English Courses

This is an English for Academic Purpose (EAP) course with a primary focus on language development and proficiency. The course also helps students develop academic literacy skills. 

• Developing effective language skills and language learning habits and practices
• Evaluating useful and appropriate resources and learning strategies for university education
• Exploring multiple perspectives in academic discussions

• Speaking Task 1: Give a spoken monologue and engage in academic group discussion
• Speaking Task 2: Deliver a short academic speech
• Writing Task: Write a short academic essay
• Self-Directed Learning (SDL) Tasks and Activities: 3 required tasks which help students achieve their language learning goals and a reflective writing task

• Required course for first year Pathway 1 students.
• Students are pre-registered into different streams based on their English language proficiency upon admission to HKUST.

Student testimonials

• “The course makes me more confident on speaking English."
• "The lesson interaction has been excellent, allowing students to speak and receive feedback from peers, which helps to improve fluency."
• "The course is well designed for all kinds of students. It is interesting and made me research deeper in various aspects for both speaking and writing."
• “The class were given opportunities for group discussions, allowing students to understand their capabilities and areas for improvement. Regardless of the students’ backgrounds, collaborative discussion demonstrates inclusiveness of the course."
• "I think the course is meaningful and it can help us cultivate our critical thinking"
• "The course included appropriate group assignments, which helped me learn important personal skills such as cooperation, time management, and communication with peers."

Course outcomes

• develop logical arguments in academic writing and speaking
• select appropriate content and language for the audience, context and purpose; for spoken and written contexts

LANG 1406 equips business students with the two most career-critical communication skills - the business pitch and the business proposal - building real, field-relevant competencies that go beyond academic assignments. Students leave the course having delivered a live pitch to a real audience and produced a polished, professional written proposal: tangible portfolio pieces that demonstrate readiness for university studies and the workplace.

Student-Driven Research Project — Students choose a real business communication problem that genuinely interests them, then research, draft, present, and write up their own solution, giving them full ownership of their learning.

Structured Feedback at Every Stage — Built-in checkpoints, peer feedback, and one-on-one teacher consultations ensure students are never left to struggle alone; progress is supported and scaffolded throughout.

Authentic, Industry-Mirroring Structure — Students experience both collaborative teamwork and independent work, directly reflecting the demands of a real business environment rather than a purely classroom-based lecture setting.

• Assessment 1: Work with a group to persuade a business audience with a pitch about a real-world business communication problem in Hong Kong.
• Assessment 2: Inspire a business audience with your written business proposal for a business innovation to solve a real-world business communication problem in Hong Kong.
• Other tasks: in-class checkpoints and end-of-course language test.

Required course for all business students.

Student testimonials

• "I believe this course has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and valuable feedback, and I consider it an excellent foundation for starting my bachelor's degree."

• "It was a very good preparation for both speaking and writing."

• "Pitching and writing business proposals are actually quite useful skills for an entrepreneur." 

• "The checkpoints enable me to stay on track and ensure that I understood the demands of the course." 

• "It gives us a good opportunity to learn presenting skills, which I can use in the future." 

LANG 1407 equips future engineers with the communication abilities that technical expertise alone cannot provide. Through authentic engineering contexts, you will learn to explain complex ideas to an audience, propose and defend innovative designs, collaborate effectively in teams, and navigate the ethical responsibilities at the heart of the profession. The course bridges the gap between engineering knowledge and real-world impact, preparing you not just to solve problems, but to communicate, justify, and lead.

Learn through real-world engineering cases – Work with genuine published research, HKUST innovations, Kickstarter projects, and actual engineering disasters to ground language learning in professional practice.

Develop an original proposal – Mirror the engineering design process by creating an innovation for competitions like the SmartStart Engineering Challenge, progressing through all stages of a professional report, from introduction to feasibility analysis.

Master GenAI tools with purpose – Gain skills to integrate AI wisely, using chatbots and reflective activities to leverage its potential while preserving your voice and academic integrity.

