Wong Nim-yan’s gentle voice and graceful demeanour belie a woman of character and assertiveness. What would the sparks be when the professor well-versed in classical and modern literature took on online teaching?
‘My fear is precisely that all sparks would be lost. On knowing that online teaching was to become the norm, I was taken aback. As a colleague put it half-jokingly: are we becoming YouTubers?’ Most students keep their cameras off during Zoom classes. It must feel discouraging for teachers to speak to rows of black thumbnails, but Wong saw it in a different light: ‘It is easier for me to stay focused. In face-to-face classes, I feel disrupted when students talk to one another. Now they can send private messages, or type their questions in the chat room.’ Humanities students tend to be more reticent and reluctant to ask questions; remote learning is a great way for them to raise their hands virtually and have vibrant discussions. While the medium is cool, the exchanges thereon can be quite heated.
….. Cont’d reading
Source: Chinese University Bulletin No.2, 2020: Resonances across the Distance