Marks of Excellence: Gathering, Analysing and Reporting Direct Evidence of Students’ Learning and Achievements

Due to the large number of participants anticipated, the venue will be changed to T5, Meng Wah Complex.

Speaker
Professor Dai Hounsell, Vice-Principal for Assessment and Feedback, University of Edinburgh

Abstract
Against a background of curriculum transformation in higher education and calls for greater accountability for quality, there is a growing interest, nationally and internationally, in evidence of excellence in students’ learning. Two closely interwoven questions are raised. How can university teachers best use assessment and evaluation to capture the breadth and depth of learning outcomes being demonstrated by students? And how can the students’ distinctive achievements be communicated more widely, within and beyond the campus? The seminar will explore these twin questions, with particular reference to recent curriculum change at HKU.

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Seminar 2: Evidence of Experiential Learning

Date: 6 December, 2013 (Friday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: T5, Meng Wah Complex

Overview
The second seminar focuses more closely on the enhanced opportunities for experiential learning which is one of the hallmarks of the quality of undergraduate education at HKU. It considers how excellence in experiential learning can be captured and communicated, focusing particularly on strategies that are complementary to traditional forms of assessment and feedback, including those that capitalise on advances in communication technologies.

For details and online registration of seminar 2, please go to:

http://ghelc.hku.hk/gallant-ho-experiential-learning-centre-seminar-series/ghelc-s10/


Seminar 1: The Evidence Challenge

Date: 3 December, 2013 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: T5, Meng Wah Complex

Overview
In reviewing the challenges of capturing and communicating evidence of excellence in learning, the seminar will:

  • invite participants to explore what kinds of learning-and-assessment opportunities would seem to align well with what types of learning outcomes
  • provide illustrations of such opportunities drawn from real-life course and subject settings in established universities
  • highlight key steps that need to be followed in designing and implementing valid and robust assessment-for-learning initiatives

For details and online registration of seminar 1, please go to:

http://www.cetl.hku.hk/seminar131203/


About the Speaker
Professor Dai Hounsell is currently Vice-Principal for Assessment and Feedback (part-time) at the University of Edinburgh. From 2009 to 2012 he was the University’s Vice-Principal for Academic Enhancement, and Professor of Higher Education from 2000-2012.

He has published widely on assessment and feedback and many other aspects of university learning and teaching, served in various editorial and refereeing roles, and led several multi-institutional higher education research and development projects with external funding. In 2007 he was awarded a Fellowship by the Society for Research into Higher Education.

Throughout his career, a key concern has been with evidence-informed approaches to the advancement of excellence in university teaching and learning, within and beyond his own institution. He has coordinated initiatives for the Quality Assurance Agency and Universities Scotland (Integrative Assessment 2005-07), the Higher Education Academy (Innovative Assessment Across the Disciplines 2006-07) and the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (Leading Change in Assessment and Feedback, 2012-13). Internationally, he has advised the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, the South African Academic Development Association, and the Netherlands & Flemish Universities Quality Assurance Agency. Since he and his wife Jenny created the Enhancing Feedback website three years ago, it has attracted 27,000 visitors from across the world.

e-learning News from EPSU – November 2013

Professional Learning Events

feature-elearning11This month the EPSU is offering a workshop on Google Apps for Education (GAFE). GAFE provides students with a space where they can author work and collaborate with one another. GAFE also gives teachers a space to interact with their students. To find out more and to sign up for the workshop please visit http://epsu.cetl.hku.hk/6nov2013/. We are planning new workshops for this semester and would be happy to hear from you if you would like us to deliver a workshop within your Faculty. Contact Dr. Iain Doherty.

Massive Open Online Courses

Work continues on the development of three Massive Open Online Courses to be offered through the edX platform commencing Autumn 2014. The University will be hosting edX on Friday 15th November as edX provides training to staff from different institutions. EPSU staff will be attending the training and meeting with edX staff to discuss MOOC developments.

Moodle Enhancements

The e-learning Enhancement Task Force manages the process of making recommendations to ITS for Moodle enhancements. A report was submitted to ITS this month with recommendations to test eight new plugins including a plugin to take student attendance and a plugin to automatically notify students of important course information. If you have something that you want to see in Moodle contact Dr. Iain Doherty.

Panopto Upgraded to Version 4.4

Panopto system was successfully upgraded from version 4.3 to 4.4 on October 18. The new version brings new features and improved system performance and stability. For more details, please visit https://helpdesk.panopto.com/entries/24869427-Panopto-4-4-1-Change-Log

Panopto and Moodle Hands-on Training Courses

The ITS Panopto and Moodle hands-on training courses in November are now open for registration. Details can be found at http://moodle-support.hku.hk/cms/?q=training/cc-schedule/Nov2013

CETL Workshop: Teaching Excellence Award Scheme Workshop

Message from Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

Date: 14th November, 2013 (Thursday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building

Abstract
bigbanner-teas2013This workshop is open to all teaching staff who are interested in finding out more about the Teaching Excellence Awards. Staff will be provided an overview of the award scheme, the key selection criteria and advice in preparing an evidence-based teaching portfolio. Staff who are thinking about applying in the next round are strongly encouraged to attend. Staff who are not sure, or would simply like to know more about the scheme, are most welcome.