• Assessment 1: Enhancing ability to communicate with clarity and precision in engineering contexts through a creative project.
• Assessment 2: Building communication and critical thinking skills by analysing real-world problems with peers and integrating feedback into your learning process.
• Other tasks: in-class checkpoints and end-of-course language test

Required course for all engineering students

Student testimonials

• "This course provides me with the genuine language skills required in the university study. I really learnt a lot and my speaking and writing abilities were enhanced a lot."
• "The tasks of making a design proposal makes me have a better understanding on how to create a project in terms of literature review, critical thinking, and innovative ideas. I believe it could help me to develop more creative projects in my future career."
• "I really liked how the course provided students with practical, useful information for pursuing an engineering career."
• "This class is a very good class for students who are starting to learn engineering, there are many useful things such as presentation skills and writing skills that we may use in the future."

This course builds essential academic literacy skills in researching, evaluating, and constructing credible, persuasive arguments through various communication methods. Focused on the humanities and social sciences, the course equips students with transferable skills for their wider university studies, such as conducting literature searches, evaluating sources, building strong arguments, and using multimodal and linguistic features to effectively engage specific audiences.

• Communicative practice with personalized feedback   

• Group discussions with peer feedback to develop learning together

• Assessment 1: enhance your ability to critique source material through a spoken critique forum
• Assessment 2: produce discipline-related texts through a written argumentative essay
• Other tasks: in-class checkpoints and end-of-course language test

Required course for all undergraduate on Global China Studies and Quantitative Social Analysis programs.

Student testimonials

• "I would highly recommend this course to others, as it provided valuable skills in a supportive environment."
• "I think this course gives quite useful knowledge for a social science student."

Sample of previous student infographic poster

LANG 1409 equips science students with three essential career skills: presenting complex ideas to diverse audiences, producing clear and impactful writing, and synthesizing information responsibly in the era of AI. Through hands-on practice, rehearsal, and feedback, students build the critical thinking, creativity and confidence to communicate effectively with target audiences—transferable skills for careers both within and beyond science.

Collaborative and Supported Learning
Structured checkpoints throughout the course guide students in practicing and applying new skills, ensuring they build confidence and are fully prepared for major assignments.

Leveraging AI for Smarter Communication
Students learn to use AI tools critically and effectively at every stage of research and communication—finding and synthesizing sources, enhancing scientific writing, and refining spoken English. 

Skill Building for Any Career
By synthesizing complex ideas and mastering clear, impactful communication, students develop transferable skills that empower them to thrive in any career, not just in science.

• Assessment 1: Inspire the public with a science concept through a short science talk
• Assessment 2: Interest the public in your science research through a scientific blog post
• Other tasks: in-class checkpoints and end-of-course language test

Required course for all science students

Student testimonials

• “Every scientist needs to be able to engage other people in science. This course made me understand how I can have more impact as a scientist.”
• “I learned how to make science interesting to other people!”
• “As I'm planning to work in the science field or in science communication, this course has been extremely useful to me. I learnt how to cite and find sources properly and this course aroused my interest in communicating science to the public and debunking their misunderstandings.”
• "This course has not only improved my English ability but also taught me precious teaching concepts and the courage to break through myself. The topic I prepared for LANG1409 could be applied to SCIE3110. It’s so interesting to connect knowledge from two courses and apply what I’ve learned in your class. The confidence I built in your English class has helped me a lot in teaching middle school students in my SCIE3110 workshop."
• “It has been a valuable and memorable part of my university experience. I have gained a lot from the learning materials you provided, especially in understanding and applying synthesis techniques.”
• “All the explanations were very clear and all the in-class activities helped acquire and consolidate the course content. As a result, I feel like I have learnt a lot of useful knowledge and skills that I am certain to use in subsequent language courses and my life in general.”
• "I have learned that high-quality research is not just about finding facts, but about critically evaluating the authority and limitations of sources. This module taught me to move beyond simple summary and instead focus on synthesis—identifying how different studies build on, complement, or contradict each other."

