Ka-fu Wong's Journal

I am writing this journal to share my views with my friends and students. I write about anything that I see and feel. Although this is not a blog, your comments are welcome. Comments, if any, should be directed to kafuwong@econ.hku.hk.

 

2023-12-14

Initially, I heard many negative feedback from seniors about the course, but I quickly realized they were mistaken.

2023-12-12

An awakening!

2023-05-25

Templates on sale, anyone?

2023-05-23

Who is to blame? The Observatory? Or yourself?

2023-05-20

I hope all students would be just as willing to learn and reach out for help from us!

2023-05-05

Can students late-drop their worst performing course?

2023-01-16

We shall overcome! We shall overcome the GPA killer's challenge!

2022-12-30

Rules! We follow rigid rules!

2022-12-30

I am honest. Why don't you trust me?

2022-12-17

How many times do I have to repeat before you listen and follow my instructions?

2022-12-06

Teaching Innovation Award

2022-11-07

Our expectation: 10 hours per week for 12 weeks!

2022-09-28

Is it possible to late drop?

2022-06-21

Why not implement zoom invigilation on top of personalized exam papers?

2022-03-21

DO NOT PANIC. YOU CAN DO IT. WE CAN HELP YOU, ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

2022-01-27

Can you help supervise my project?

2022-01-19

Please help me to enroll in Introductory Microeconomics NOW!

2022-01-15

Thank you, for putting in your best effort, thus letting me achieve what I wanted to achieve.

2022-01-06

It is never easy to face failure, but it can be an important learning experience.

2021-12-30

University life is not just about getting good grades, but also exploring your limit and understanding yourself.

2021-10-04

Reasons for disapproving late drop requests

2021-08-04

It takes two to tango!

2021-08-02

ECON1210 a killer course? KF Wong a killer?

2021-07-20

Shock and sad to see student's poor performance in 2021 Spring

2021-07-14

Cooling-off period

2021-03-17

Online data are cheap and easy to find, but they have limitations!

2021-02-08

Mini-projects to build up research ability (1)

2021-01-11

Be our advisor, please!

2020-12-21

Why do we need this transparency? For fairness! For learning!

2020-11-23

You want to build some muscle but do not want to use your time exercising? I can help by exercising for you!

2020-11-18

Feedback to feedback

2020-11-15

General comments on participant's performance in a competition

2020-11-04

Yes, 1200+ personalized versions of the test paper!

2020-02-18

Let students focus on learning, teachers on teaching, and thus together achieve the intended learning outcomes.

2020-02-10

Online learning requires Discipline, DISCIpline, DISCIPLINE!

2019-01-15

Supposedly not difficult to get a B grade.

2018-12-11

This quality is more important than grades.

2018-11-15

Late dropping

2018-11-15

Unreliability of average SETL scores due to the high non-response rate

2018-11-13

Let go!

2018-10-24

No, please do not use my lecture time for your society's announcement.

2018-09-26

Scheduling an appointment

2018-08-27

None of my business

2018-08-21

Course evaluation bounds and response rate

2018-08-09

Be a responsible job applicant

2018-02-10

No calories browsing....

2018-01-24

Would "uncertain" help your postgraduate study application? I would say, CERTAINLY NOT!

2017-09-14

When helping your friend is NOT HELPING YOUR FRIEND!

2017-09-13

My life as a student -- AGAIN

2017-09-05

You like easy grade, easy honor, easy graduation?

2017-07-18

My Facebook friends, please protect me just as I protect you.

2017-07-12

An internship

2016-03-01

You know me. But, do I know you?

2015-12-17

Why learning fails to happen despite the great design of the course and the great teacher?

2015-10-20

Can I trust you, my friend?

2015-10-17

If we have the second chance to "retake", failing or getting a low grade would not be so stressful.

2015-09-18

My first-hand experience on why learning is not taking place in lectures!

2015-08-20

Are you sure Econometrics is useless?

2015-05-04

Eating 100 bowls of rice in a day

2015-01-31

You say you love me. How can I tell whether you truly love me?

2014-10-24

I would be happy to write recommendations letter for your PhD or Master application if ....

2014-10-23

Master of Finance at MIT

2014-10-06

Are you sure what you saw was black?

2014-03-05

GOLDEN opportunity -- only to the hard-working students.

Teachers and teaching assistants have their office hours. Students rarely use such golden opportunity. They just don't know what they are missing. As a teacher, should I be happy about the situation? Yes, their no-show gives me extra time to work on something else. No, their no-show is an evidence that they are hardly studying. So sad!

On this subject, one of my favorite students and I had a short conversation over the Facebook. I believe that it will benefit my other students and my colleagues. To protect her identity, I am calling her "Apple" below.

------

Apple: Today, I impressed my ABCDE course teacher by going to his office to check the answer for the textbook.... Should I be happy or sad. Happy for myself, sad for the fact that the teacher felt no one would go to his office hour?

KF: You should be happy that the teacher could give you his full office hour. Sad because we should have more students like you, doing all the problems and then checking the answers with the teacher. Now, you are rewarded by his good impression on you. You should work hard and do it more often.

Apple: Yes, I did not even intend to impress him. Because, for me, as a student, that is what we r supposed to do.

KF: Yes. Students are supposed work hard. Unfortunately, most of them are hardly working. Take advantage of the situation and learn the most out of him! And, at the same time, impress him!

KF: The side benefit: If he knows you well enough through your visits, you will have another person to write recommendation letters for you in the future. :-)

------


2014-03-01

What to do when your teacher's teaching style does not fit your learning style?

2013-11-28

A negative experience? Not completely. It can be made into a positive one!

2013-11-27

Many thanks for your appreciation of my teaching (II)

2013-07-23

My next stop is Barcelona!

2013-06-01

Her decision to pursue Master of Finance after her undergradaute study at HKU

2012-11-10

What should I do at HKU (activities versus study and many other things)?

2011-09-12

Coach, can you teach me to swim?

2010-02-18

How government policy with good intention can create frustration and political instability?

2009-12-01

Cherish our beloved ones who are still around us -- when we still can!

2009-11-27

Trust your teachers, but don't trust them blindly!

2009-11-26

You can give me a low score but please write some comments to help me improve my teaching.

2009-08-26

The similarity in health care service provision and fire fighting service provision

2009-03-23

Be brave. Visit your teachers. Ask them questions. Your teachers are a lot nicer than you think.

2009-03-14

How can you verify this is really you -- Dr. Ka-fu Wong of HKU?

2009-03-09

I dream to work in the business sector. Should I pursue a master degree before I join the private sector?

2009-02-19

Any economist can predict this... Can you?

2008-12-21

My students performed poorly in the final exam. Help me help them.... please.

2008-12-20

Learning should not end with the final exam!

2008-11-19

Exchange in Europe can be very rewarding!

2008-11-18

UC Berkeley is my top choice for exchange!

2008-11-02

Why did we not have fresh mushrooms twenty years ago?

2008-02-23

Dialogue is preferred to monologue.

2008-02-13

If I were a single unemployed old man who lives on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)

2007-12-17

Is forecasting a pure guessing game?

2007-12-16

I want zero emission of CO2!

2007-11-30

How would I choose universities for exchange?

2007-11-28

Excuse me. Can you write a recommendation letter for me?

2007-11-12

No pain, no gain!

2007-09-14

Teaching is to be enjoyed, and so is studying. Grades should only be secondary.