Prof. Raymond WONG Chi-Wing Awarded Michael G. Gale Medal for Distinguished Teaching
Prof. Raymond WONG Chi-Wing, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), has won the prestigious Michael G. Gale Medal for Distinguished Teaching in 2020. The honor was established by the University Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 1994 and is awarded to the faculty member who best exemplifies the continued pursuit of excellence, devotion to teaching and the ability to inspire and motivate others. It is presented annually to one outstanding faculty member from across all Schools at HKUST.
Prof. Wong joined HKUST in 2008 after receiving his PhD from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests primarily lie in the areas of big data, data mining, and database systems.
“Being an alchemist” is the teaching philosophy of Prof. Wong, who works his “magic” on his students by upholding nine principles of teaching – Active interaction, Listening, Care, High-quality teaching, Eagerness to take challenges, Motivate students to work harder and develop their skills, Inspire students, Sharing, and Technology. The inquiry-based learning approach he adopts in his classes has resulted in numerous high-achieving research students under his supervision receiving awards within and outside the University during his 12-year tenure at HKUST.
Prof. Wong’s strong commitment to creating an engaging, interactive, and supportive classroom environment, and designing courses that help students meet real-life decision making challenges, such as the highly popular common core program “COMP 1942 Exploring and Visualizing Data”, has led to him being recognized with the Honorary Mention in the HKUST Common Core Teaching Excellence Award twice.
Prof. Wong clearly understands that an excellent teacher should care for, listen to, and motivate his students instead of simply imparting academic knowledge, so he strives to help students develop not only intellectually but in all aspects of life. There are numerous nomination letters from students who appreciated the time and care he gave them, helping them with problems and decisions that impacted their future careers and lives.
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