For more information about the workshop and the award scheme, please contact Dr Cecilia Chan from CETL at 3917 8534 or email her at Cecilia.Chan@cetl.hku.hk.

For details and online registration, please go to:

http://www.cetl.hku.hk/workshop131114/

For information on registration, please contact Ms Ivy Lai by email at laichun2@hku.hk.

EPSU Workshop: Google Apps in an Hour

Facilitator: Mr Nicky Ng, Instructional Designer, CETL
Date: 6th November, 2013 (Wednesday)
Time: 12:45pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building

6nov2013s-268x300Google provides a variety of free online applications that could be useful in teaching and learning. The workshop is designed for colleagues who are interested in using Google Apps as a tool for their teaching, research or for general productivity.  The workshop presentation will cover:

1) How to create a Google account and access Google Drive
2) Google Documents, Google Presentation and Google Spreadsheet
3) How to get other apps from Google Market Place

The presentation will be followed by “hands on” time with support from EPSU staff. You can use this time to explore any of the features demonstrated in the first part of the workshop.

It is recommended that participants bring a laptop with the Chrome browser installed.  Participants also need to register for a Google account before attending the workshop.

This workshop builds on the previous EPSU Google Apps for Education seminar. This time, more detail on Google Apps will be provided and there is time to gain practical experience.

For further details and to register online, please visit: http://www.cetl.hku.hk/workshop131106/.

For enquiries, please contact Ms Ivy Lai by email at laichun2@hku.hk.

CETL Seminar: Principles for Designing a Curriculum to Develop and Assure Student Learning Outcomes

Speaker: Associate Prof Romy Lawson (PhD), OLT National Teaching Fellow,
Director, Learning, Teaching & Curriculum, University of Wollongong, Australia
Date: 30 October, 2013 (Wednesday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building

Abstract

banner-WSHP131030b-e1381297626690Quality in teaching and learning is a key issue in Higher Education in Australia. Therefore it is important for institutions to be able to make the expectations they have for their students explicit and then assure that these expectations have been achieved. The question is how do we ensure that these attributes get developed during degree programs and how can evidence that can lead to continuous improvement be captured. The initial focus to achieve this has to be reviewing the curriculum and assessment design to make sure a holistic, integrated, collaborative and maintainable approach is being adopted to foster these expectations throughout the program. This approach is a cultural change for some academics and so in conjunction with curriculum design, leadership strategies to support change must also be adopted. This work is funded as part of an Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching, National Teaching Fellowship.

About the speaker

Romy Lawson is the Director of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum at the University of Wollongong, having previously been the Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning at James Cook University and Teaching & Learning Coordinator at UTS Business School. Associate Professor Lawson has been actively involved in teaching and learning development in higher education for over 18 years in both the UK and Australia. Recently she led a National OLT Strategic Priority Project – Hunters & Gatherers: Strategies for Curriculum Mapping and Data Collection for Assurance of Learning. She has also been a team member for two other ALTC funded projects: Embedding Professionally Relevant Learning in Business Education; and Facilitating staff and student engagement with graduate attribute development, assessment and standards in Business Faculties. Her research has focused on constructive alignment in curriculum design; the effect of different assessment on student learning; curriculum mapping; leadership strategies for curriculum renewal; embedding professional learning in the curriculum; engaging staff and students with graduate attributes; and the impact of professional development on teaching.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

For information on registration, please contact:
Ms Ivy Lai , CETL
Phone: 3917 8996; Email: laichun2@hku.hk.

e-learning News from EPSU – October 2013

feature-elearning-oct

New Teachers Using Moodle

If you are new to HKU and are thinking about using Moodle in your teaching, please visit the EPSU website. EPSU provides a range of pedagogical support services for staff including one-on-one consultations, course development support and multimedia programming. Get in touch with Dr. Iain Doherty – if you would like to meet with us.

Save One Third of Your Marking Time

The University now has a license for GradeMark, an application that works in conjunction with Turnitin to provide a timesaving solution for marking & providing feedback to students. Details about the functions of GradeMark can be found on their website athttp://turnitin.com/en_us/features/grademark. GradeMark has now been implemented and the EPSU will be providing workshops on how to use GradeMark. If you would like us to provide tailored workshops for your Faculty / Department etc. please get in touch with Dr. Iain Doherty. Longer term GradeMark will be evaluated by the TDG team to gauge usefulness for colleagues along with students’ experiences.