LANG 2063 equips students with the strategic skills to craft clear, persuasive, and contextually appropriate messages for diverse professional settings. Through the study of workplace writing concepts, theories, and genres, students will develop adaptable communication skills and gain confidence in analyzing and producing audience-focused messages that make an impact in real-world scenarios.

• Put theory into practice by learning about various communication theories and how authors integrate these and other concepts into writing.
• Gain a better understanding of your future workplace through experiential learning and collaborate with peers in a group project.

• Individual Workplace Scenario Project: Create professional documents for a hypothetical startup, explaining writing choices for audience, purpose, and context. (spoken and written components)
• Group Genre Analysis Project: Analyze a chosen workplace genre, applying strategies to build transferable skills for future professional contexts. (spoken and written components)

• Ideal for students who want to enhance their workplace communication skills and learn how to craft effective, audience-focused messages. It is especially suited for those seeking to apply communication theories to real-world scenarios and develop transferable writing strategies.
• Prerequisite(s): LANG 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409
• Exclusion(s): LANG2061

Student Testimonials

• "the course definitely has an innovative and interactive delivery method, many checkpoint tasks to keep us engaged"
• "provides sufficient supports to help our work and study, this is indispensable for us"
• “This course taught me not only how to write effectively for the business purpose, but also the  reasons behind it. It gave me a much deeper understanding of the strategic intentions driving corporate communications in the real world.”
• "It taught me how to craft workplace writing that allows us to express ourselves clearly and professionally while building rapport with counterparts and other relevant audiences. The course is also rewarding in that it taught us to analyze different types of workplace writing, allowing students to apply transferable skills that can be used in our future careers."
• “I have learned to differentiate my writing according to my audience. Coming from a country where English is, at best, my 4th language, I learned only one writing style. But this course has helped me in consciously choosing medium, mode, vocab and some writing techniques. Thank you.”

You communicate every day – in group meetings, interviews, and situations where getting it wrong matters. But how often do you stop to think how your language and delivery affects how an audience perceives you? LANG 2064 gives you that understanding and awareness. Through creating professional branding videos, practicing and analyzing business meetings and conducting live press conference simulations, you'll learn to build your personal brand, handle pressure, and adapt to group meeting dynamics involving different cultures and stakeholders, all of which employers value.  

Audience, audience, audience. Train your critical thinking to adapt your language, tone, and delivery to really impact your audience: employers, teammates, or even hostile groups during a crisis. 

Learn to read the room and adapt. Practice essential skills for real-world workplace scenarios— preparing content for job applications, tough meetings, or high-pressure moments—and build the tools and awareness to navigate them with confidence.

Simulations, practice and feedback. Learn to recognize what communication and language works—through simulated scenarios, applying communication theories and refining your skills with feedback.

• Assessment 1: Engage potential employers and investors by creating a Personal Branding Video. 

• Assessment 2: Develop effective business meeting strategies by applying both intercultural communication and politeness theories in a written Business Meeting Analysis. 

• Assessment 3: Enhance crisis response strategies and communication by drafting a press statement and conducting a simulated crisis press conference. 

• Other tasks: Complete microlearning lessons supporting course assessments. Complete peer evaluation and crisis press conference reflection. 

This course is for students who want to be more confident and make a better impression in professional situations. Through building a personal brand, navigating real business meeting dynamics, and managing crisis situations under genuine pressure, you will develop the communication skills and self-awareness that workplaces and employers value.

Pre-requisites: LANG 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409

Exclusion(s): LANG 2062

Student testimonials

• “I really like the content about the personal branding video, it really helps me discover myself more and find my goals for my life. Moreover, it really helps us boost our emtional intelligence and how to read the air.” 

• "This course was very interesting and stimulating. The personal branding video was a creative idea" 

• "The content is useful and challenging. Also the interaction in class is interesting and helpful in speaking English" 

• "The intercultural elements were useful" 

• “The content was very relevant and helpful” 

LANG 2065 equips students from any discipline to confidently tackle advanced academic writing for research projects and adapt academic texts for public audiences to engage and persuade. 

