澳大新語 • 2023 UMAGAZINE 27 38 專題探討 • TOPIC INSIGHT In 2022, upon the foundation laid during the previous stages, he and his team began building a system to align RC education initiatives with the objectives of community and peer education in the ‘4-in-1’ education model, in order to enhance the effectiveness of RCs as a platform for knowledge integration. At the heart of the RC education system is the core strategy of ‘1752’, which includes a one-year RC residence experience, seven learning competencies, five major educational measures (RC activities, communal meal participation, RC courses, meeting regularly with mentors, and High Table Dinners), and two types of care (pastoral care and academic support). These educational initiatives exemplify the system of whole-person education underpinned by the RCs. One-year Residence Experience: The RCs as a Mega Classroom How does the RC system implement UM’s vision for education? Each first-year student at UM is given two identities, one by their faculty and another by their RC. Students are randomly assigned to one of the ten RCs, where they will stay for at least one academic year. Each RC houses about 500 students from different disciplines and provides a dynamic environment for them to learn to communicate and collaborate with individuals from different cultural and academic backgrounds. This experience equips students with the necessary tools to succeed in the world outside the university upon graduation. Interaction in life and learning between academic staff and students in the RC is also a crucial aspect of the RC system. Each college has a college master, an associate college master, and about two resident fellows. They live together with students in the RCs, working together to foster growth in the students in a supportive and engaging environment. In addition, each RC has about 50 non-resident fellows from various departments and faculties. All the RCs are equipped with a full range of living and learning facilities. In addition, each RC offers different learning programmes according to its own characteristics to meet the goals of community and peer education, and provides a space for students to leverage their creativity and soft skills. Some UM graduates met like-minded peers during their time in the RCs and they have gone on to become business partners after graduation and are now contributing to different industries in Macao and across China. ‘The RCs are not merely a place to reside and have meals. They are actually a mega classroom for community and peer education, where students can take different courses, participate in various activities, and interact with their peers from different disciplines, thus developing their seven competencies. This is the unique education model embodied by our RCs,’ says Prof Mok. Seven Competencies and Five Educational Measures The seven competencies are cultivated in students through five educational measures. The RCs organise a variety of experiential learning programmes and activities, including compulsory courses, talks, outdoor exercises, cooking competitions, and theatre performances, allowing students to develop competencies. For communal meal participation, 書院學生到各地參與社區服務培養公民責任心 RC students engage in community services in different places to cultivate responsible citizenship
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