CETL Programme: Introduction to Teaching and Learning @ HKU

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

Date: 15th January, 2014 (Thurs) 
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm
Venue: Multi-purpose Zone, 3/F, HKU Main Library

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This one-day ‘Introduction to Teaching and Learning @ HKU’ programme is a foundation programme in teaching and learning at the University of Hong Kong and is designed for teaching staff, regardless of previous teaching experience, who are new to teaching at HKU. The overall aim is to provide new staff with a better understanding of specific issues relating to teaching and learning context in Hong Kong and at HKU. Staff will hear from leading Senior Academics in areas of strategic importance to the University.

During this programme, participants will be able to gain knowledge and to engage in discussions relating to issues relevant to teaching and learning at HKU. These will include the overview of the 4-year undergraduate curriculum reform delivered by Professor George Tham, Associate Vice-President of HKU, the demography and culture of HKU students, English as a medium of instruction, the common core curriculum, the role and nature of academic advising and about e-learning at HKU. Participants will also have the opportunity to talk in small groups to Outstanding Teaching Award (OTA) winners at HKU and learn about the diverse ways that have made HKU teaching more outcomes-based and how these have enhanced the learning effectiveness of their teaching.

Online Registration

The maximum capacity is 80 on a first-come-first-serve basis. Registration will close on 8th Jan 2015 (Thurs) at 5pm.

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

HKU Successfully Concludes First MOOC, Work on Two Other Courses Gearing Up

HKUX 01 epidemics

Panel discussion on Ebola

The second week of December saw the official conclusion of the University of Hong Kong’s first massive open online course (MOOC) HKU01x: Epidemics. Led by Professor Gabriel M Leung, Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, and infectious disease and public health experts from both the University of Hong Kong and international institutions such as the Harvard School of Public Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the course reached learners from 173 countries with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. In the end, more than 12 percent of the 10,290 enrolled learners earned a certificate of completion. This is a rather high rate as compared to the typical MOOC completion rate of around 5%, and goes to show the timeliness and quality of the course.

Prof David P. Y. Lung filming our next MOOC - The Search for Vernacular Architecture of Asia

Prof David P. Y. Lung filming our next MOOC – The Search for Vernacular Architecture of Asia

As to the reasons that the learners complete the course to earn a certificate, adding to the resume, boosting job performance, supporting employment and school applications were often cited. In addition, personal satisfaction through a sense of achievement is also cited as a motivator for completing the course. For example, one learner reported that s/he finished the course “For my personal satisfaction that I can do it at age 77”.

In the beginning months of the new year, the HKU MOOC Working Group, in association with the HKU01x: Epidemics course team and the e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit (EPSU), will review the experience of our first MOOC and dive into the collected data for more insights that will help inform teaching and learning in both online and face-to-face settings here at HKU. Please watch out for information on salon and seminar sessions in the coming few months and make sure to join us for more in-depth discussions.

Prof Chad Hansen filming in the Common Core Lounge for Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought

Prof Chad Hansen filming in the Common Core Lounge for Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought

While HKU01x: Epidemics is a undoubtedly a successful inaugural MOOC at this University measured by reach and impact, guided by the HKU MOOC Working Group, the EPSU instructional designers are working very closely with the course and video teams to ramp up work on three other courses, HKU02.1x: The Search for Vernacular Architecture of Asia, Part 1; HKUx03x: Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought; and HKU04x: Making Sense of News, which are all scheduled to launch in the first half of 2015. More and updated information of these courses can be found at the HKU’s edX page at https://www.edx.org/school/hkux and this blog.