Ultimately, The Obsolete Empire asks: What does it mean to be inside or outside any given culture? How do large-scale geopolitical changes play out at the level of cultural attachment and political belonging? How does literary reading establish or unsettle narratives of who we are? These questions preoccupied writers across Britain's former empire and continue to resonate today.
The Third International Conference on Hybrid Learning (ICHL 2010) was organized by various institutions, including The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Beijing Normal University. This conference served as a platform for educators, researchers, and computer scientists to exchange knowledge on hybrid learning, aiming to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in a rapidly evolving knowledge landscape supported by technological innovation. Hybrid learning, a significant trend, goes beyond merely combining face-to-face and technology-mediated instruction; it incorporates diverse learning strategies and emphasizes outcome-based education, creating a varied learning environment. In today's globalized world, hybrid learning is one of the most effective modes, addressing the diverse needs of students and fostering their development as active independent learners while honing practical skills for work and study. The conference featured three keynote speakers: Rebecca Launer from Goethe-Institut, Germany, Bebo White from Stanford University, and Yan Ji Chang from Tsinghua University, who shared valuable insights into the hybrid learning field.