Starting from this academic year, the University of Macau (UM) will designate every Wednesday afternoon as the ‘Collegiate Learning Day’, with the aim of encouraging students to participate in different activities to gain knowledge beyond their chosen fields of study. UM held a kick-off ceremony for the Collegiate Learning Day on 9 September. Faculty members and students of the residential colleges all look forward to this new education model, saying that they believe co-curricular activities will be beneficial to the implementation of a holistic education.

At the kick-off ceremony, Rector Wei Zhao said that UM decided to launch the Collegiate Learning Day because the university places dual emphasis on academic research and helping students achieve well-rounded development through an experiential learning model. He explained that starting from this academic year, every Wednesday afternoon at UM will be devoted to co-curricular activities instead of formal classes. These activities will be co-organised by the various faculties, RCs, and departments. They will facilitate the implementation of research and internship education, and community and peer education, two important components of the ‘4-in-1’ education model. And the purpose of this new practice is to help students grow into individuals with both expertise and integrity.

Haydn Chen, vice rector for student affairs, said that during their four years at UM, students are required to not only acquire hard skills in their chosen fields of study, but also develop soft skills, including critical thinking, leadership skills, civic consciousness, global perspective, cultural engagement, and healthy living, so as to meet the challenges of the 21st century. He believes that cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary co-curricular activities will help improve students’ international competitiveness.

A first-year undergraduate from the Faculty of Business Administration supports the launch of the Collegiate Learning Day. She hopes co-curricular activities will help her learn knowledge that can’t be learned from books, improve her communication skills, and help her discover her interests.

Another freshman, from the Department of Communication, says that making Wednesday afternoon a time for co-curricular activities is a very good decision, adding that the experiential learning model provided by the RCs is designed for the precise purpose of encouraging students to participate in a diverse range of activities so they can learn through practice.

The co-curricular activities at UM will involve the training of various skills, including athletic skills, cultural and artistic literacy, and leadership skills.