My Academic Report: One Year at Harvard 1997-98
Submitted by C.K. Jor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on June 16, 1998.

1. The Invitation and First Fruit

I was invited by the Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholars Program 1997-98 to spend about a year (from August, 1997 to July, 1998) at Harvard University to do an educational research and to audit some courses. My calling is to teach Hong Kong Chinese students English as a foreign language (EFL/ESL) with the help of computer-mediated communication (CMC). I aimed to learn more about the implementation of information technology (IT) for education in the Chinese context. I was very fortunate to have a chance to work and study at the Harvard-Yenching Institute and the Graduate School of Education. It was one of the most challenging, productive, and fruitful years in my academic life. Only by the grace of God did I manage to complete it and produce results. My first fruit belongs to The Lord.

I am pleased to submit the following academic report as a record of some of the things I did, the ideas I thought about, the feelings I had, the lessons I learnt, and the growth I experienced during my stay at Harvard. I have carefully added two things for the reference of readers, some of who may be visiting scholars, researchers and fellows to come. Perhaps some of them may find these two things a bit useful. One is the Resources Section (13). The other is the inclusion of URLs (Uniform Resource Locators or web site addresses) immediately following most of the names I mentioned in the Report. These URLs will enable interested readers to follow up, to see where I failed or succeeded in learning to be a better a teacher and a professional internet trainer; and more importantly, in my learning to be human.

2. Structure of the Academic Report and A Brief Background

There are 15 sections in the Academic Report. They are not necessarily set out in a linear sequence. Some can be read on their own as hyperlinks on the Web. Please feel free to use headings to jump to any section which interests you most and ignore the rest.

1. The Invitation and First Fruit
2. Structure of the Academic Report and A Brief Background
3. The Courses I Have Taken or Audited at Harvard University
4. Research Projects Completed
5. Research Project in Progress
6. Conferences Attended
7. Public Lectures Attended
8. Cambridge Cultural Encounters
9. Cultural Activities and Visits to Museums
10. Computer Workshops Attended at Harvard
11. Workshops on Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)
12. Lessons Learnt in My Academic Life at Harvard
13. Resources Section
14. Conclusion

The background of the academic report is Harvard's vibrant academic community of world class scholars, professors, seminars, conferences, lectures and policy-makers. Harvard is the first landmark in the history of American higher education. Six American presidents first made their marks at Harvard. So did 34 Nobel Laureates. Currently about 2,700 international students are studying at Harvard, about 1,000 of them are from Asia. Some of the most brilliant minds from Asia have taken life at Harvard as a challenge. To me, a year at Harvard is a unique adventure of the heart-and-mind; a humbling turning point of my life, not because Harvard is a place of wealth and power as often misrepresented, but because it is a center of learning, culture and humanities. I was impressed by the freedom, the space, the time and resources the Harvard academic communities have in their pursuits. I have learnt and practised learning how to learn. It has been a year of remarkable growth intellectually, academically and spiritually.

3. The Courses I Have Taken or Audited at Harvard University

Spring, 1998	Course Instructor	Grade Obtained
T525: Designing Educational Experiences with Networks and Webs	Prof. George Bracket	A
T546: Implementing Technology in School Districts	Prof. Glenn Kleiman	Audited
Intellectual Property in Cyperspace	Prof. William W. Fisher	Audited
Moral Reasoning 40: Confucian Humanism: Self-Cultivation and Moral Community	Prof. Tu Wei-ming	Audited
Fall, 1997
T522: Introduction to Software Design	Prof. George Bracket	B
CSCI-E12 Introduction to World Wide Web Site Development	James Scott	B+

4. Research Projects Completed

• Built a course website for MR40: Confucian Humanism: Self-Cultivation and Moral Community (Recommended by the CORE office as a model for future course websites development and chosen by ICG to present to the Dean of FAS.) URL: http://icg.fas.harvard.edu/~morreas40

• Built the Harvard-Yenching Visiting Scholars Program 1997-98 Web Site and Database
  URL: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~vsdb

• Set up an electronic mailing list available to all the current members of the Institute, alumni and future visitors. One can subscribe to the yenching-list or unsubscribe any time. Fit for future contacts with alumni all over the world.