Professional Learning Events

In September the EPSU presented a series of joint workshops with ITS to introduce new colleagues to Moodle. Over 70 colleagues joined the various workshops. The EPSU also delivered a lunchtime seminar to colleagues at the Centre for Applied English Studies with nearly 50 colleagues attending. We are planning new workshops for this semester and would be happy to hear from you if you would like us to deliver a workshop within your Faculty.

EPSU Project Work

EPSU continues to support teachers across the university with their teaching and technology needs. We have an exciting and diverse range of projects including producing interactive materials for students to learning Chinese, creating an online web platform for students to engage in problem based learning and creating a mobile platform to support students in experiential learning. If you think that we might be able to help with your technology needs get in touch withDr. Iain Doherty.

Have Your Say With Moodle

The University e-learning Enhancement Task Force (EETF) has continued to manage the process around requests to enhance Moodle so that the system meets the specific needs of Faculties. If you want to see changes to Moodle you can make a request by self-enrolling in the EETF Moodle Site. To self-enroll follow the following procedure:
  1. Go to http://moodle.hku.hk
  2. Click on “Courses” in the navigation menu on the left hand side of the page.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and type “elearning” in the search box.
  4. The search results will include “EETF e-learning Enhancement Task Force [2012]“
  5. Click on the course title.
  6. You will be asked to log in to the HKU Portal.
  7. You can then self-enroll in the course.

Panopto and Moodle Hands-on Training Courses

The newly introduced Panopto and Moodle hands-on training courses conducted by IT Services in October are now open for registration. Registration and details can be found at http://moodle-support.hku.hk/cms/?q=training/cc-schedule/Oct2013

CETL Seminar: Adding Realism to Professional Legal Education at the University of Hong Kong: Action, Reaction and Reflection

Abstract
photo_mootcourtLegal education in Asia has been undergoing significant changes to integrate experiential learning models aimed at enhancing learning environments to facilitate interactivity and realism. These have included law clinics, simulation and internships, while also taking advantage of information technology. With support from TDG and TEFS programmes, the speaker piloted a project to add realism to the vocational legal education in Hong Kong through HKU’s PGC in Laws programme (PCLL).  Two ground-breaking initiatives, first of their kinds in Asia, were introduced and involved the Simulated Professional Learning Environment (SimPLE) and Standardized Clients (SCs).  SimPLE introduced a simulation e-Learning platform for transactional learning, placing learners in a professional context simulating their future workplace that involved aggregates of transactions, multiple solution paths, distributed between tools, colleagues, resources, anticipated and unanticipated problems and individual constructions of knowledge and experience. In the Standardized Clients (SCs) initiative, people lay to the law discipline, but trained to present standardized scenarios to students, comment on and assess students’ communicative competence.  The speaker will explain what prompted him to undertake the project, how these initiative were tried out at HKU’s PCLL, what students’ initial responses were and sketch out future plans.

Speaker: Mr Wilson Chow, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, HKU
Date: 9th October, 2013 (Wednesday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building

About the Speaker
Mr Wilson Chow, Associate Professor, joined this University in 1995 as the first full-time local teacher in the Department of Professional Legal Education, Faculty of Law. Responsible for the curriculum reform and development in the HKU PCLL since 2001, he spearheaded all related reform proposals and reports over the years. As Head of the Department between 2005 and 2011, he has accumulated extensive, successful experience in team-leading to achieve major goals. Wilson has presented at various international conferences and co-authored a number of journal articles and book chapters on legal education reform.

For details and online registration, please go to:
http://www.cetl.hku.hk/seminar20131009/

Add to your Google Calendar

For enquiries, please contact Ms Ivy Lai by email laichun2@hku.hk.

CETL Workshop: Teaching Excellence Award Scheme Workshop

Organized by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Abstract
artwork-teas2012This workshop is open to all teaching staff who are interested in finding out more about the Teaching Excellence Awards. Staff will be provided an overview of the award scheme, the key selection criteria and advice in preparing an evidence-based teaching portfolio. Staff who are thinking about applying in the next round are strongly encouraged to attend. Staff who are not sure, or would simply like to know more about the scheme, are most welcome.

Date: 2 October, 2013 (Wednesday)
Time: 12:45pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building

For more information about the workshop and the award scheme, please contact Dr. Cecilia Chan from CETL at 3917 8534 or email her at Cecilia.Chan@cetl.hku.hk

ONLINE REGISTRATION

For information on registration, please contact:
Ms Ivy Lai, CETL
Phone: 3917 8996; Email: laichun2@hku.hk.

e-learning News from EPSU – September 2013

New Teachers Using Moodle

feature-elearning-sepIf you are new to HKU and are thinking about using Moodle in your teaching, please visit the EPSU website. EPSU provides a range of pedagogical support services for staff including one-on-one consultations, course development support and multimedia programming. Get in touch with Dr. Iain Doherty – if you would like to meet with us.

