Senior Lecturer
- BA, Department of English, City University of Hong Kong (First Class Honors)
- MPhil in Communication, School of Journalism & Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- PhD in Education, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong
Upon graduation, Natalie worked as a Senior Research Assistant for the Standing Committee on Language Education & Research (SCOLAR) in the Education Bureau of the Government of the HKSAR. She then started her teaching career at the Language Centre of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She was the coordinator of CAES1000 Core University English, an English for Academic Purposes course for Year 1 students from Jan 2015 to Dec 2018. She was also involved in developing materials for English-in-the-Discipline (ED) courses for Faculty of Education in the new 4-year curriculum. From 2018 to 2021, she led an in-house project of Learning Transferability which was to explore the impact of students’ knowledge acquired through CAES1000 on Common Core courses and to evaluate learning transfer from ED courses to Faculty courses. Currently, she is the Coordinator of the Specially-funded English Courses (SFEC). In line with CAES’s mission to support English enhancement needs of university staff, undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes, SFEC offers a variety of workplace and academic English courses to cater to students’ diverse learning needs.
She has also contributed to teaching Second Language Curricula for the Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. Her research interests include curriculum development in English for Academic and Specific Purposes, teaching English across curriculum, classroom interaction and second language education.
Special Interest Groups:
Genres,Language Education,Postgraduate Writing
In-House Committees:
CAES Management Committee
Professional Affiliations:
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Other Major Administrative Roles:
Member, CAES Management Committee
Member, Faculty Board of Arts
Selected Publications / Presentations:
- Yung, W. H. Kevin & Fong, N. (2024). Revamping an English for specific academic purposes course for problem-based learning: Reflections from course developers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 69, 101386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2024.101386
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Fong, N. & Wong, P. (2023). Learning Transfer in Higher Education: Applications & Challenges in EAP Classrooms. Rethinking English Language Teaching and Learning for a COVID-19 Endemic World: Global, Glocal and Local Perspectives. Paper presented at the 57th RELC International Conference, Singapore, 13-15 March 2023.
- Fong, N., Wong, P., Yau, A., & Law, L. (2022). University teachers’ perceptions and applications of learning transfer in English for Academic Purposes. Paper presented at the 6th CELC Symposium 2022 (Online): Teaching English Language and Communication in a Changing Landscape: Innovations and Possibilities, Singapore.
- Law, L., & Fong, N. (2020). Applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in an investigation of undergraduate students’ learning transfer of academic English. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 46, 100884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100884
- Yung, W. H. K. & Fong, N. (2019). Learning EAP at university: Perceptions of high-achieving first-year ESL undergraduates. English Language Teaching Journal, 73(3), 306-315.
Grants / Awards / Other Achievements:
- Knowledge Exchange Impact Project Grant (Completed in June 2023). Project Coordinator. “Medical Terminology Web: Self-learning Resources for Healthcare Professionals”.
- Knowledge Exchange Impact Project Grant (Completed in June 2019). Project Coordinator. “Grammar for Academic English: A Self-training Module“.
- Research and Development Projects Grant. The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), Education Bureau, HKSAR. (Completed in July 2017). Co-investigator. “Analysing English Learners’ Experiences in the Transition from Senior Secondary Mainstream and Shadow Education to University Studies“. (Principal Investigator: Yung, W. H. K.- HKEdU).
- Teaching Development Grant (Completed in Aug 2016). Principal Investigator. “Development of E-learning and Peer Assessment Activities for an English-in-the-Discipline Course for Speech & Hearing Sciences Students”.