5. Research Project in Progress [Due on September 30, 1998]
Computer-mediated Communication for Teaching and Learning in the Chinese Context

6. Conferences Attended

• Second International Harvard Conference on the Internet and Society - CyberCon98 (May 26-29, 1998).
  Special Invitation Recipient. US$1,295 registration fee waived.
  URL: http://www.cybercon98.org/
• Digital China/Harvard Conference. (March 5-6). A bilingual web site "Connecting the Chinese and American Societies Digitally". URL: http://cyber.harvard.edu/ChinaDragon/welcome_frames.html
  Conference transcripts
• TESOL '98 "Connecting the Global Community" held at Seattle, Washington. (March 16-21, 1998)
  Conducted a workshop and presented a paper at the Conference. Received the TESOL '98 LMP Award. Approved of a travel grant of US$500 by the Institute.
  URL: http://www.tesol.edu/conv/t98.html
• Conference on Alternative Medicine organized by Harvard and MIT (April 25-26, 1998)
• Conference on Religion and Civil Rights organized by Harvard Law School (Feb. 27, 1998)

7.1 MIT Technology and Culture Forum

• "Virtual Communities: Questions, Theories, Opportunities" (Nov. 6, 1997)
• "Corporations and Democracy" by Noam Chomsky at MIT (Feb. 24, 1998)
• "The Information Age: Where is it going? How do we get there?" by Larry Ellison, CEO Oracle Corporation, at Harvard Science Center (December 11, 1998)

7.2 Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Talks

• "Digital TV and Convergence Technologies: What happen when the PC becomes an experience the whole family can enjoy?" by Anna Valva of WGBH on April 28, 1998.
• "The Promise, Pedagogy and Pitfalls of On-line Courses" by Prof. Karen Price (March 20, 1998)
• "How the Mind Works" by Steven Pinker of MIT on December 11, 1998.
• "The Wired Museum" by Garmil Katherine Jones, Assistant Director, Peabody Museum (Nov.17, 1997)
• "Integrating Technology into Education" by Mary Flanagan of the Tom Snyder Productions (Nov. 3, 1997)

7.3 Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Lectures

• "Disrepect or Discourse? The Skills of Discussing Difficult Issues" by Joseph Nye, Dean of Kennedy School of Government (Oct. 27, 1997)
• "Kennedy School's Use of Learning Space" by ABCD Technology (Dec.3, 1997)
• "Religion, Politics and Public Policy" by Prof. Richard Parker at the Kennedy School of Government. (Jan. 30, 1998)

7.4 Harvard University Asia Center Opening Lectures

• "Connecting The Chinese and American Society Digitally" moderated by Prof. Charles Nesson at the unveiling of the Berkman Center's New Interactive and Bilingual Web site (March 6, 1998).
  Link to Conference Transcripts and my comments selected by Prof. Nesson.

7.5 Fairbank/ Harvard-Yenching Seminars

• China Debate Week at Harvard before the Visit of President Jiang Zemin (October 27-31, 1997)
• "Hong Kong: Reversion in July 1997" by Ezra Vogel (Nov. 17, 1997)
• "The Meaning of Power Change in South Korea and South East Asia" moderated by Edward Baker (May 1, 1998)
• "Cross Taiwan Strait Relations in the Context of China's Economic & Political Relationship" (May 16,'98)

7.6 Confucian Seminars and Cambridge Saloon

• "Neo-confucianism of Xu Fu-guan" by Prof. X.Q. Zhu from Shanghai on March 2, 1998.
• "Perspectives on Humanities and Academic Contributions of Chien Mu" by Prof. Guo Qi- yong of Wuhan Univ. at Prof. Theodore H.H. Pian (MIT) and Harvard Prof. Rulan Chao's residence on May 15, 1998.

