Mr. Lau Chi Kuen
Department of Journalism

Mr. Lau Chi Kuen is a highly competent and self-motivated teacher with great passion for teaching. A graduate of the Communication Department of Hong Kong Baptist College (now School of Communication of Hong Kong Baptist University), he decided to return to his alma mater to pass on his experience to the next generation after working as a journalist for 25 years.


Since his appointment to the Department of Journalism in January 2010, Mr. Lau has taught more than ten courses at different academic levels, and his teaching evaluation results have been very impressive. His versatility is eloquent testimony to his comprehensive knowledge of journalism and underscores his immense value to the Department. Students consider Mr. Lau’s teaching well-organised with a good integration of theory and practice. He thoroughly enjoys interacting with students and is constantly attentive to their needs and questions. He is detail-oriented and pays close attention to every student.


On becoming Director of the Master of Arts in International Journalism Studies Programme, Mr. Lau took the lead in revamping its curriculum, taking into account fast-moving developments in the dynamic media industry as well as input received from alumni and students. He has improved many aspects of the Programme, including curriculum structure, student service, web design, teaching assignments and the hiring of faculty members.


Working closely with colleagues, Mr. Lau has engaged in a broad range of extra-curricular activities to ensure students have a positive and meaningful experience on and off campus. As part of his teaching strategy, Mr. Lau believes in exposing students to the real world as a means of broadening their knowledge and stimulating their interest in current events. This is mainly achieved through student visits, reporting assignments, internships and overseas study tours.


Mr. Lau regularly invites seasoned journalists to share their valuable insights and experiences. He played an instrumental role in launching the HKBU-SOPA (Society of Publishers in Asia) Award Winners Forum in 2013. Five winners of the SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence were invited to the campus to tell the stories behind their award-winning entries.


Here are comments from some of Mr. Lau’s students:

 

‘I used to doubt that news writing could ever be learned in the classroom until I enrolled in this course.  So I would say this is the best news writing class I’ve ever had and probably is one of the best courses I have taken during my undergraduate years.”

 

“The teacher is very experienced, professional and knowledgeable, and every class provides us with a lot of useful skills for news writing.  His comments on every assignment are very specific and clear.”


The Selection Committee is highly impressed by Mr. Lau’s dedication to passing on his breadth and depth of knowledge to his students and unreservedly recommends him as a recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding performance in Teaching.


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