During class suspension at HKU, instructors have to switch to online teaching to deliver course content. There are two effective ways for instructors to deliver online teaching: one is to produce pre-recorded videos and the other is to schedule live teaching sessions with students. They serve different purposes. We provide students with basic knowledge of a subject by producing pre-recorded videos, in which instructors may prepare PowerPoint slides and explain the subject content with their voice and talking head recorded. After students gain sufficient basic knowledge of a subject, in live teaching, instructors can make use of the precious time to interact with students to probe their understanding of the subject, address their questions and discuss more advanced topics. Live teaching is an invaluable opportunity for students to interact with and learn from their peers and their instructors.
The HKU Learning Management System Moodle (https://moodle.hku.hk/) is our central online learning resource for course teachers to share engaging online learning content with their students. In particular, the Panopto system (http://lecturecapture.hku.hk/), a centrally managed video capture solution, is integrated seamlessly with the Moodle system to enable instructors to record or upload lecture videos for sharing with students in Moodle. A step-by-step guide for instructors can be found here: https://hku.to/elearn_video
As for live teaching, HKU ITS has entered a campus license with Zoom (http://hku.zoom.us/). Using features like screen sharing, chatroom and whiteboard, instructors can schedule meetings to have rich real-time interaction with their students. In addition, meetings can be recorded and put on Moodle for students to revise later.
The following diagram summarizes the use of different tools for online teaching. More advice for instructors can be found here: https://hku.to/elearn_quickstart
In TELI, we are working closely with ITS colleagues to provide prompt support to teachers and students as to the use of the above-mentioned tools. For example, we are monitoring the workload and response time of the Moodle and Panopto systems. When needed, the capability of the two servers (i.e., processor, memory and disk space) will be enhanced. In addition, TELI colleagues Leon Lei (9162 3384) and Tyrone Kwok (5964 8396) are happy to provide individual consultation to teachers via WhatsApp.
Written by Dr Tyrone Kwok, Dr Leon Lei, Ms Crystal Luo and Ms Sharon Keung
We believed most of us agreed that Hong Kong is undergoing a difficult period. Due to the pandemic outbreak in these few weeks, face-to-face classes have been suspended, and all teaching and learning activities have to be converted into an online format. As many learning activities have already been designed for face-to-face teaching and learning before the outbreak, it is a challenge for teachers to redesign them within a short period of time as well as to facilitate engaging and productive synchronous/asynchronous online sessions. Moreover, students also struggle to fully immerse themselves in the online learning environment due to the limitations of the offline environment in Hong Kong.
To help teachers to overcome the challenges, TELI has developed a full list of supporting resources:
E-learning Quick Start Guide: This guide serves as a portal of online resources provided to HKU staff and students (including Powerpoint, Zoom, Panopto and Moodle). It briefly describes how online learning can be adopted in different teaching context and styles. The guide includes technical demonstrations of the tools as well as tips and strategies for creating an engaging online learning session for students. Additional resources such as teacher showcases, good practices on blended/online learning and video production are also provided in this guide. A student version of this quick start guide is also available for students (link).
Online Learning FAQ Video Channel: Teachers can quickly learn the basics of PowerPoint, Panopto, Zoom and other related tools through step-by-step demonstrations and explanations.
Real-time Online E-learning Consultation Channel: Teachers can contact the E-learning Technologists at TELI for a one-to-one consultation session on questions related to online T&L.
Leon Lei (9162 3384) and Tyrone Kwok (5964 8396) who can both be reached via WhatsApp text messages.
Faculty-/Department-level Face-to-face Training: Hands-on training and deep-dive tool demonstrations on online learning tools can be provided to teachers on demand. The training will also include showcase sharing by teachers. Please contact Dr Leon Lei (culei@hku.hk) for training arrangements.
Your health and safety are always our top priority. Please stay vigilant and continue to make personal health your top priority.
Written by Dr Leon Lei, Ms Crystal Luo, Ms Sharon Keung and Dr Tyrone Kwok
“If history is our guide, we can assume that the battle between the intellect and will of the human species and the extraordinary adaptability of microbes will be never-ending.” (1)
Despite all the remarkable technological breakthroughs that we have made over the past few decades, the threat from infectious diseases remain prevalent, with increased global mobility resulting in its significantly accelerated spread. This is all the more evident with the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, which is showing no signs of slowing down.
In the age of information overload, it is crucial to have access to verified facts and figures regarding appropriate public health protocols and precautionary measure – it acts as means of reducing anxiety and fears regarding infectious diseases, and above all a crucial first line of defense against misinformation.
In this course, we will look at the fundamental scientific principles underlying epidemics and the public health actions behind their prevention and control in the 21st century, with follow-up discussions and supplementary content on how these concepts may be helpful to us in better understanding the COVID-19 outbreak.
