I specialised in linguistics and education studies. Before joining HKUST, I taught language and teacher education courses at various other higher education institutions. At HKUST, I teach EAP/ESP courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students. I also teach on the MA program in International Language Education. My teaching interests include discipline-specific language instruction and materials development, and I have co-developed task-based materials for a suite of courses for senior year engineering students majoring in different engineering disciplines. My academic interests are technical communication and academic writing, areas in which I have published. I am an invited reviewer for journal manuscripts. My previous projects included publishing two practice books on writing skills for upper secondary school students, and co-leading a UGC-funded project on Mastering the Technical Vocabulary of STEM. A forthcoming publication explores the role of classroom instruction in analytical writing performance.
Professional Interests
- Academic writing
- Genres in higher education
- Language pedagogy
- Academic and specialized vocabulary
- Materials development
Scholarship
2023
Journal Publication
Cross-faculty cooperation in an ESP course: Issues arising in the COVID pandemic
Carmichael, S., Wu, K. Y., & Anita, C. H. A.
STiLE - Scholarship of Teaching in Language Education
This paper reports on a small-scale study which investigates the effect of the disruption caused by the COVID 19 pandemic on the effectiveness of language instruction and cross-faculty cooperation for two cohorts of undergraduate students in Spring 2020 and Spring 2021. We used textual analysis, subject faculty interviews and student interviews as our instruments. The study found no significant impact on student performance from the increased time gap between language instruction in report writing and the application of those skills in a lab report written for a course in the students’ major. However the disruption of the pandemic exacerbated gaps in cooperation between the language teachers and the subject faculty. The paper concludes with some practical recommendations and observations about collaboration between subject departments and language educators.
2022
Book Review
Book review of "Grammar: A linguists' guide for language teachers"
Wu, K.Y.
JALT Journal
Wu, K.Y. (2022). [Review of the book Grammar: A linguist’s guide for language teachers, by T. Rankin & M. Whong]. JALT Journal, 44(1), 198-201. https://jalt-publications.org/sites/default/files/pdf-article/jj44.1-reviews.pdf
2022
Conference Presentation
Syntactic complexity and writing quality in students’ technical writing
Lee, J., Wu, K.Y., & Lee, E.
Online and Thailand
With Joyce Lee and Eric Lee.
Paper presented at the 41st Thailand TESOL International Virtual Conference, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Online & Thailand, 21-22 January 2022.
2022
Journal Publication
Syntactic complexity and writing quality in students’ technical writing [Journal article]
Lee, J., Wu, K.Y., & Lee, E.P.C.
THAITESOL Journal
Lee, J., Wu, K.Y., & Lee, E.P.C. (2022). Syntactic complexity and writing quality in students’ technical writing. THAITESOL Journal, 35(2), 22-35. https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/thaitesoljournal/article/view/261827/176041
2021
Conference Presentation
STEM vocabulary resources: Giving technical words the attention they deserve
Wu, K. Y., Ng, I., Har, F., Lee, J., Wong, J., & Yu, A.
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Colloquium presented at the HKCPD Hub Virtual International Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 8-10 January 2021.
2021
Conference Presentation
Remote teaching during the pandemic: The case of an ESP course for engineering students
Au, A., Wu, K.Y., & Carmichael, S.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Paper presented at the Third International Conference on English Across the Curriculum, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, 20-21 May 2021
2021
Working Paper - Peer Reviewed
Exploring the effect of task-based language teaching on students’ analytical writing.
Wu, K.Y.
International Journal of English for Specific Purposes
2021
Conference Presentation
Developing materials for learning STEM vocabulary
KY Wu
Japan/online
Wu, K.Y. (2021). Developing materials for learning STEM vocabulary. Paper presented at the JALT CUE 2021 Conference, JALT CUE SIG, Japan, 11 September 2021.
2019
Conference Presentation
Helping science and engineering undergraduates to master technical vocabulary
Wu, K. Y., Ng, I., Fung, J., Yu, A., Tse, A., Lai, Hannah, & Har, F.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Colloquium presented at the HKCPD Hub Continuing Professional Development Symposium, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, 5 June 2019.
2018
Journal Publication
Impacts of discipline-specific language instruction on the academic writing of civil engineering students
Wu, K.Y., & Carmichael, S.
Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics
Wu, K.Y., & Carmichael, S. (2018). Impacts of discipline-specific language instruction on the academic writing of civil engineering students. Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 19-35.
2018
Conference Presentation
Effects of task-based instruction on undergraduates' analytical writing assignments: An exploratory study
Wu, K.Y.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Paper presented at the Second English Across the Curriculum Conference, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, 5 December 2018.
2017
Article
Teaching analytical writing: A scaffolded approach
Wu, K.Y.
IH Journal
2017
Conference Presentation
Academic writing: Impacts of discipline-specific language instruction
Carmichael, S., & Wu, K. Y.
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Paper presented at the Faces of English Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2 June 2017.
2016
Conference Presentation
Evaluating the impact of discipline-specific instruction on student academic writing in Civil Engineering
Wu Kam Yin and Sarah Carmichael
3rd English Scholars Beyond Borders (ESBB) International Conference, Providence University, Taichung, Taiwan, May 20, 2016
2015
Conference Presentation
Language curriculum design for engineering students: How specific can it be? International Conference on the Development of English across the Curriculum
Sarah Carmichael, Wu Kam Yin and Joyce Lee
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, December 2015
2013
Working Paper - Peer Reviewed
Designing and evaluating a genre-based technical communication course, incorporating a task-based model of instruction.
Carmichael, S. Wu, KY & Lee, J.
Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics 14, 2 (2013); pp.20-44.
2012
Conference Presentation
Designing a technical communication course: From conceptualization to evaluation. Symposium: Research into Practice in the Four-year Curriculum
Sarah Carmichael, Wu Kam Yin and Joyce Lee
The University of Hong Kong, June 1, 2012
2011
Conference Presentation
Issues in Course Design and Materials Development for a Technical Communication Course
CARMICHAEL, Sarah with K. Y. Wu
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Polytechnic University 7th International Symposium on Teaching English at the Tertiary Level, 13-14 October 2011.
2010
Commercially published teaching materials
Skill Smart: Writing. Vol. 2.
Lee, I., Wu, K. Y., & Curtis, A.
Educational Publishing House
Lee, I., Wu, K. Y., & Curtis, A. (2010). Skill Smart: Writing. Vol. 2. Hong Kong: Educational Publishing House.
2009
Commercially published teaching materials
Skill Smart: Writing. Vol. 1.
Lee, I., Wu, K. Y., & Curtis, A.
Educational Publishing House
Lee, I., Wu, K. Y., & Curtis, A. (2009). Skill Smart: Writing. Vol. 1. Hong Kong: Educational Publishing House.
2009
Book Review
Language Acquisition and Development: Studies of Learners of First and Other Languages: Book Review
Wu, K.Y.
ELT Journal
Wu, K. Y. (2009). Book review of “Language Acquisition and Development: Studies of Learners of First and Other Languages”. ELT Journal, 63(1), 84-86.