The first retreat in the 2011/2012 academic year was held on 3rd and 4th September, 2011 at the Westin Resort in Coloane, Macao. This two day retreat is part of the course HONR 201 Self Discovery conducted by the HC Programme Coordinator Prof. Doris MOK for the newly admitted Class of 2014 as well as part of the course of HONR 301 Leadership from a Global Perspective conducted by Dr. UHM Soo Yun.
The major purposes of the retreat is to foster the HC group identity and to develop a leaning community, to increase the cross-cohort interaction and to let Class of 2014 begin the self-discovery process Students as well as to better prepare the Study Abroad programme for Class of 2013. Both classes had enjoyed a fruitful and unforgettable outside the classroom experience with HC Dean MOK and HC faculty members.
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The retreat included 12 hours of lectures, discussions, peer mentoring and sharings, team building activities and group projects. It first started with a warm welcome speech by Dean MOK, introducing the vision and missions of the College to welcome the third batch of HC students – Class of 2014, to the HC family. He wished all the students the very best in the new academic year. That followed by an introduction of the HCSA members, the function and duty of the association, the leadership opportunities it offers, and the many activities they organize.
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Student representatives from Class of 2012 also grasped this opportunity to share their study abroad experience with Class of 2013 students, who are preparing for the “Study Abroad” programme for the coming January and February of 2012. These sharings, together with the study abroad preparation session held by Dr. UHM Soo Yun, enhanced the class with a better understanding and a clearer concept about the Study Abroad programme, the details to be paid attention to both for pre-departure and abroad, the many self-developing opportunities that the students could have, and the adjustments they need to make with a diversity of cultural backgrounds.
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Furthermore, the retreat also offers an opportunity for an initial horizontal networking between Class of 2013 and 2014 through the peer-mentoring session, in which the latter could develop the HC identity and a sense of belonging through the college experience sharing by their former classmates and the Collage workshop instruced by Prof. Doris MOK. Aside from the cross-cohort interactions, new students also learn more about HC through the dinner gathering when Dean MOK seized the chance to introduce the faculty and administration members to the students.
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All in all, the retreat serves a great platform for students to enjoy an outside-the-classroom experience and deepen the friendships among them. Moreover, the retreat could also help students develop the goals, norms, values, and communications for a living and learning community, a mode similar to the one apply to the Residential College that the Honours College is going to adopt in the new UM campus in Hengqin.
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