7.7 Christian Seminars and Reflections

• First visit to the Chinese Chrisitian Church of New England (Sept. 7, 1997) where Rev. Dr. David Shih, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, gave me a copy of the NRSV Bible as a gift and I began to read part of it everyday until I completed the whole Bible on Feb. 17, 1998.
• First met Prof. Moses Hsu who took ten years to supervise the translation work of the 1911 version of the Bible into modern standard Chinese as the Today's Chinese Version TCV (Sept. 21,1997). I began to join his monthly Bible Study meetings at CCCNE.
• "Driveness, Stress, Calling and Contentment in Academy" Rev. Dr. Samuel Abott, former professor of Harvard Law school. (Feb 7, 1998)
• "Pascal: Divine Proofs" by Prof. Kevin Ford, MIT. (Feb. 8, 1998)
• "Why Christian Scholarship Must First of All Be Good Scholarship" by D.J. Richardson, professor of economics (Dec.12, 1997)
• "Setting and Maintaining Christian Priorities as Professionals" by David J. Richardson (May 1, 1998)
• "Have Christians Done More Harm Than Good? A Christian Historian Considers Evidence from World History" by Dr. Mark Noll, Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School. (April 24, 1998)
• "The Role of Doubt in Science and Faith" by Ian Hutchison, MIT professor of nuclear engineering. (April 17, 1998)

7.8 Alternative Medicine Lectures

• "Manifesto of A New Medicine" by James Gordon, MD (from Harvard Medical School. April 26, 1998) Author of a book by the same name; a seminal, pioneering work in his field.
• "Mind/Body Versus Alternative Medicine" by Herbert Benson, MD. (April 26, 1998)
• "An introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM]" by Mr. Zhu Chun-xian from Beijing. About the theory of TCM developed in the Yellow Emperor Internal Medicine. (April 26, 1998)

7.9 Academic Visits and Interviews

• Visited the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning and interviewed Mr. Terry Aladgem (Nov. 6, 1997)
• Visited Technology Showcase and interviewed Computing Specialist, Mr. James Lyon. (Nov.7, 1997)

8. Cambridge Cultural Encounters

• "Music and Life" by Prof. Shen, Zhilong, Director, Beijing Institute of Light Industry. (Sept. 27, 1997)
• Spring Festival Concert presented by the Yellow River Art Society at Sanders Theater (Jan. 31, 1998)
• Boston Symphony Orchestra with Seiji Ozawa as Music Director (Feb. 12, 1998)
• Digital Electronic Music Composition at Paine Hall, Harvard University (May 14, 1998)

9. Cultural Activities and Visits to Museums

• Attended China's President Jiang Zemin's speech at Sanders Theater on Nov. 1, 1997.
• Invited by an American lawyer and his family to have my first Thanksgiving Dinner in US on Nov. 27, 1997.
• Passed a swimming test at Blodgett Pool (September 2, 1998)
• Donated blood to the American Red Cross on campus twice. (Sept. 26, 1997, and Feb. 13, 1998)
• Saw the film "The Opium War" at the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts, Harvard University. March 5, 1998.
• Joined the Ordination to Daily Work: Worship and Commissioning Service at Memorial Church on April 26, 1998 presided by Jeff Barneson, InterVarsity/Harvard United Ministry Chaplain
• Visited Harvard University Art Museums
  • Busch-Reisinger Museum
  • Fogg Art Museum
  • Sackler Museum
• Visited The Science Museum of Boston
• Visited The Computer Museum
• Visited The Seattle Museum of Flight
• Visited Harvard University Museum of Natural History
• Visited The Arnold Aboretum of Harvard University
• Visited John F. Kennedy Birthplace and enjoyed a tour of the House.
• Visited John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

