Inspired by narrative as both a phenomenon and a research methodology, Angela has embarked on her own narrative journey from Canada to Hong Kong where she is now the Professor and Interim Head of the of the School of Nursing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She was selected as one of the four distinguished nursing alumni abroad in 2005 from the Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Canada.  She has also served the role as the president for the Pi Iota Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in 2008. Her research focuses on the person/relation-centered care underpinned by caring/human science paradigm that has evolved into an emphasis on effective and caring communication in health care and interprofessional collaborative practice. Her work on communication studies in education and practice has enabled her to work with overseas and local colleagues to improve nursing practice and serves as the Associate Director of the International Research Centre for Advancement of Health Communication in the Department of Enmgish and Communication, Poly U.  Her work on nursing education has also afforded her the opportunity to develop projects, with international collaborators, on the concept of internationalization at home for a new possibility of student exchange.

My concepts of experience and education have an intricate tie to the work of John Dewey, one of the greatest educational theorists, that is on the notion about thinking is inquiry, inquiry is life and life is education.  My ways of teaching is hence much inspired by Dewey’s work while drawing a balance in my understanding of the importance of students’ expected performance that translated into outcome-based education with criteria-focused assessments and the associated rubrics.  Adopting the constructivist approach, I am an advocate for students’ active learning and experiential understanding. Given my post-graduate work in curriculum and education, I also came to appreciate teachers as learners and learners as teachers with my ongoing reflection upon how to better students’ learning through their perceived relevance and meaningfulness. In the students’ journey through their university education, there is a need for more time and space for students to think, in the forms of problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, asking questions and reflecting from their experience.  As they reflect and learn from their experience, they will come to understand more about themselves, about others and their environment. To nurture the students as independent thinkers with openness, being mindful about their assumptions, biases and as interdependent team players with sensitivity, respect and integrity is part of what I believe.  Making use of technology and an emphasis of intercultural learning in my teaching and learning is an area of my ongoing endeavors.