best practice for effective undergraduate education. The outcomes may be examined under three categories:

1. Educational Outcomes
   Liberal arts education has significant positive impacts on students' personal development including academic outcomes, career development, patterns of behaviour, personality, attitudes, values and beliefs.
   
   
2. Existential Outcomes
   Liberal arts college students are more satisfied with the faculty, the quality of teaching, the general education programme, and the student orientation of the faculty and the institution than students from other types of institutions.
   
   
3. Fringe Benefits
   Liberal arts college graduates have better chances of pursuing postgraduate studies and are much more international in outlook. They possess "well-rounded" (viz. cognitive, presentational and social) skills which corporate managers want and which are best prepared by a liberal arts education.

Since our relocation to Tuen Mun in 1995, Lingnan has sought to position itself as a liberal arts institution with a distinctive mission. The mission statement emphasizes a whole-person approach to education which enables its students to think, judge, care and act responsibly in the changing circumstances of Hong Kong and the world. The new management that arrived in 1995 was totally committed to achieving the mission.

There is an obvious niche in the higher education sector in Hong Kong for liberal arts education. The addition of a liberal arts institution to the list of institutions which already exist in Hong Kong provides a real alternative to students who are seeking the particular benefits afforded by the environment of a liberal arts university. The old Lingnan University in Guangzhou was in many ways a selective liberal arts institution of the American tradition. It was founded by the Church (North Presbyterian), it was small, it was residential, and its admission was selective.

Lingnan is a small institution. With some 2,000 students we have greater scope to develop a rich interaction between teachers and students. Its new and well resourced residential campus in the suburban provides an environment which positively promotes personal development.

In the age of the 'New Economy', success depends not only on sciences and technology but also innovative capabilities. The educational aims of Lingnan are to equip students with the "ABC" of liberal arts education - Adaptability, Brainpower, and Creativity. These are exactly the qualities that the 'New Economy' requires. Liberal arts education at Lingnan aims at cultivating such non-time bound qualities through its whole-person development programme.

Liberal arts education at Lingnan, as in the case of selective liberal arts colleges in the United States, is distinctive because of the teaching and learning processes and not because of the subjects offered (though we have certain distinctive programmes such as creative writing, cultural studies, and integrated social sciences).

Our liberal arts education is founded on the distinctive features of our course and programme design, the best educational practices of undergraduate education, a rich campus life, extensive opportunities for participation in community services, and a rigorous international student exchange programme. This is depicted in the following diagram:

While Lingnan is modelled on the tradition of the selective American liberal arts colleges, it also has its local characteristics. In terms of our curricula, educational practices, and institutional environment, we emphasize (a) cross-cultural dimensions, (b) bi-lingualism, (c) a regional focus, and (d) a balance between professional training and whole-person development.

In a highly commercialized environment such as Hong Kong, it is important that professional training also be provided in a liberal arts institution but that such training be embedded in its liberal arts philosophy. Lingnan is trying to strike an appropriate balance between professional training and liberal arts. Wherever professionally oriented courses (risk and insurance management, accountancy, creative writing, translation) are offered, serious attention has been paid to best practice in the design of the liberal arts curriculum.

We have adopted the credit-based system which provides students with great flexibility in course selection. At Lingnan, every student is assigned an academic adviser, and given a guided liberal choice of subjects on an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary basis. All students are required to undertake prescribed courses in General Education, Chinese and English, so that on graduation they are expected to be bi-literate (Chinese and English) and trilingual (Cantonese, Putonghua and English).

Student-oriented teaching and learning is encouraged and close student-staff relationships are emphasized. We stress interactive teaching and learning modes that challenge students to reach for higher levels of intellectual discourse, analytical thinking and independent research. Our liberal arts education also helps instill in our students a proper attitude for learning, so that upon graduation, they can confidently hold their own ability with competing graduates in any field of pursuits.

Also, there are innovative teaching and learning approaches, including sectional approach, internship, overseas field trips, immersion language studies, directed research projects, co-operative learning, action learning, etc. Teachers are encouraged to experiment with different modes of teaching and, with the experience gained, choose a particular mode which most suits their students, the type and level of courses taught. Feedback from students is very encouraging and we shall keep making innovative teaching and learning methods to the full benefit of students' learning process.

