A panoply of exhibitions, video shows, laboratory and campus tours, displays and talks greeted some 14,000 visitors who flocked to the campus on CityU's Information Day, 25 September.

Academic programmes offered by the Faculties of Business (FB), Humanities and Social Sciences (FHS), and Science and Engineering (FSE); the School of Law (SLW); the School of Creative Media (SCM); the Community College of City University (CCCU) and the Division of Building Science and Technology (BST) were showcased in various eye-catching displays, with programme details introduced by student volunteers from their respective departments. Guided tours of the Sports Complex, Chinese Civilisation Centre, Run Run Shaw Library, Computing Services Centre, English Language Centre and the School of Creative Media were organized to familiarise visitors with the state-of-the-art facilities at CityU.

In addition, the SCM opened its TV Studio, Animation Laboratory, Editing Laboratory and other facilities for visitors to experience what a media production workplace is all about. FSE also offered guided tours to its Compact Lidar Laboratory, Soil and Rock Mechanics Laboratory, Interactive Media & Virtual Reality Laboratory and its Wireless Communications Research Centre.

A major highlight of the Day was a talk delivered by CityU's Vice President (Undergraduate Education) and Dean of Students Professor Edmond Ko, entitled “University Education and Learning”. Professor Ko gave the 170-strong audience a detailed description of the differences between secondary and tertiary education, and some study tips for enhancing their learning.

“University education emphasizes ‘self-directed learing’ and ‘deep learning’ instead of ‘teacher-centred learing’ and ‘surface learning’,” said Professor Ko in his introductory remarks. He continued to explain that at tertiary level, knowledge should be acquired through application, analysis, and synthesis, and he asserted that university education is, therefore, “a transformational experience for high-schoolers.” He added, “If you are trained, you can only do what you are trained for, but if you are well-educated, you can do something you have never been taught before."

In addition, Professor Ko directed students’ attention to some effective learning strategies, saying, “To become a more effective learner, you need to: be active; cultivate intellectual curiosity; understand your own strengths and weaknesses; set clear and realistic goals; and have good time management skills.” He also reminded the students to “work smart” rather than just to “work hard”, because “bad practice never makes perfect”.

Visitors' voices

“I want to know what I would study if I were admitted to CityU’s marketing programme,” said a Form Seven visitor. “Attending several different briefing sessions helped me better prioritise my choices since I gained a more in-depth understanding of the programme requirements.” Another visitor said that he would like to enroll in Computer Science, through CityU’s Student Athletes Admission Scheme (SAAS).

A briefing session on (SAAS) was held by CityU’s Student Development Services (SDS), in the Sports Complex. Student athlete, Vincent Lam, a second-year student in the Department of Accountany (AC) led the session and explained that the objectives of the SAAS are to recognize student athletes’ outstanding sports achievements; to raise the sports performance standard at the University; to enrich the campus life of student athletes and enhance their personal development. Mr Roy Ngai, SDS Senior PE Officer, talked about the criteria for selecting student athletes. “We are looking for bright, talented student atheletes. At the same time, they should be motivated to learn and eager to ask questions.”

This year's Information Day was a fun and informative event for all concerned, and prospective students were pleased with and excited by the insights they gained into CityU campus life.