• Explore common and discipline-specific conventions to effectively adapt your academic writing style. 

• Learn advanced synthesis, citation strategies and rhetorical techniques to critically position your ideas and stance. 

• Use Gen AI tools and chatbots to support research and writing with academic integrity. 

• A critical analysis of research writing in your discipline 

• A research report from a small-scale research project 

• Repurposing research to engage through infographics 

• Review peers’ writing and evaluate peers’ contributions to teamwork 

• Ideal for undergraduate students planning to pursue or currently engaged in research work or who simply want to develop in advanced academic writing skills 

• Prerequisite(s): LANG 1003, 1403, 1404, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409 

• Exclusion: LANG 3060 

Student testimonial

“Many of the topics we covered would be relevant in completing our UROP summer coursework or final thesis, thus I am very satisfied with the content and structure of the course.” 

Transferable skills

• Use Gen AI tools to assist research. 

• Adapt research writing to your discipline’s conventions. 

• Strengthen arguments with advanced synthesis, citation, and rhetorical strategies. 

• Communicate research to the public using infographics. 

LANG2066 delves into the art of STEAM communication, equipping students to engage and inspire diverse audiences. By combining creative storytelling, hands-on demonstrations, and impactful busking performances, students will learn to simplify and energize complex ideas across a wide range of scientific disciplines–spanning pure science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, technology and medicine.

• STEAMfluence Game Overview
• Engaging in a gamified learning experience and role-playing adventure to become a STEAM Influencer, unlocking skills, earning rewards, and competing in challenges.
• Combining storytelling, public speaking, and live experiments in creative performances to captivate audiences during dynamic STEAM busking shows.

• Assessment 1: Create a 2-minute reel on a STEAM topic.
• Assessment 2: Collaborate on a group STEAM busking performance video, supported by dedicated in-class project time.

• Ideal for students passionate about making STEAM–including mathematics, engineering and related fields–accessible and engaging. It is especially suited for students eager to inspire and educate diverse audiences through dynamic communication.
• This course is also suitable for students who feel nervous when speaking. The course helps students deliver talks more confidently in ways that really connect with the audience.
• Especially useful for students aiming to go into the following careers:
  • careers in teaching: become an engaging teacher!
  • careers in research: persuade potential funders more effectively!
  • careers in industry: promote your research and ideas with impact for key stakeholders in business!
  • careers in media and marketing: explain technical concepts to non-experts professionally!
• Prerequisite(s): LANG 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409

Transferable skills

• Dynamic communication skills that can be applied to presentations, public speaking, and professional networking.
• Confidence in simplifying complex ideas and tailoring messages for diverse audiences—an essential skill for careers in education, science, media, and beyond.

Student work samples

2-min reels

• Anson SIT Kwan Yi
• Charlotte LEUNG Siu Hei
• Chloe CHEUNG
• Evelyn Jade WONG
• Haley CHEONG Hei Lam
• Rai Kana ABHIMATTA
• Sparkle LEE Yat Tsun

Busking highlights

LANG2067 prepares students to produce impactful digital content—such as podcasts, vlogs, and portfolios—for a connected world. Through integrating digital content creation, critical analysis, and communication skills, students develop strong audience awareness, story-telling and multimodal communication skills while crafting compelling digital identities and artefacts.

• leveraging experiential learning, student teams engage in pitching, promoting, and creating a digital show – either vlog or podcast
• working collaboratively through ideation, storyboarding, production, and editing

• Assessment 1: A production pitch of the vlog/podcast project
• Assessment 2: A promotional reel to engage an audience and following
• Assessment 3: Final vlog/podcast project
• Assessment 4: Learning portfolio reflecting on learning over the course of the semester 

• Ideal for creative, collaborative, and reflective students who want to critically explore digital media and enhance their digital communication.
• This course would also appeal to students who want to showcase their work to broader audiences.
• Prerequisite(s): 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409

Student testimonials

• "the course included a variety of assignments/projects that helped us build on our different skills such as speaking, filming, script writing, etc."
• "I think the overall structure of the course is good, and we can also learned the use of evidence in creating content to a specific audience."