10. Computer Workshops Attended at Harvard

• ICG (Instructional Computing Group) and HCS (Harvard Computer Society) Workshops
• Using the ICG Course Web Site Creator (Mac platform)
• Creating Pages for the WWW (Using Claris Home Page 2.0)
• Creating Web Graphics and Scanning Using PhotoShop (Mac platform)
• Sectioning Using the ICG Computerized Section System (UNIX Platform)
• Using the ICG Course Web Site Creator (PC platform)
• Creating Pages for the WWW (PC Platform)
• PDF Workshop (Mac Platform)
• Using FileMaker Pro (Mac Platform)
• Intermediate HTML by HCS
• Using PhotoShop by HCS
• So Many Medlines in HOLLIS Plus: Which one to Choose? (March 4, 1998).
• WWW Search Engines and Source Evaluation by Reference Librarians Barbara Burg and Michael Fitzgerald (March 12, 1998)
• Intermediate WWW for Research, Searching and Managing Information (May 26, 1998)

11. Workshops on Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) I delivered for staff of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, Visiting Scholars and Fellows.

12. Lessons Learnt in my academic life at Harvard

• "The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual. The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community." - William James. Without the support of the staff, visiting scholars, office and resources of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, I would have never been able to build the database and the web site for the Visiting Scholars Program 1997-98.

• The Confucian principle and jigsaw learning strategies

  "Studying without thinking is bewildering. Thinking without studying is dangerous." - Confucius

  In my first encounter with Harvard, it was a totally new learning environment in which everyone was busy getting on with their work and had little time to answer questions. How did a new-comer "learn his or her way around"? I observed people, and studied how they dealt with problems. I tried to think for myself. By learning from others and thinking things out in my situation, I tried the Confucian principle of combining thinking and studying. I managed to solve many of my problems. I asked people and very often got bits and pieces of information in their short answers. I absorbed uncertainty. Like fixing jigsaw puzzles, I played with the bits and pieces and tried to figure out the big picture. The challenge is: What's your theory? What is your solution to this or that problem? It's a case of "learning by doing and thinking it through" or "reflective practice" to steal from Donald Schön's words.

• Be inspired by what you are doing and recognise the limits of your abilities.
  If you are truly inspired by what you are doing, you cannot fail. You are also at your best in persuading people. If we are only "good at it" or love it with ulterior motives, but don't really love it with integrity, we are doomed. We should get out for something else at the first opportunity. Love for one's work and inspiration must be tempered by a sense of humility. The early shield of Harvard is a graphic statement that VERITAS (Truth) is found in and for Christ and the Church. The display of three books, two open and one turned down, is humble recognition of the limits of human reason. (Visit http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~vsdb/ordination.html to see the image and appreciate the music.)
  

• Encountering America and rediscovering China.

  I have put in 280 hours in designing the course web site of Confucian Humanism, interviewing TFs and students and designing and anaylsing an evaluative questionnaire. It was a lesson in humility, resolution, sheer hard work, and self-discovery. In using the US internet platform and content of Confucianism, I have encountered America and rediscovered China. It was a lot of work. As Susan A. Scott, Visiting Scholars Program Coordinator, said, "You need to relax in order to be productive." (Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholars Association Bulletin, Vol. 16, 1985-1995, v.) In between work and classes, I enjoyed some time off with friends at John Harvard Brew House, Bombay Club and Au Bon Pain around Harvard Yard.

• Education is a relationship. Technology is a tool.
  Doing technology is a social process. The key resources are our peers. Some of the best uses of technology for education succeed by building collaborative relationships among peers, students and professors. In working with people, I learnt to take care NOT to define others who see things differently as my adversary. Instead I can think of those who disagree with me as questions for me to consider. Listening to questions is important. People and relationships matter much more than tools.

• A Lesson in Love and Gratefulness
  I have been extremely fortunate to be the guest of a retired Harvard professor, Dr. S.Y. Hu. She has graciously invited me to stay in her residence throughout my stay. At the age of 90, Dr. Hu is still active doing scientific research at The Chinese University of Hong Kong on Chinese medicinal plants. I was inspired by her love of God, her wisdom and energy, her grace and kindness. She has set an example of excellence for me to follow. I learn from Dr. Hu what it means to be faithful and forgiving, pure and good; strong and patient, always seeking to excel in the work of the Lord. I am grateful for the lesson.