Save One Third of Your Marking Time

EPSU in conjunction with ITS and Library has been awarded a TDG to implement GradeMark. GradeMark works in combination with Turnitin to provide a timesaving solution for marking and providing feedback to students. Details about GradeMark can be found at http://turnitin.com/en_us/features/grademark. GradeMark will be implemented for Semester One 2013 and the EPSU will be providing workshops on how to use GradeMark. If you would like us to provide tailored workshops for your Faculty / Department etc. Please get in touch with Dr. Iain Doherty.

Professional Learning Events

The EPSU will be jointly presenting a series of Moodle workshops with ITS in September. This joint approach will provide staff with a technical (ITS) and pedagogical (EPSU) perspective on using Moodle in teaching and learning. Following on from a recent Google Apps for Education Seminar, the EPSU is responding to requests to conduct a “hands on” workshop on Google Apps for Education workshop. The workshop will be conducted in September.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Many of you will have seen the University announcement concerning The University of Hong Kong joining edX. The EPSU is currently working with three Professors to deliver MOOC courses commencing September 2014. This is an exciting time for HKU and an opportunity for the University to showcase its teaching to the world.

Have Your Say With Moodle

The University e-learning Enhancement Task Force (EETF) has continued to manage the process around requests to enhance Moodle so that the system meets the specific needs of Faculties. If you want to see changes to Moodle you can make a request by self-enrolling in the EETF Moodle Site. To self-enroll follow the following procedure:

  1. Go to http://moodle.hku.hk
  2. Click on “Courses” in the navigation menu on the left hand side of the page.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and type “elearning” in the search box.
  4. The search results will include “EETF e-learning Enhancement Task Force [2012]“
  5. Click on the course title.
  6. You will be asked to log in to the HKU Portal.
  7. You can then self-enroll in the course.

New Moodle Features and Enhancements

Along with the Moodle upgrade is its new capability to automatically detect a user’s device type and render a suitable theme layout for viewing through the user’s smartphones or tablets via a browser. Turnitin plugin has also been updated to the newer release to achieve better integration with Moodle. Moreover, the following new features were added as well in the summer:

  • Course Content Block
  • Course Menu Block
  • Portfolio
  • Outcome
  • Upload file in Wiki
  • Allow theme changes in URL
  • DragMath
  • PDF submission
  • PDF feedback
  • Participation Map

Moodle Upgraded to Version 2.4.4

The University’s Moodle system was successfully upgraded to version 2.4.4 on 4 August 2013. The new version comes with a collection of system fixes and improvements over the previous version 2.3.1. The release note has more details: http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_2.4.4_release_notes.

Panopto and Moodle Hands-on Training Courses for Staff

The newly introduced Panopto and Moodle hands-on training courses conducted by IT Services in Jul are now open for registration. Registration and details can be found at http://moodle-support.hku.hk/cms/?q=training/cc-schedule/Sep2013

EPSU Moodle Workshops: 11 – 13 Sep

feature-moodleITS and the e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit are offering a series of 3 workshops on enhancing teaching and learning through the use of Moodle. The first part of each workshop will be presented by ITS and will cover the “how to” of the core Moodle features and techniques that will be featured in the pedagogically focused second part of the workshop. There will be time for hands on in the final part of each workshop. The workshops are as follows:

  1. Moodle and Course Content. This workshop will cover uploading files and videos, presentational techniques and how to use Moodle Page and Book
  2. Moodle for Supporting Student Learning. This workshop will cover the Moodle features Choice, Quiz, Lesson and Assignment
  3. Moodle for Creating Interaction. This workshop will cover the Moodle features Forum, Glossary and Wiki

The workshops are scheduled to run for one and half hours will focus first on technology (half an hour) and then on pedagogy (half an hour). There will be time to get hands on with Moodle in the final half hour of each session.

Whilst the workshops have been designed to build on one another, it is not necessary to attend all three workshops.

Workshop Date Session A Session B Venue
Moodle and Course Content 11 Sept 2013 (Wednesday) 9:30 – 11:00am or 11:30am – 1:00pm Rm 201, Run Run Shaw
Moodle for Supporting Student Learning 12 Sept 2013 (Thursday) 9:30 – 11:00am or 11:30am – 1:00pm Rm 201, Run Run Shaw
Moodle for Creating Interaction 13 Sept 2013 (Friday) 9:30 – 11:00am or 11:30am – 1:00pm Rm 201, Run Run Shaw

Online Registration

For information on registration, please contact:
Ms Ivy Lai, CETL
Tel: 3917 8996
Email: laichun2@hku.hk