Teaching Healthy Lifestyle in the Higher Education in Hong Kong: Report and Reflection

Since the major curriculum reform in 2012, most of the university curriculum in Hong Kong has extended by one year, and this offers good opportunities to provide a programme of General Education for students despite their chosen major disciplines. The compulsory general education programme is seen to be an important component in the nurturing of the young adults as responsible members of the society, as well as equipping them with necessary knowledge and skills for lifelong learning. The actual course contents of individual universities differ, but the common core areas cover general knowledge within the arts, the social and natural sciences, and courses that train students’ mind and body. The presenter’s university has a General Education programme that offers courses designed and taught by individual academic departments, falling within the prescribed categories of courses. This presentation is a sharing of the experience of teaching a General Education course to students of all disciplines in the category of healthy lifestyle. The presenter comes from a Humanities department, and this sharing will highlight issues of course design, coursework requirement, choice of teaching materials and learning activities. The presentation will reflect on the issues mentioned in the context of higher education in Hong Kong, which has an interestingly mixed cultural identity; and a majority of Chinese population with an exposure to global cultures. It is hoped that the report and reflection can invite feedback on course design in similar situations.