Learning from research, learning for life
By : Michael Gibb
The integration of teaching and research is vital for the learning experience within higher education, argues Dr Nicholas Thomas, the sole winner of this year’s Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA).
“It’s a virtuous circle,” said Dr Thomas, Associate Professor in the Department of Asian and International Studies (AIS). “As faculty, our research feeds into the classroom and can provide students with greater insight, and in turn we learn from our students, and that experience feeds into our research.”
Pseudo-realities
One approach that Dr Thomas has found particularly effective at bringing together teaching and research within a classroomtype environment is the extended simulation. Such activities provide space for lecturers to introduce their own research to students using multi-platform, multimedia teaching materials aimed at challenging students to develop critical-thinking, negotiating, bargaining and communication skills.
In the simulation for his class on regional governance in Asia, Dr Thomas sets students an intellectually rich activity in which participants take on the roles of a variety of countries with a stake in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
“Seeing how the students respond to the problems that confront them in these simulations is very rewarding. To see that spark when a student has a chance to contribute positively to the debate is really what teaching is all about.” “The students are given information relevant to their country’s strategic national interests. They can decide whether to use that information or not, depending on which country they are bargaining with. Within this pseudo-reality, the students are required to negotiate, bargain, hedge and eventually formulate policy responses to specific problems,” Dr Thomas explained.
The simulation in Dr Thomas’ postgraduate class takes place over the course of one semester, but one whole day is usually devoted to the main negotiations during which time participants view authentic-like newscasts and news articles that might, or might not, impact the various debates taking place. The students are required to respond to and adapt their positions in accordance with the news material as it unfolds during the day-long session.
“For me, seeing how the students respond to the problems that confront them in these simulations is very rewarding. To see that spark when a student has a chance to contribute positively to the debate is really what teaching is all about,” said Dr Thomas.
Understanding how humans interact
The idea for the extended simulation was prompted in part by Dr Thomas’ experience working for a think tank in Australia on regional affairs. The form of the research tended to involve Track II diplomacy, i.e., informal, non-attributable discussion with government and business leaders on target issues.
“I noticed during the Track II talks that a gap exists between what happens in reality during the interactions and what happens in more theoretical academic discourse. I especially saw that personal relations between participants were often very influential when seeking resolution to problems; and that theories of international relations, such as realism and liberalism, were perhaps not such effective predictors of behaviour,” he explained.
In a sense, what was not said at such meetings could be just as significant as what was said. “That’s why simulations are a great way for students to gain experience in understanding how people interact in real-life situations,” he said. “They prompt participants to look for sub-text and hidden meaning, and adjust their positions accordingly. These are great skills to enhance prior to joining the workforce.”
TEA for one
As for winning this year’s TEA, and as the sole recipient, Dr Thomas explained that his teaching was the accumulative outcome of the teaching and research excellence in AIS.
“You are only as good as the people you work with,” said Dr Thomas, pointing out that any number of his colleagues could have won the TEA this year given the high-quality of expertise in the department. “We are a close team and we have a high number of faculty holding General Research Fund and Early Career Scheme grants. Our research is having a significant impact in the field of politics and international relations.”
The department is also attracting top talent. For the 2016–17 Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) awards, all four AIS applicants put forward by the University were eligible for funding. Based on these results, for the 2016–17 academic year, AIS hosts seven of the eighteen HKPFS students currently enrolled in CityU’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS).
“The TEA award is really a testament to my colleagues and to CLASS for enabling faculty to teach to the best of their abilities,” he said.
