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A unique approach to higher education

A unique approach to higher education

Lingnan University, the summer break is a time for students to line up internships, service-learning experiences and eye-opening trips to the mainland or further afield.

John Cremer

Lingnan University, the summer break is a time for students to line up internships, service-learning experiences and eye-opening trips to the mainland or further afield. 

But back on campus, the hum of activity continues as visiting scholars arrive for summer school events and preparations are finalised for courses, classes and the admission of new first-year students who have met the required standards in their DSE exams. 

Lingnan has long been recognised for its strengths in liberal arts education and its broad-based curriculum with opportunities for interdisciplinary studies. 

To a large extent, though, that success depends on a regular summer review of everything from course content to teaching methodologies plus the research and planning needed to ensure all modules are up-to-date and new programmes reflect shifting priorities in the wider world. 


Professor Joshua Mok Ka-ho

“That is essential for flagship programmes like the popular BBA in risk and insurance management. Its basic aim is to give students the knowledge and skills to attain professional qualifications and go on to productive careers in the banking and insurance sectors,” says Professor Joshua Mok Ka-ho, vice-president of Lingnan University. 

The starting point is a matter of principle and practice. But courses must also include recent case studies and the latest thinking on policies, regulations, cyber threats and the general economic situation, with relevant examples and other aspects inevitably changing from one year to the next.  

Summer is also the time to innovate and refine in other respects. 

This year, for instance, Lingnan is expanding its plans for an interdisciplinary self-designed major for BA students. “The intention is to provide greater choice and flexibility in learning. And the same concept is being extended to the bachelor of social sciences programme, initially giving students the option to combine social and public policies with Asia-Pacific studies,” Mok says. 

Behind this is the awareness that a liberal arts education has to equip students with skills appropriate for the 21st-century workplace. Nowadays, employers are looking for candidates with a broad knowledge base, who collaborate well and can identify solutions for increasingly complex problems. 

Therefore, the university has to ensure courses set high academic standards, but also encourage whole-person development. If graduates are to achieve their goals in a fast-changing social, cultural and economic environment, they need all-round competencies, sensibilities and a sense of civic duty to help them make a mark. 

There is also a responsibility, though, to advance scholarship and research. A good example of that is this year’s three-week international postgraduate summer school which Lingnan is co-hosting with Oxford University’s Hertford College as from late June.  

“It provides a platform for scholars and postgraduate students to present major findings, discuss research practices, and comment on varying methods and techniques,” says Mok “The events in Hong Kong also include a series of workshops and field visits, giving high-profile participants from around the region the chance to establish new ‘research clusters’, share interests, and promote important advances,” he adds.

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