Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES) |
The Centre for Applied English Studies is responsible for building students’ academic literacy skills throughout their time at university. All CAES courses focus on close contact between teachers and students, with no more than 20 students per course. They also develop learner independence and initiative, which are encouraged by the provision of Communication Support Services (CSS) offered at CAES. Students are highly encouraged to take Core University English (CUE) in either Semester 1 or 2 of their first year, and they are required to take one English in the Discipline (ED) course before they graduate. Both are six-credit courses. Assessment is wholly by coursework for both CUE and ED courses. Core University English (CUE)
English in the Discipline (ED) Courses In order to graduate, students are required to take one ED course that is aligned with their faculty coursework. The ED course students take is closely integrated with their disciplinary studies to further develop their academic literacy skills in their field.
In addition, CAES offers two elective experiential learning courses and a wide range of blended learning courses to enhance students’ leadership skills and cater to a variety of language related skills and interests.
Nurturing Global Leaders Programme (NGL) The CAES2001 Nurturing Global Leaders (NGL) programme is a 12-credit free elective course offered in the summer semester, where HKU students undergo a 2-week pre-trip training before their 6-week teaching internship in different locations across Myanmar, Thailand and Hong Kong, teaching English language and communication skills to marginalised youths. Through this immersive cultural experience, students sharpen their English communication skills and become better global leaders with intercultural awareness. Online Digital Storytelling in English
CAES2002 is a 6-credit free elective course taught online. Students in this course learn the Digital Storytelling method of creating video-based personal narratives before delivering workshops to less-privileged learners outside of Hong Kong. The course focuses on developing a range of skills associated with digital and online communication. Upon completion of this course, high-achieving students are highly encouraged to apply for Peer Consultant posts in the Digital Literacy Lab. Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs)
SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses) were launched in 2019 and use a combination of online and face-to-face sessions to focus on niche areas of academic language and other communication skills. Sessions fit around CAES assessment periods thus directly serving students' needs and offering greater flexibility. Six SPOCs dealing with a range of speaking, reading, and writing skills are currently on offer with more under consideration for development. Click here for a complete list of undergraduate courses offered by CAES. Communication-Intensive Courses (CiC) A Communication-Intensive (CI) course is an HKU undergraduate course that consists of a syllabus with components that explicitly develop communication-related knowledge, skills and attributes. It also specifically develops at least two out of four communication literacies: oral, written, visual and digital, with 40% of the course grade assigned to communication-related assessment tasks. On completion of a CiC course, students receive a CiC badge which is visible in the Academic Achievement Profile (AAP) and the HKU mobile app.
For more information about CiC, please visit http://cics.hku.hk/
Communication Support Services
CAES Communication Support Services (CSS) offers a variety of consultations, workshops and discussions to help students succeed at the University of Hong Kong, and to support students’ development as a communicator within and beyond the university. CSS comprises four separate strands: General Language Advising, Digital Literacy Lab, Speaking Studio as well as the Writing Centre. Please visit the CAES CSS website for details: https://www.caescss.hku.hk/
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