This is the second (spread of infectious diseases) of the four courses, and will cover the following topics:
Basic Concepts in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Epidemiologic Triangle: The Pathogen, The Host and The Environment
Evidence Synthesis
Infectious Disease Modelling
Week 1
Infectious Disease Epidemiology – Tracking Infectious Diseases + Discourse with Epidemiologists on COVID-19 Outbreak
The incubation period is frequently mentioned in the context of the 14-day quarantine protocol for the recent COVID-19 outbreak, but have you ever wondered what the incubation period really means, and how it is relevant to stopping the spread of diseases? In the first week of this course, you will be introduced to basic concepts in infectious disease epidemiology, such as the epidemic curve, incubation period and its uses, transmissibility of communicable diseases, timescale of disease transmission, severity of infectious disease, and difficulties associated with severity estimation. After class discussions held with epidemiologists and various experts of the field will also address the recent outbreak.
Week 2
Epidemiological Triangle - Understanding Disease Transmission and Examining the Spread of COVID-19 (Supplementary Reading)
Over the course of less than a month, the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) had spread from Wuhan China to far reaches of the world including Europe and North America; what are some human factors associated with the spread of a virus, and how are other extraneous factors implicated in outbreaks such as this? The three main pillars that make up the epidemiologic triangle (pathogen, host, and environment) will be explained as means to understanding the spread of disease. In addition, the evolution of pathogens will be examined through case studies on the Myxoma virus, the human immunodeficiency virus, and antimicrobial resistance. Finally, host factors that affect disease transmission and severity such as age and sexual mixing will be addressed. A supplementary module will include discourse on influenza immunity and transmission in time, age and space, while supplementary reading on “Real-time nowcast and forecast on the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak, domestic and international spread” will further explore concepts discussed in class.
Week 3
Infectious Disease Modeling – Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases and Forecasting of the COVID-19 Outbreak (Supplementary Reading)
Numerous recent studies have forecasted the geographical spread and peak of outbreak of COVID-19, but many may be curious to know how these estimations made, and what evidence there is to lend support to these hypotheses. In the final week, you will be introduced to the mathematical modeling of infectious disease, specifically the susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model, and its role as a tool for evidence synthesis. You will also identify the various elements of uncertainty that may occur at all stages of the modeling process. The supplementary module of the week will address the concept of precision public health, while supplementary reading on “Nowcasting and forecasting the potential domestic and international spread of the 2019-nCoV outbreak originating in Wuhan, China: a modelling study” will examine the dynamics of infectious diseases through mathematical modelling.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for more updates!
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(1) Fauci AS, Touchette NA, Folkers GK. Emerging Infectious Diseases: a 10-Year Perspective from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Emerg Infect Dis 2005 Apr; 11(4):519-25.
More updates from Dr. Pittman about his research, fieldwork and MOOC filming trip to Argentina. Less than 1 month until the start of the 3rd edition of Dinosaur Ecosystems. Join more than 7500 students who have already enrolled. Sign up at https://www.edx.org/course/dinosaur-ecosystems, and see you on Feb 7, 2020
What was it like being a dinosaur? Where did they live? Who did they live with? Were things anything like they are today? How do we even know all this?
Find out the answers to these questions and more in our upcoming Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Dinosaur Ecosystems! Starting from February 8th 2017, Dr. Michael Pittman of the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Earth Sciences, together with Professor Xu Xing of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), will lead you on an expedition to the Gobi desert to unveil a famous ancient ecosystem!
In this course, we will take you to Erlian, Inner Mongolia, and leading museums and institutions to explore:
dinosaur biology
how palaeontologists reconstruct ancient ecosystems using fossil and modern evidence
the traits and significance of a Late Cretaceous dinosaur ecosystem.
—- A Roaring Start
With the collaborative efforts from multiple parties, our course had a roaring start. The enrollment number jumped from 2,000 to 3,000 two days before launch, and even doubled on the next day. By the end of the course (as at March 27th), we had 8,996 learners from over 100 countries!
Learners’ Comments
Check out what our learners said about our course:
—- Sharing Knowledge, Sharing Joy
To celebrate the joyful success of our course, Dr. Pittman hosted a party on February 8th, 2017 with almost 50 HKU colleagues and members of the general public at Stephen Hui Geological Museum. More details here.
A fun drawing competition titled “The Year of the Dinosaur” was also organized to engage dinosaur lovers in the community. The following is a selection of fun dinosaur-themed Chinese New Year scenes designed by creative young minds:
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Dinosaur Ecosystems @ Hong Kong Science Museum
To promote the course, we had set up, for the first time, a booth in the T. rex exhibition in Hong Kong Science Museum.
Dr. Pittman also brought along souvenirs of our course to Science Alive 2017 on March 4th and 5th at the Science Museum. He gave a lecture on “Dinosaur Appearance: New Discoveries” and set up an exhibition counter introducing his research and our MOOC to the general public.