13. Resources Section

13.1 Library Resources There are more than 90 libraries at Harvard. I found the following 12 libraries of particular relevance.

• The Widener Library (largest collections of books of all American universities)
  Harvard On-Line Library Information Service (HOLLIS) (telnet)
• Harvard-Yenching Library (of East Asian Studies)
• Rübel Library (Research center for Asian Arts)
• Lamont Library (for undergraduates)
• Pusey Library (The Harvard Map Collection is excellent for geography and map studies)
• Gutman Library (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
• Littauer Library (Economics and Government)
• Langdell Library (Harvard Law School)
• Baker Library (Harvard Business School)
• Andover-Harvard Theological Library (Harvard Divinity School)
• Cabot Science Library (Harvard Faculty of Arts and Science Library at the Science Center)
• Schlesinger Library (Located at Radcliff College on the History of Women in America)

13.2 Computer Resources

There are over 7000 computer terminals at Harvard University. I would recommend the following facilities and resources, in addition to the Computer Room at the Institute, to HYI users:

• Mac Classroom (Science Center Rm 120) PowerMacs, printer, scanner and full Internet connection.
• Technology Showcase (Science Center Room 119) for multimedia productions
• PC Lab at Science Center Basement (SC11B and SC11C). Printers, full Internet connection
• For quick e-mail, there are kiosks near the Green House at the Science Center lobby

One of the best introductions to computing facilities at Harvard is a booklet (about 100 pages) by the name Computers @ Harvard published and updated annually by The Harvard Computer Society

• Hard copy available from Help Desk at SC11B. [Edition 10.0 in 1997. It is free of charge.]
• Soft copy available at http://www.hcs.harvard.edu

13.3 Human Resources

Harvard University Graduate School Christian Fellowhsip (GSCF) is a group of Christian faculties and students. Pleasant, easy-going, helpful and reliable, they hold a great variety of activities throughout the year like academic talks, songs, worship, fellowship, poetry reading, excursions, movies, games and sports. Subscribe to their e-mail list at gsas-cf@fas.harvard.edu for news. Regular meetings on Fridays at the Phillips Brooks House (PBH). They provide some of the best peer support for newcomers. I am very much grateful for the culturally stimulating and spiritually enriching experiences shared by the Harvard GSCF community.

14. Conclusion

This year I have encountered America and rediscovered China! The year has been a lesson in humility, hard work, faith and self-discovery. I have gained knowledge, perspectives, insights and friends. I benefited from a humble recognition of the limits of human reason and of my limited ability for service, love and sympathy. I have learnt by countless questioning, by trials and errors, more about IT for education. I visited schools and classes, met with teachers, attended conferences and lectures, and did my labs. In working with a Harvard Professor of Chinese history and philosophy and 15 teaching fellows, I have gained a better understanding of the Confucian way of learning to be human.

I would like to thank all the staff of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the world class professors, researchers, visiting scholars, (see lists of 1997-98 participants), visiting fellows and friends I met at Harvard. I am grateful for all the opportunities they have given me to learn, to serve and to grow. My experience at Harvard would have never been the same without their help and advice, challenge and wisdom, friendship and support, warmth and understanding.

Let us keep our academic connections and digital links. These links can take the world closer to you. One such link is the electronic mail. Another is the Web. They can help nuture interpersonal relationships. In the words of Prof. Tu Weiming, "each of us is a center of interpersonal relationships". Didn't Confucius put it nicely, 2000 years ago, how to cultivate interpersonal relationships?

"Isn't it a pleasure, having learning something, practice it at due intervals?
Isn't it a joy to have friends from afar?
Isn't it gentlemanly not to take offence if people don't know your abilities?"
(Analects 1:1)

The Visiting Scholars Web Site address is: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~vsdb
Come and visit us. My e-mail is george-jor@cuhk.edu.hk.   Tell me what your think.

C.K. Jor at Harvard University. June 16, 1998.
URL of the Academic Report is: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~vsdb/jor_report.html