Showcase

• Teachers' Lift
• Student Voices

Great speakers aren’t born; they’re built. LANG 2068 helps students craft and deliver impactful public speeches, developing confidence, stage presence, adaptability, and creativity for effective communication in academic, professional, and social settings. By honing critical thinking and persuasive techniques, students learn to inspire and influence diverse audiences. With practice, feedback, and a supportive environment, this course empowers students to find their voice and speak with impact in any situation.

• A two-part course design. In the first half, you'll build your speaking repertoire through lectures, lively discussions, and hands-on practice. In the second half, you'll bring it all together in your assessments, supported by peer feedback and consultations.
• You'll build a portfolio of tangible deliverables, including an elevator pitch, a self-produced online video, and a Japanese-style PechaKucha presentation. You'll also gain a toolkit of speaking techniques you can showcase to recruiters and keep using long after the course ends.

• Assessment 1: A live elevator pitch
• Assessment 2: An online video
• Assessment 3: A live persuasive PechaKucha presentation

This course is designed for students of all language proficiencies, from first-time speakers to seasoned presenters, who wish to speak with confidence, clarity, and impact in a variety of settings.

Whether public speaking is a source of fear or excitement, the course meets students where they are and pushes them further, providing practical tools and strategies for improvement regardless of their starting point.

Prerequisite(s): 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409

Student testimonials

• “The course exceeded my expectations. All the techniques, materials, practices, and examples really helped me with public speaking and presenting my ideas in general. The lecturer was very good at teaching us on tips and techniques in speaking with impact; I felt challenged by the course in a good way."
• “I came in pretty nervous about public speaking, but this course changed that for me. It was more interactive than I expected and the teacher and classmates were really supportive, so it never felt scary to get up and try things. By the end I felt a lot more confident speaking in front of people."
• “I've always been interested in public speaking, as it's one of the few things I'm good at academically. I just want to say, I think this is by far the most useful language course to legitimately help me in my professional career. If I had learned this course before I came to UST, my work in HR 2 years ago would've been smooth sailing."
• “I feel the LANG2068 course has a very sustained focus on actually improving our confidence and ability to speak in front of different audiences. Would highly recommend!”

We all know people who seem capable of connecting with almost anyone. Do these people possess a superpower? What is the art of connecting? LANG 2069 will help you identify and develop the social-emotional competencies that you bring to conversations and equip you with communication strategies for building meaningful connections offline and on.

• reflecting on social identity and social-emotional competence and how these impact communication.
• evaluating conversations in academic, social and professional contexts to identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.
• developing key skills including: asking deep questions to connect, active listening and storytelling.

1. Participating in and analysing the ‘Fast Friends Procedure’ – a procedure intended to increase connection.
2. Collaboratively analysing examples of one type of ‘important conversation’ to help present a protocol for a successful conversation.
3. Compiling a portfolio of reflections on your development as a communicator.
4. Sharing a response to reading on a chosen topic with a small group.

• Any student who wants to connect with others but also themselves and develop strategies to navigate conversations with empathy and identify and overcome communication barriers.

• Prerequisite(s): 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409

Student testimonials

• "one of the most practical and useful classes I’ve ever taken. I’ve genuinely found myself applying the concepts we learned in real life, and I now feel much more engaged in conversations with others."
• "I achieved my goals and it is a very interesting and unique course."
• "I will be able to better my relationship with not only friends and family, but also apply this course in my work and future career."
• "It was overall a really new and fun assignment for me because it was unlike essays or other written assignments from other courses."
• "I think writing reflections is a wonderful way for deep thinking as it encourages me to think about my daily life in the terms of supercommunication."

