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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most teaching and learning or student services in the higher education setting have moved to the digital world. However, university residential halls have continued to provide services as there are students who are unable to go back to their homes/countries because of travel bans or family reasons. This study investigates the perceptions of residents who stayed at university residential halls during the pandemic. In-depth interviews were conducted with 77 staying residents from four public universities in Hong Kong. Through the sharing of their residential experience, it was found that these stayers were impacted greatly by the changes in the residential hall environment, particularly in terms of reduced interaction and emerging disciplinary concerns. Results reveal that stayers had undergone different negative mental states, namely stress, paranoia, loneliness and boredom. After identifying their conditions, some sustainable residential practices were proposed, such as maintaining minimum face-to-face contact for stayers, practicing transparent communication and arranging bulk purchases of living supplies. It is hoped that the results of this study can help to inform readers regarding the possible impacts on the stayers during a partial lockdown environment in university residential halls and how they can be better supported by universities.
Michelle Cheng; Man-Lai Leung; Christina Yu; Kevin Yue; Elaine Liu; Samuel Chu. Sustaining Healthy Staying Communities in University Residential Halls amid Unprecedented Pandemic. Sustainability 2021, 13, 6176 .
AMA StyleMichelle Cheng, Man-Lai Leung, Christina Yu, Kevin Yue, Elaine Liu, Samuel Chu. Sustaining Healthy Staying Communities in University Residential Halls amid Unprecedented Pandemic. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (11):6176.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichelle Cheng; Man-Lai Leung; Christina Yu; Kevin Yue; Elaine Liu; Samuel Chu. 2021. "Sustaining Healthy Staying Communities in University Residential Halls amid Unprecedented Pandemic." Sustainability 13, no. 11: 6176.
Past studies revealed that Resident Assistants’ (RAs) behavioural patterns are related to experiences and life outcomes of student residents. In this paper, the researchers aimed to investigate the struggles that new RAs encounter in university residential halls in Hong Kong, and to provide practical recommendations based on the findings. Photovoice was adopted to facilitate the participatory approach of the study; and six new RAs were recruited from different residential halls in a university for one semester to co-construct reliable knowledge. Four domains of struggles were identified in the study; difficulties to blend in, levels of involvement, workloads and performance, and role ambiguity. Further research is needed in different contexts to provide more insights to refine policies and approaches for better RAs’ residential environment, as it is believed that by improving their residential experiences, it can further enhance students’ residential experiences and foster positive residence life outcomes.
Michelle W.T. Cheng; Cecilia K.Y. Chan. ‘Invisible in a visible role’: a photovoice study exploring the struggles of new resident assistants. Journal of Further and Higher Education 2020, 45, 688 -703.
AMA StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng, Cecilia K.Y. Chan. ‘Invisible in a visible role’: a photovoice study exploring the struggles of new resident assistants. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 2020; 45 (5):688-703.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng; Cecilia K.Y. Chan. 2020. "‘Invisible in a visible role’: a photovoice study exploring the struggles of new resident assistants." Journal of Further and Higher Education 45, no. 5: 688-703.
Can residential experiences help undergraduates develop holistic competencies? To answer this question, a study was conducted based on the insights of 211 residents in Hong Kong. Deductive and inductive content analyses were respectively used to examine residence life outcomes, particularly in holistic competencies, and to categorise the types of residential experiences deemed to be effective for these outcomes. Results revealed that participation in hall activities led to the development of residence life outcomes, including justice, humanity, wisdom, courage, transcendence, and wellbeing. Furthermore, planning/organising hall activities greatly improved students’ sense of justice while interpersonal dynamics facilitated the improvement of humanity only. The analyses indicated that students without specific engagement in hall activities were also able to develop temperance, particularly in self-regulation. Recommendations are suggested based on the analyses. It is hoped that this study might help inform policy-making processes to provide better residential environment that is beneficial to student holistic development.
Michelle W.T. Cheng; Cecilia K. Y. Chan. Do university residential experiences contribute to holistic education? Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 2019, 42, 31 -48.
AMA StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng, Cecilia K. Y. Chan. Do university residential experiences contribute to holistic education? Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. 2019; 42 (1):31-48.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng; Cecilia K. Y. Chan. 2019. "Do university residential experiences contribute to holistic education?" Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 42, no. 1: 31-48.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of utilising rubrics in reflective writing by investigating the effect on students’ work and the perceptions of the students and instructors. A hundred and thirty-four undergraduates attended a one-hour reflective writing workshop. All undergraduates were randomly assigned to three groups ran by three instructors: an experimental group in which rubrics were distributed with detailed explanation, another experimental group in which rubrics were distributed without any explanation (a stimulation of self-learning environment in university), and a control group that received no intervention. Measurements of the reflection levels in students’ writing were made by three instructors, who independently marked all the reflective writings based on the same rubric given to the undergraduates. Results revealed that experimental groups acquired significantly higher levels of reflection in students’ reflective writings than the control group. However, no significant differences were found between the two experimental groups.
Michelle W.T. Cheng; Cecilia K.Y. Chan. An experimental test: Using rubrics for reflective writing to develop reflection. Studies in Educational Evaluation 2019, 61, 176 -182.
AMA StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng, Cecilia K.Y. Chan. An experimental test: Using rubrics for reflective writing to develop reflection. Studies in Educational Evaluation. 2019; 61 ():176-182.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng; Cecilia K.Y. Chan. 2019. "An experimental test: Using rubrics for reflective writing to develop reflection." Studies in Educational Evaluation 61, no. : 176-182.
This systematic literature review is to find and showcase studies that detail the design of student-centered in-class undergraduate courses that target the development of generic skills in a discipline-specific context. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were among the 25-year search span. A summary of the selected studies and their findings are presented, alongside an examination of the effectiveness of the various course designs and how generic skills development has been incorporated across different academic disciplines. Challenges and limitations among both selected studies and situation of generic skills development in higher education will also be discussed.
Michelle W.T. Cheng; Katherine K.W. Lee; Cecilia K. Y. Chan. Generic Skills Development in Discipline-Specific Courses in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review. Curriculum and Teaching 2018, 33, 47 -65.
AMA StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng, Katherine K.W. Lee, Cecilia K. Y. Chan. Generic Skills Development in Discipline-Specific Courses in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review. Curriculum and Teaching. 2018; 33 (2):47-65.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichelle W.T. Cheng; Katherine K.W. Lee; Cecilia K. Y. Chan. 2018. "Generic Skills Development in Discipline-Specific Courses in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review." Curriculum and Teaching 33, no. 2: 47-65.