For some new colleagues, "study guide" may sound a bit novel. It is actually a free publication of HKCC given to students, aiming to help them better learn their subjects. Also, for some big subjects, colleagues can share the same teaching materials to save their time and ensure consistency among different class groups.
Seven years have passed since the launch of the first edition of nine study guides by our college in Semester Two, 2007/08. I would like to share some interesting data with you.
We have to date published 127 editions of study guides, involving 38 subject coordinators for 33 subjects. The study guides have been well received by students. In the survey conducted in February 2008, 74.1% of 243 students interviewed agreed or strongly agreed that study guides could help them better understand the concepts and theories of the subject they studied. When the same question was asked in November 2013, 2,147 respondents gave a score of 3.67 (out of 5), or 73.4%, confirming the effectiveness of study guides.
Study guides are popular not only among students, but also publishers. In the past, we have been approached by international publishing houses for collaboration. This year, one of our study guides will be converted into a workbook by a publisher. Thus, study guides can be a step to workbook, reference book or textbook.