Teaching

I am an experienced tutor, lecturer and course convenor in higher education since 2016. I have been in multiple teaching roles in different undergraduate and postgraduate courses on international relations and Chinese politics.

I also deliver executive education courses in various topics, including China’s foreign policy, Indo-Pacific security, maritime security and Hong Kong. Please contact me for enquires.

 

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Subjects taught

 

 

Academic Courses

US-China Relations

University of Sydney, 2019-20

Terrorism and Organised Crime

University of Sydney, 2020-1

Politics of China

University of Sydney, 2016

Great Power Politics

University of Melbourne, 2021

Introduction to International Politics

University of Melbourne, 2021

Interdisciplinary Impact

University of Sydney, 2021

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Executive Education

Hong Kong: from the capitalist paradise to the city of protests

ANU, 1 September 2022

The South China Sea

ANU, 5 October 2022

The Chinese Navy: an overview

ANU, 28 October 2022

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Student Testimony

“He is very hardworking and his spirit is amazing. Very positive and motivating.”

“Literally the best tutor I have had in all three years of my university at USYD. Attentive to his students needs, completely helpful with any questions we ever had, incredibly supportive through the transition to online learning because of COVID-19 and actually just one of the nicest guys at the university. So thankful I had the opportunity to be taught by him.”

“Ed always gave 100% to our online tutorials even though at the start it was difficult for all of us to grasp. But full credit must be given to him for the way he handled the situation and made the online learning experience enjoyable for myself. I thoroughly learned a lot in this unit and a lot of it was by applying knowledge in the tutorial set up thanks to Ed.”

 

“Despite only being able to communicate via zoom, Mr Edward Chan facilitated super interesting conversation in tutorials by providing interesting questions to discuss and making each student feel comfortable to share. Edward was genuinely invested in our learning, giving very detailed feedback on assignments and working actively to improve tutorials throughout the semester by encouraging student feedback. This genuine investment in my learning and dedication to improving tutorials motivated me to continue attending classes and engaging with the course content. This ability is especially significant considering how difficult self-motivation has been amidst the pandemic. Future students will be very lucky to have Edward as a tutor!”

“Ed has been an amazing tutor throughout the semester and has become a great friend to us all. He had weekly check-ins through email to make sure that we were all coping (both academically and outside our studies) as we transitioned into the online study. He has been exceptionally understanding and supportive of us all and truly made a big difference in my learning experience in 2020. I am so thankful for him for building a tutorial where we could have open discussions that were engaging when we clearly were struggling to maintain our focus in light of the state of the world. He is also prompt in his communication and willing to help us at any moment. I am so appreciative of Ed and all that he has done for this course and I hope to have him be my tutor in the future. Thank you so much Ed!”

Achievement

  • Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Tutorial award 2021 (University of Sydney)
  • Average 4.08/5 rating overall in all subjects taught
  • 8 Students’ commendation in “Terrorism and Organised Crime”

Teaching Philosophy

I commit to the teaching in higher education because I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and enlightening students to think critically.

When I was a student, I would have liked my professor to deliver the weekly lecture coherently. I like to design my course or lecture as a research project.

For example, when I taught US–China relations, I focused on one research question in the course, namely ‘Why has the relationship between the US and China, as the two great powers, been so tangled in the Asia-Pacific for the past forty years?’ I then explored this question with my students through different topics.

To ensure the students learned comprehensively, I diversely design course assessment. For example, when I taught US-China relations, students have to submit a policy memo, a research report and a group presentation. This is to accommodate students who are more capable in public policy research, academic research and public speaking, respectively. I believe this teaching style enable students with different learning styles to apply their analytical skills.

Yes, I am an experienced user of different virtual classroom tools, including LMS, Canvas, Zoom, Kahoot, Socrative, Nearpod and Zeetings.

I view the virtual classroom as an important component of students’ learning experience. Growing up in the Y generation, I believe the use of technology can help students digest knowledge quickly.

I enjoy interacting with my students. For every subject taught, I have created a platform for students to ask questions, involving instant responses and discussion threads. In fact, I sometimes use students’ questions in tutorial discussions. I believe this is the most rewarding method for students to engage with learning because these questions are related to their interests. I also encourage my students to learn independently.

Yes, I do.

I am currently in a supervisory panel of a PhD student, who is working on a project on Sino-Iranian relations.

I continually request feedback on my teaching styles and methods. I conduct mid-semester evaluations for every subject I teach. I take these evaluations seriously because I find that students respond well when they can see adjustments in the second half of the quarter due to input relating to the first half.

Contact Edward

Please leave a message for all research and media enquiries.