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.
In-House Committees:
CAES Management Committee
Other Major Administrative Roles:
Member (Elected), CAES Management Committee
Selected Publications / Presentations:
- Fong, N. (2026) Pedagogical framework for enhancing University students’ critical engagement with GenAI in academic reading and writing. Global Trends and Innovations in Language Education: Theory, Research, and Practice in Action. Paper presented at the 60th RELC International Conference (RELC 2026), Singapore, 9 to 11 March 2026.
- Law, L.; Mo, N; Fong, N.; Wong, P. (2026). From GenAI@Work to GenAI Nexus: Building a University-Wide culture of AI literacy. Paper presented at The International Summit on the Use of AI in Language Learning and Teaching 2026 (AIinLT 2026). Department of English and Communication, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Education Bureau & the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), 21 to 24 June 2026.
- Fong, N.; Law, L.; Leung, P; Mo, N; Wong, P. (2025). University-Wide deployment of GenAI@Work workshops: Boosting AI literacy at HKU. Team presentation at Harnessing AI for Teaching and Learning Excellence at HKU, Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TALIC), The University of Hong Kong, 3 to 4 December 2025.
- Fong, N. (2025). Gamification in vocabulary learning: An analysis of learners’ experience in online independent English resources. Gearing Up Future-ready Learners: Rethinking Perspectives in English Language and Communication Teaching in Higher Education. Paper presented at the 7th CELC Symposium 2025, National University of Singapore, 21-23 May 2025.
- 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
- 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:
- Teaching Development Grant. (August 2026 – September 2027, Ongoing). Principal Investigator. GenAI Nexus: Bridging Language and Technology for Future-Ready Success.
- 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.
- Teaching Development Grant (Completed in August 2016). Principal Investigator. Development of E-learning and Peer Assessment Activities for an English-in-the-Discipline Course for Speech & Hearing Sciences Students.