Media

HKU Faculty of Dentistry to Open New Student Learning Suite

31 Oct 2012

 

The Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) will officially open its new Problem-based Learning Suite at a Grand Opening Ceremony tomorrow (November 1, Thursday). The Guest-of-Honour will be Professor John Malpas, HKU Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Infrastructure).

The HKU Faculty of Dentistry is well known for its pioneering use of an interactive education method in its Bachelor of Dental Surgery curriculum since 1998, known as “problem-based learning”. This method includes the discussion of especially designed problems among small groups of students, and thus needs purpose-built rooms.

Situated on the ground floor of the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, the Faculty’s Problem-based Learning Suite was completely remodelled and upgraded this summer after 2 years of planning and consultation between staff and students. The renovation was based on international trends in designing learning venues that incorporate advanced technology to suit today’s tech-savvy generation, while optimising hospital space to accommodate this year’s double cohort of students.

The Suite contains a student common room and 12 tutorial rooms, each equipped with an interactive whiteboard with WiFi connectivity to facilitate small-group discussions. Frosted glass walls create an open, natural-lit, but private learning environment. Two adjoining rooms, also separated by glass, allow observation of tutorials for staff development.

Media representatives are cordially invited to the Problem-based Learning Suite Grand Opening Ceremony and Tea Reception and for a tour of the facility. The details are as follows:

Time: 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Date: Thursday, 1 November 2012
Venue: G/F Foyer, outside Lecture Theatre II, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong but please register at the Hospital Main Entrance.

Media contact:
Ms Sau-wan Cheng, Knowledge Exchange Officer, HKU Faculty of Dentistry, Tel: 2859 0410; E-mail: dentke@hku.hk  (please arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow registration at the reception desk at the hospital main entrance; it would be helpful to please pre-register by contacting Ms Cheng today if you plan to attend)

This event is a part of the programme of the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the South East Asia Association for Dental Education, which is being hosted by the HKU Faculty of Dentistry from 31 October to 2 November 2012 at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, as part of the Faculty’s Pearl Jubilee Celebrations and HKU’s Centenary.

About the Faculty of Dentistry, the University of Hong Kong
Established in 1982 and located in the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, Sai Ying Pun, the HKU Faculty of Dentistry is Hong Kong’s only dental school. Currently studying at the Faculty are 324 undergraduates, 114 taught postgraduates, and 71 research postgraduates from 22 countries. So far, 1432 undergraduates, 582 taught postgraduates, and 116 research postgraduates have graduated from the Faculty, and more than half of Hong Kong’s registered dentists are Faculty alumni. Helping the Faculty fulfil its missions of education, research, patient care, and knowledge exchange are a team of 56 full-time and 81 part-time staff from 15 countries. In 1998, the Faculty integrated problem-based learning into its Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree curriculum. This format utilises small-group discussions, led by a facilitator, to encourage critical thinking, independent and effective life-long learning, and teamwork in the context of real-life problems. The Faculty is widely recognised as a pioneer in dental problem-based learning in Asia. For more information, see: http://facdent.hku.hk/docs/PBL_FacDentHKU_2008.pdf

In 2012, the Faculty celebrates its 30th anniversary. For more information about the Faculty, please visit http://facdent.hku.hk  (Facebook: www.facebook.com/facdent )