Learning outcomes

• This course requires students to take an active and reflective approach to their learning, and connect with others on the course.
• Students work collaboratively and co-create knowledge.
• The course helps strengthen emotional connections and communicate effectively in conversations in diverse contexts.

LANG2071 helps students develop research communication skills, craft conference abstracts, and gain experience in organizing a mini-academic conference and presenting at academic conferences. 

• AI-assisted research skills development
• Hands-on experience in empirical research and conference organization
• Audience-centered academic presentation skills and story-telling technique

• Mini-Research Project: writing a Research Summary

• Conference Abstract

• Organizing a Mini-Conference 

• Conference Presentation 

• Students who are interested in advancing their academic language literacy and accumulating research-related communication skills.
• Students who plan to pursue further academic study such as MPhil or PhD degree.
• Prerequisite(s): LANG 1403, 1404, 1406, 1407, 1408, or 1409. 

Student testimonials

• "The course is challenging, engaging, and awakening" 
• "The course is interesting. It’s good for students who want to do research in the future. An early taste of it."
• "The course is concise, well-planned, and clearly intended."

Learning outcome

Students will gain transferable skills such as critical reading skills, event organization skills, communication skills and presentation skills, through experiential learning and challenge-based learning.

Students will analyze conference examples in different disciplines and develop interdisciplinary awareness of academic conventions.

You scroll memes, videos, and reels all day - but what are they really doing to how you think and communicate? LANG1405 gives you the skills to find out. Through hands-on tasks built on real issues and experiences, you'll learn to read the digital world critically and speak to it with confidence. As AI and social media reshape work, these are the communication skills employers want - and you'll build them while making work you're proud to share.

Make it, don’t just study it. 
Don't just analyse digital media - make it. Design a meme or reel, lead real discussions, and produce an influencer-style video on an issue you care about. Theory becomes skills you can show, not just describe.

Every task builds on the last.
Five connected tasks, one journey: define a real issue, make a meme or reel, lead discussions, then craft an influencer video and rationale. Each step powers the next, so your skills and confidence grow across the course.

Skills that outlast the trends.
Forget chasing the app of the moment. You'll master platform-proof skills - multimodal communication, participatory culture, online community - that stay useful as tech changes. Plus a smart take on GenAI: use AI critically while keeping your own authentic voice.

Assessment 1: A multimodal influencer style assessment divided into three parts; a short introduction to the topic, a meme or reel about the topic with a rationale describing your process and choices, and an influencer style video on the topic with an accompanying video or written rationale.

Assessment 2: A weekly group online discussion from weeks 5 to 10.

Ideal for curious, creative, and reflective students who want to critically explore digital media and enhance their communication skills through the creation and analysis of digital texts like memes, videos, and online discussions.

Student testimonials

• “I thoroughly enjoyed the class and have indeed learned a great deal from your course. The engaging lectures and class assignments inspired me to explore the field of digital literacy.” 
• “[The course] has really intrigued my interest and helped me notice the multimodality elements that exist in real life.”
• “I have learnt so many concepts regarding digital literacy through online and face to face interactions with classmates. The video assignment allows me to practice my editing skills as well, which is a fresh and interesting experience!”

Showcase of student videos

Student Voices

LANG2090 introduces corpus linguistics, a method for studying language through large-scale data. Students learn how to uncover patterns in authentic language use by analysing existing corpora and building their own language datasets. By exploring how language functions across different domains—such as health, business, and digital communication—students will develop digital literacy, quantitative research skills, and a deeper understanding of the role of language in society.

