This platform is the latest member of the family of platforms (SPEECH001, SPEECH002, SPEECH003, SPEECH004, and SPEECH005) that currently host locally-produced e-learning resources to support learning and teaching in the revised BSc Speech & Hearing Sciences (SHS) curriculum.

Speech-language therapists in Hong Kong help to improve the quality of life of individuals with a communication and/or swallowing impairment (CSI). This means that students in our BSc program need to develop the knowledge and skills to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services in diverse settings. At present, most resources that underpin the SHS curriculum were developed elsewhere for English-speaking cultures. The use of these existing resources in our curriculum limits students’ ability to develop culturally appropriate professional skills, resulting in a gap between theory and practice.

The family of SPEECH platforms aims to provide HKU speech therapy students easy access to relevant locally-produced resources to help them translate theory to clinical practice in their learning about the therapeutic process, and the nature and characteristics of CSIs. We have made videos of individuals with a specific CSI engaging in conversation and in scripted or structured speech and language tasks in real clinical sessions. These individuals will come from different age groups, illustrating the different manifestations and impacts of the CSI across the life span.

The key theme of the SPEECH005 platform is interprofessional education and interprofessional collaborative practice. The making of the videos in this platform would not have been possible without the support of our colleagues from a range of professions, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language therapists, special education and mainstream school teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, as well as parents, who are also key members of the team. 

We thank Ms. Yann Lam, speech-language therapist for her invaluable coordination of this project and our BSc students from the 2017-2022 cohort Lexi H-T. Ip, Catherine H.-K. Chiu, Michelle Y.-J. Lai and Nicole Y.-C. Hui. We would also like to thank colleagues at the HKU Faculty of Education E-learning Team, and Ms Sharon Keung and Dr. Leon Lai in the HKU Teaching-Enriched Learning Initiative (TELI) for their expert technical advice and support. We thank them all.

We would also like to acknowledge funding support from a Teaching Development Grant from the HKU Teaching and Learning Quality Committee awarded to Dr. Elizabeth A. Barrett, Dr. Anita M.-Y. Wong, and Dr. Patsy P.-S. Yeung at the Faculty of Education.