Teaching Excellence Awards (2023)

CityU introduced the Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA) in 1993, as the first university in Hong Kong to offer such awards.

The principal aims of the TEA are to:

acknowledge and reward excellent teachers in the University;
promote and nurture best teaching practices; and
identify the best candidates for the UGC Teaching Award and nurture potential candidates for future selection.

Under the scheme, awards are made to individuals as well as teams to recognise and encourage collaborative work on development of effective teaching and practices. One or more awards are available each year. A cash prize of HK$15,000 for staff development and related purposes will be awarded to each recipient of individual award and each member of the team award. A grant of HK$150,000 will also be awarded to each recipient of individual award and each winning team to undertake a teaching development project of their choosing. The Award will be conferred at the annual Degree Congregation Ceremony. Names of Teaching Excellence Awardees will also be permanently displayed on campus.

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“A Digital Deep Dive into Where the Past and Present Meet” – the University lauds Dr. Tsui’s innovative approach in combining digital learning and Socratic methods in his Chinese History classes, effectively bridging cultural understanding for communities in Hong Kong and beyond.

Amidst pandemic challenges, Dr. Tsui has overcome traditional teaching limitations with his expertise in digital humanities. Using advanced digital tools, he fosters an integrated learning environment, encouraging active comprehension and contemplation of historical issues while connecting them to students’ contexts. His skilful use of these tools connects also students with their peers facilitating interactive online and offline environment. Known also for his approachability, Dr. Tsui consistently provides timely feedback and support.

Dr. Tsui is also recognised for his innovative use of datasets and innovative digital tools in Chinese history education. These tools instil a “discovery” element in his student-centred teaching approach, prompting students to challenge clichés, rethink analytical frameworks, and engage in data-driven debates. This empowers students to reshape their understanding of historical study and become reflective researchers.

An exceptional educator and academic leader, Dr. Tsui has made significant contributions to history and digital humanities education, which wins him multiple awards in digital humanities. Recently, he has also led a team of colleagues in the Department of Chinese and History to develop a glossary for teaching Chinese history to non-Chinese speaking students, supported by the Hong Kong Education Bureau. His remarkable achievement brings impact to students beyond the University.

Dr. Tsui will use his Teaching Excellence Award grant to create more resources that enhance students' information literacy and historical reasoning skills, to be distributed through the Internet platform that his department is creating for a Virtual Teaching and Learning project.