Close interaction between staff and students, within and outside the formal curriculum, provides opportunities for the confirmation of student reaction to course delivery, which in turn enhances the teaching and learning process. Student input is highly valued. Feedback from students via such channels as Staff-student Consultation Committee, Course and Teaching Evaluation, student representation on various committee structures, and breakfast with the President serves as effective lines of communication.

Campus life, especially hostel life, is regarded as an essential part of our education. Lingnan, as a fully residential institution with 75% (the highest in Hong Kong) of its students living on campus, has maintained a balance between academic work and student activities in students' campus life. Our target is to have 85% of students living on campus. We endeavour to create an environment encouraging students to participate in various activities, e.g. assemblies, arts and cultural activities, Christian activities, as well as to use on-campus facilities, e.g. library, sports and recreational facilities, etc.

Students learn to share and to care others through hostel life and active participation in various extra-curricular activities. Participation in university affairs through committee representation and community services provides superb learning-by-doing opportunities for students.

The most significant achievement of promoting whole person development is the introduction of the Integrated Learning Programme (ILP) in 2001. The programme encourages students to have active participation in the community, to polish their skills in learning and communication, to have an open mind in embracing new ideas, culture, opinions and challenges, and a good physique and health to enjoy life as a whole.

In keeping with Lingnan's motto of "Education for Service", students are given many chances to engage in various service projects, which facilitated their development as all-round individuals with a social conscience. Through active community work, students have a real-life opportunity to learn to apply their knowledge and skills, and to experience personal growth and fulfillment. They gain a sense of social responsibility, learn about different walks of life, hone their organization and management skills, and develop better communication skills. Service projects include "Project X", local & Mainland community services, as well as Service-Learning programmes.

Service-learning is not just community service or voluntary work. It combines rigorous academic study with voluntary community service, and provides a distinctive learning experience for all-round development. The academic study focuses on a wide range of Lingnan's programmes and is fully supported by course instructors. The service activities are carried out by students on a voluntary basis with close cooperation among different partners. Unlike field studies or internships, Lingnan's Service-Learning requires the active participation of students and it nurtures the critical elements of self-reflection and analysis.

The International Exchange Programme (IEP) and the Mainland Exchange Programme (MEP) are important initiatives to enhance our undergraduate students' national and international perspectives. They also provide students with opportunities to gain exposure to different educational approaches, to interact with students of different cultures, and to improve their language skills. The University's goal is to give one-fourth of our students the opportunity to study abroad or on the Chinese Mainland for one term during their three years of undergraduate study.

For the IEP, the University has entered into agreements with 2 consortia institutions and 43 universities/colleges in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

For the MEP, agreements have been concluded with 11 universities in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan and Xinjiang.

1. "At Lingnan, we are aiming to provide an aspiring education environment for students, to broaden their horizons, to enhance their level of adaptability, and to help them realize their full potential in life."
   
   Prof. Chan Yuk-Shee, President of Lingnan University, 2007 - present
   
   
   
   
2. "The vision of Lingnan is 'to become an internationally-renowned institution with Hong Kong characteristics, inaugurating a new era of liberal arts education in the Asia-Pacific region'."
   
   Prof. Edward K.Y. Chen, Former President of Lingnan University, 1995 - 2007
   
   
   
   
3. "We in the liberal arts colleges believe that teacher and student must stand face to face in the many conversations... with a curiosity that does not stop at the boundaries of one discipline but pushes on to ask about the disciplines of our colleagues."
   
   Prof. Tom Gerety, Former President of Amherst College, U.S.A., 1994 - 2003
   
   
   
   
4. "The aim of a liberal arts education is to have a critical engagement with life, a willingness to examine the given and to question dogma, [and] an ability to entertain novel ways of thinking."
   
   Prof. John William Ward, President of Amherst College, U.S.A., 1971-1979
   
   
   
   
5. "As we think of the challenges that face the world, and the special issues facing Asia at this moment, it is important to think of the values of a liberal arts education, stressing as it does the ability to be an independent thinker, trained to be open and flexible, to challenge the accepted answer and to ask 'what if' we tried something else."
   
   Prof. Stephen Lewis, Jr., Former President of Carleton College, U.S.A.