ABOUT
US
A professional organization for language education professionals, the Hong Kong Association of Language Centres (AHKLC) is committed to promoting the interests of its member institutions, the teaching staff of the University Language Centres and individual members through advancing language education in Hong Kong. Our missions are to encourage scholarship in our professional fields, to elevate the statuses of the Language Centres and their staff and to facilitate professional development, networking and collaboration in Hong Kong and beyond.
OUR
MISSION
- Advocate for the interests of the members of the Association
- Encourage scholarship
- Facilitate international contacts
- Promote the status of language centres and their staff
- Facilitate cross-centre initiatives
Advocate Member's Interest
Share information regarding issues of common interest, including, for example, terms and conditions, pedagogical approaches, assessment, duties and number of staff at different ranks, the place of “service” in staff duties, and the place of ELCs in university structure and teaching priorities.
Encourage Scholarship
SYMPOSIA / CONFERENCES
The normal arrangement of the Association is to cooperate with and assist institutional members who are organising conferences, rather than Association conferences. However, if a suitable opportunity arises, the Association could organise its own symposia or conferences.
AT A CENTRE LEVEL
Publicise presentations for members who cannot attend, and upload PowerPoints and other supporting materials.
AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
Enable colleagues to identify other colleagues' interests and areas of expertise. This is primarily done in two ways:
- List of publications by Association members, searchable and sortable by topic.
- List of ongoing projects and their personnel
- Establish SIGs for areas of common interest; e.g. IT and assessment
Facilitate International Contacts
- Inform regional, national and international Associations of the work of the AHKLC
- Reach out to other association conferences to raise the profile of the AHKLC
- Encourage international associate membership of our Association
Promote the status of Hong Kong Language Centres and their Staff
- Publicity via a website
- Inform interested parties (e.g. UGC) of our existence and expertise
- Include details of membership in reports to various bodies
- Provide contact details for enquiries
Facilitate Cross-centre Initiatives
Such initiatives might include issues which arise and become matters of common
concern for the Association's member centres.
For example: benchmarking, monitoring international standards
LEADERSHIP
AND MEMBERSHIP
PRESIDENT
Dr. Wesley Curtis
Head, Chan Feng Men-ling Chan Shuk-lin Language Centre
City University of Hong Kong
president@ahklc.hk
Since 2021, Dr. Wesley Curtis has served City University of Hong Kong as Head of the Chan Feng Men-ling Chan Shuk-lin Language Centre. A former Vice President of the US-based Consortium of University and College Intensive English Programs (UCIEP), he is an experienced administrator and educator with interests in SLA, IT, and international education.
SECRETARY
Dr. Simon Wang
Lecturer, Language Centre
Hong Kong Baptist University
secretary@ahklc.hk
Dr Simon Wang has been a lecturer in English at the Language Centre, Hong Kong Baptist University since 2016. With his PhD work on critical thinking and computer-assisted language learning, he focuses on developing students' research and writing skills for joining the public conversations on social and academic issues.
TREASURER
Dr. Mable Chan
Associate Head, Language Centre
Hong Kong Baptist University
treasurer@ahklc.hk
Mable Chan is currently an Associate Head (Scholarship and development) at the Language Centre, Hong Kong Baptist University. Before joining Hong Kong Baptist University, she taught in the Department of English of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for close to 20 years. Her main research interests include second language acquisition (SLA) at the interface with language education, and professional/workplace communication.
ACTING EVENTS OFFICER
Prof. Melinda Whong
Director, Center for Language Education
Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Science
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
eventsofficer@ahklc.hk
Since 2019, Prof. Melinda Whong has held the posts of Director of the Center for Language Education at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. In addition to her current role as Acting Events Officer of the Association of Hong Kong Language Centres (AHKLC), she is a former AHKLC president, a capacity in which she served from 2020-2024.
PROJECT OFFICER
Dr. Clive Lee
Executive Director, Centre for Applied English Studies
The University of Hong Kong
projectofficer@ahklc.hk
Dr Clive Lee joined the CAES at HKU as Executive Director in January 2024. Before that, he founded and led the Division of Language Education at HKUST (Guangzhou) – where he built on his experience as Head of English Language at the University of Bath in the UK.
The membership of the Committee of Representatives shall comprise one member from each full member institution, one representative of all Associate institutions (if any), and one representative of all individual members. The Executive Committee will represent their institutions, so that institutions will not usually have more than one representative.
However, if more than one Executive Officer is from the same institution, they can participate and vote. Proxy voting will be allowed on written notification to the President. The meetings of the Committee of Representatives will be quorate if one-third of institutional members are present (including proxy votes).
Dr. Wesley Curtis
Head, Chan Feng Men-ling Chan Shuk-lin Language Centre
City University of Hong Kong
president@ahklc.hk
Dr. Simon Wang
Lecturer, Language Centre
Hong Kong Baptist University
secretary@ahklc.hk
Dr. Mable Chan
Associate Head, Language Centre
Hong Kong Baptist University
treasurer@ahklc.hk
Prof. Melinda Whong
Director, Center for Language Education
Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Science
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
eventsofficer@ahklc.hk
Dr. Clive Lee
Executive Director, Centre for Applied English Studies
The University of Hong Kong
projectofficer@ahklc.hk
Dr. Lillian Wong
Senior Lecturer, Centre for Applied English Studies
The University of Hong Kong
lillianwong@hku.hk
Mr. Michael Groves
Senior Lecturer, Centre for English and Additional Languages
Lingnan University
mikegroves@ln.edu.hk
Dr. Rita G. Singh
Senior Lecturer, Language Centre
Hong Kong Baptist University
ritagill@hkbu.edu.hk
Mr. Stephen Bolton
Tutor, English Language Centre
City University of Hong Kong
stephen.bolton@cityu.edu.hk
Dr. Lam Yan-yan
Teaching FellowThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University
yan.yan.lam@polyu.edu.hk
Mr. Adam Forrester
Assistant Dean, Faculty of Humanities
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
adam.forrester@polyu.edu.hk
Dr. Dinesh Sadhwani
Lecturer, Center for Language Education
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
lcdinesh@ust.hk
Institutional
Members
Al Hong Kong tertiary language centres, including those of Associate degree awarding institutions, are eligible.
Current Institutional Members are:
- Centre for Applied English Studies, The University of Hong Kong (Staff Page)
- Centre for English and Additional Languages, Lingnan University (Staff Page)
- Center for Language Education, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Staff Page)
- Chinese Language Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Staff Page)
- English Language Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Staff Page)
- Chan Feng Men-ling Chan Shuk-lin Language Centre, City University of Hong Kong (Staff Page)
- Language Centre, Hong Kong Baptist University (Staff Page)
Institutional
Associate
Members
Language centres and language centre organisations and associations outside Hong Kong are eligible.
Individual
Associate
Membership
Members of non-member institutions such as NET teachers and staff of non-member academic language centres are eligible.
Related
Organisations
HASALD - Hong Kong Association for Self-Access Learning and Development
CERCLES - European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education
(The AHKLC is an Associate member of CEPCLES)
Association Constitution
19 June 2024
18 June 2024
02 May 2024