• Using corpus tools to conduct hands-on analyses of real-world language data
• Exploring topics of own interest (e.g. public discourse, online communication) through a group project
• Enhancing ability to interpret and communicate insights using data visualization and analytical writing

• An individual analytical essay develops skills in comparative analysis across genres or registers
• A group-based corpus project to investigate language in a domain relevant to students’ interests

• Suitable for students from all disciplines
• No prior experience in programming or linguistics needed
• Ideal for students curious about language, communication, or data

Course outcomes

• practical experience working with digital language data
• transferable skills in research, critical thinking, and data interpretation
• ability to uncover hidden patterns in everyday language which equips students with valuable insights applicable to fields such as communication, education, media, and business

Have you ever wondered how Siri understands your commands, why Alexa sounds like a real person, or how your smartphone recognizes your unique voice? Speech technology is everywhere, but it all starts with the science of human sound. LANG 2091 is an exciting, beginner-friendly broadening course that bridges the gap between human language and artificial intelligence. You don’t need any prior background in linguistics or coding. Instead, you will learn how to visually map human speech using spectrograms, decode the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and understand the physical properties of sound. Whether you are majoring in engineering, business, science, or the humanities, this course will give you a unique, competitive edge by showing you how human-AI interaction actually works behind the screens.

User-friendly acoustic software to literally see sound.
Learn to read spectrograms and conduct computerized acoustic analyses of your own voice and others, turning invisible soundwaves into readable data.

Personalized mini-research project.
Choose a “non-standard” speech sample that interests you - such as synthesized AI speech, a specific regional dialect, or code-switched bilingual speech - and compare it to “standard” speech using the acoustic analysis skills you’ve learned.

• Final project: explore topics of interests or relevance (e.g. synthesized speech, code-switching, foreign accents)
• Out-of-class work: small group-based tasks to develop skills for the final project
• Other assessments: two in-class tests

• No prior knowledge of phonetics or speech technology needed.

• This course would appeal to any student interested in technology, AI, business innovation, engineering solutions, neuroscience research, or communication; these are fields of direct practical applications for this topic. 

Student testimonials

• “The course is well suited for an introduction to phonetics and acoustics technology for any backgrounds, enough to give a sense of what the subject is about while not overwhelmed with too much technical details.”
• “The lab assignments are very interactive that allow students to grasp a more realistic understanding of the course materials.”
• “Her teaching made use of multi-modal methods and made a very good attempt in connecting the content with what's trending amongst students nowadays.”
• “I'm quite happy about the whole course ... I'm from CS and learn about NLP and spoken language processing, but didn't dive too deep into how speech is produced. This course helped complete the whole journey by letting me learn the entire process. I feel very delighted.”

Practical applications

Speech technology has applications in many fields:

• Engineering: Enhance speech technology systems, design human-computer interfaces, or improve voice recognition software.

• Science: Advance research by analysing speech data for research in neuroscience or bioacoustics.

• Business: Leverage speech analytics to enhance customer experience, optimize AI-driven services, and understand consumer behavior.
• Humanities and Social Sciences: Examine how speech shapes cultural identity, language policy, and social inclusion, and critically assess the ethical implications of speech technology.

This course offers real-world language-teaching experience abroad through partnerships with AIESEC’s Global Volunteer Program, HKUST’s Center for Language Education, and overseas partner institutions. You will learn to design, deliver, and evaluate engaging learning activities for youth from diverse countries; apply effective teaching strategies; adapt materials across ages, proficiency levels, and cultures; and operate confidently in international, cross‑cultural settings—all while using critical reflection to fuel continuous growth.

• Make an impact abroad through language teaching and cultural exchange    
• Empower rural youth in developing communities
• Prepare to teach with teacher training
• Sharpen your skills through supervised microteaching
• Celebrate your achievement by showcasing your work

• Microteaching simulations
• Overseas teaching practice
• Presentation/ Video presentation of learning experience in the mini teaching conference 
• Learning portfolio

• Students from any discipline, interested in teaching or communication-focused careers
• Seeking intercultural leadership and cross-cultural learning
• Eager to support youth education in developing countries through teaching and cultural exchange
• No prerequisites required

Transferrable skills

• Practical teaching (pedagogical) skills
• Strong reflective practice
• Elevated leadership and communication
• Ability to create community impact as a language educator