Ka-fu Wong University of Hong Kong

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Ka-fu WongUniversity of Hong Kong
Frequently Asked Questions on Bonus points
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Must I present my analysis in class?

• To get the bonus point, you will have to make a
  presentation during lecture. The objective is to
  teach your peers what you find excited about.
• We learn a lot more by being a teacher.

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What kind of topics can I present?

• It has to be an analysis of real world phenomenon
  using the theories learnt in the course.

Observe things happening around us
Ask interesting questions
Provide plausible answers
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Can I present an example I found in other
Economics textbooks?

• A direct draw from examples in popular Economics
  text will not be acceptable. Similarly a topic
  on a well studied subject would not be acceptable
  for presentation.
• What would be acceptable should be based on your
  own observation of a phenomenon around us. It is
  better you did your original analysis based on
  whatever you have learnt in the course.

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What kind of topic is acceptable?

• You will need to start from some observed
  phenomenon. To tell the audience that this
  phenomenon is observed, you will need to give us
  some evidence (picture, data, news clippings,
  etc.).
• It has to be a observed phenomenon.
• More children are born in the year of Dragon.
• A one hour parking at HKU is 30 per hour, but
  the meter parking in the neighborhood is 15 per
  hour.
• Then, you try to explain why it happens.

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How to find interesting questions?

• I keep asking the question "why is this
  happening" when I read newspapers or when I am
  walking on the street, seeing different kind of
  interesting things.
• For examples,
• I was walking on the street with my son and saw a
  beggar. I ask him, why is there a beggar at that
  street? Why do we still see beggars in Hong
  Kong, which is relatively rich? I also asked him
  to take a close look at the beggar.
• when I was hiking, passing by a empty village, I
  ask why is this village empty.
• when I see so many people from Fujian migrates to
  foreign countries, risking their lives on a ship,
  I ask why do they do that but Hong Kong people do
  not?
• Generally, I pay close attention to prices. Why
  are prices high or low? I also pay attention to
  regulations. Why are some activities allowed,
  some not?

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Can I discuss with the professor in order to get
a reasonable answer to my question?

• Note that the presentation is the work of
  students. Occasionally, the professor will ask a
  question to direct them to find a better answer.
• Usually, the professor will avoid providing an
  answer. When he does provide an answer (upon an
  agreement between the professor and the student),
  he will not allow the student to present the
  topic.

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Who will grade my presentation?

• Your peers will vote whether they like it or not
  and whether the presentation is relevant to the
  course or not.
• There will be a maximum of 5 on each
  presentation. Say, if 80 of the class think that
  it is good, you will get 4.

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How many presentations can I do?

• Maximum one presentation.

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How long is the presentation?

• Each presentation should last less than FIVE
  minutes.
• You have to pay attention what your classmates
  can digest in such a short time.
• Usually, a presentation will last longer than
  FIVE minutes if
• More than 7 slides will be shown.
• If takes 5 minutes to run the presentation in
  your own practice, the actual presentation will
  run more than 7 minutes.

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When should I do a presentation?

• If you have something in mind to share with the
  class, you should send the instructor a clip of
  the material by email at your earliest
  convenience.
• Duplication of topics not allowed.
• A presentation may be scheduled. Due to time
  limitation, we can allow a maximum of three
  presentations per week.
• On a first-come-first-serve basis.

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I have a slight fear of public speaking. How can
I overcome it?

• You are not alone. Most teachers (e.g., your
  instructor) are nervous in my first lecture of
  the semester (after they have not been teaching
  for a while). But, we get used to it over time.
  At some point in time, all of us will have to
  learn how to overcome this fear. Perhaps now is
  the best time.
• One way to reduce your fear is to get to know the
  topic very well and organize it in a PowerPoint,
  or something that you can refer to on stage.

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I am planning to do a PowerPoint presentation.
Do I need to bring a laptop?

• Please do not bring your own laptop for the
  presentation in order to save time in switching
  from one laptop to the other.
• You can send the instructor a copy of the PPT
  file in the morning of your scheduled
  presentation. He will then load the file to the
  computer in the classroom for your presentation.

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