New insights for Teaching and Learning with the theme of gerontechnology
Lingnan University (LU) arranges diversified learning activities in the 1st semester of the 2022-23 academic year to let students understand gerontech and development. Specifically, the Jockey Club Gerontechnology and Smart Ageing in Place project team (the Project team) from Institute of Policy Studies arranged various experiential learning opportunities for students. Students were encouraged to apply the subject related-knowledge, get a better understanding of the issues of gerontology and ageing society as well as prepare for their professional development.
LU keens to equip students with a solid foundation in public sector management and leadership skills through different curriculum designs. PMS4103 Gerontechnology and Managing Aging Society is a subject of The Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Public Management and Smart Governance. The teaching team arranged diffferent field visits, such as the Gerontech-X Lab and the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES), as well as invited industry leaders and stakeholders to serve as guest speakers at the class. Students could learn the latest developments in gerontech, which enabled them to understand the ageing society with comprehensive perspectives.
“It was a great pleasure to be part of the course “Gerontechnology and Managing Ageing Society” in the first semester of the 2022/23 academic year. The course was well structured with different aspects. I recall instances where students were telling me that the course has “opened their eyes” about the extent to which technology can help improve the wellbeing of the aged. As done in the previous semester, I strongly believe that guest lecturers with industry experience should always be invited to participate in this course because those sessions were really appreciated by the students. Indeed, the students learnt a lot from the GIES 2022 and I strongly recommend that students who read the course should have the opportunity to attend GIES every year. Through the GIES, some students were able to refine their projects and obtain practical examples to provide detailed explanations during their group presentations.” – Shared by Dr. AMEYAW Edward Kwabena, research assistant professor.
Mr. NGAI Chi-wai, Project Director of “Live Young” rewards programme served as guest speaker and shared the case of LU X BOC Life ‘Live Young’ Rewards Program.
In addition, the Project team also arranged different field visits for students from the taught postgraduate courses (including Master of Science in Health Analysis and Management and Master of Social Science in Health and Social Service Management). Students were able to apply their disciplinary knowledges and from the perspective of professional managers and to examine the challenges and opportunities of the health service delivery system for innovative solutions.
A group of master programme students and Gerontech ambassadors participated in the GIES2022.
"As a student studying The Master of Science in Health Analytics and Management, I think participating in the GIES and visiting different Gerontech centres can help students learn in the following ways. Firstly, the ageing process in Hong Kong has increased significantly. Both the event and exhibition centres serve as platforms for collaboration. They also allow students to understand gerontech products and innovative solutions. Furthermore, the experiences also help to improve students' ability to apply the knowledge health care technology and skills of medical operation management, to create efficient contributions to all aspects of society in future work and services decisions.”— Shared by Mr. LIN Anliang, a student from The Master of Science in Health Analytics and Management.
The LU emphasises integrating Service-Learning (S-L) into the Undergraduate curriculum. Students get chances to work with the community through service, promote social innovation and create research impact. In the 1st semester, the Project team worked with the SOC3203 Social Gerontology students on an innovative Service-Learning project for students. The students were invited to join the GIES and the HKTDC Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair, collect pubic opinions and get to understand their thoughts on the development of gerontech in Hong Kong through surveys and social media platform. The students helped to consolidate the feedback and provide suggestions for policy development and promotion of social innovation in the industry.
"During the GIES and the medical fair, we have met different people in the industry and the community. We learned about the current development status and the latest trends in the industry through dialogues. In addition, we can also chat with them and learn about their respective professional knowledge. These experiences allow us to understand the current development of gerontech and the needs of the society." – Shared by Mr. LAM, King Chung, a year 2 student from Bachelor of Social Sciences.
Service-Learning students used survey to collect the public's views on gerontech.