Left: One of our learners, Jason, travelled all the way from Macau (a 2 hour roundtrip) to meet Dr. Pittman! Right: It was a delight to know that our young learners love our course poster!
港大古生物學家利用新技術準確重塑恐龍身體輪廓 帶羽毛恐龍真貌首次展現 [Translation: Major breakthrough in knowledge of dinosaur appearance: HKU palaeontologist reconstructs feathered dinosaurs in the flesh with new technology] (HKU Press Release, February 27th, 2017)
港大古生物學家以激光新技術 重現1.6億年前近鳥龍 [Translation: HKU palaeontologist reconstructs 1.6 hundred-million-year-old Anchiornis with new laser technology] (Apple Daily, March 1st, 2017)
港大首用激光技術 重塑侏羅紀近鳥龍真身（有片） [Translation: HKU reconstrcuts Jurassic-era Anchiornis with laser technology] (Hong Kong 01, March 1st, 2017)
港大古生物學家利用新技術重塑帶羽恐龍真身 [Translation: HKU palaeontologist reconstructs feathered dinosaurs with new technology] (Hong Kong Economic Times, March 1st, 2017)
港大教授以激光拆解化石 細膩還原近鳥龍 [Translation: HKU palaeontologist deciphers fossils and reconstructs Anchiornis with lasers] (on.cc, March 1st, 2017)
港大新技術首次根據恐龍軟組織影像重塑羽毛恐龍的身體輪廓 [Translation: HKU reconstructs feathered dinosaurs based on images of dinosaur soft tissues using new technology] (Metro Radio, March 1st, 2017)
港大用新技術 成功勾劃侏羅紀動物近鳥龍外貌 [Translation: HKU successuflly reconstructs Jurassic-era Anchiornis with new technology] (Singtao Daily, March 1st, 2017)
近鸟龙真面目还原 [Translation: Revealing what an Anchiornis really looked like] (Sinchew News, March 1st, 2017)
Dinosaurs on TV!
Dr. Pittman and his 3D dinosaur model even made it to TVB’s Big Boys Club (兄弟幫) in April! In the two episodes titled “Unveiling the Secrets of Dinosaurs” (Part 1, Part 2), he shared fun facts about dinosaurs, his archeological experiences and how he uses lasers to reconstruct dinosaurs from fossils. In the latest episode titled “Precious Dinosaur Fossils”, he brought along dinosaur eggs and teeth fossils and explained how fossils were formed.
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Interested to learn more?
Check out this interview of Dr. Pittman where he explained the importance of studying dinosaurs and producing this course.
Don’t forget to take a glimpse into the artistic process of crafting the MOOC.
This course is just the beginning of our exploration of dinosaurs. Stay in touch with us through our Facebook and Twitter!
In support of its internationalization agenda, the University last year launched HKU Horizons, with the specific aim to promote and provide educationally meaningful and robust Mainland and international (ML/INT) learning experiences for undergraduate students.
In order to encourage students to reflect on and share their ML/INT learning experiences, the HKU Horizons Experience Awards have been established. The HKU Horizons Experience Awards competition will be organized annually in January, with a top prize of $10,000 and two further prizes of $5,000 to be awarded.
To enter the competition, undergraduate students must submit a video of not more than three minutes capturing and reflecting on their ML/INT learning experience. Submissions may be made on an individual or a group basis.
Awards will be made on the basis of the substance and value of the learning experience captured, and also the quality of the video presentation. The winning videos, acknowledged as “HKU Horizons Experience”, may be used by the university for promotional purposes, both internal and external. The student producer, individual or group, will be acknowledged as appropriate. The videos may also be refined as appropriate and authorised by the HKU Horizons Committee.
Submissions for the 2019-20 Round are welcome from January 2 to February 10, 2020 (2400). Please send in your submissions to hoawards@hku.hk. Further details can be obtained at http://tl.hku.hk/horizons/hkuhea.
Important message from The President and Vice-Chancellor
Dear Students, Colleagues, Alumni and Friends,
2020: Build and Rebuild
The miracle of Hong Kong is rooted in its dynamism and resilience. As a beacon of knowledge, our university has stood tall for more than a century. 2019 was tumultuous, but not once did we waver in our faith in our mission and in the city’s future.
In the most difficult moments, we came together. I salute you and thank you for your courage, determination and commitment to our university. We value diverse opinions and even opposite ideas in a community that treasures inclusiveness and respect for others’ views. We insist on civility on campus and rational debate that challenges one another.
Our teachers and staff have been reaching out to students and as the new semester begins in late January 2020, we are planning more engagement opportunities in big and small groups, formal or informal. We, as a university community, will build bridges together and search for solutions.
Looking ahead, we will build five new student residences and in collaboration with the world’s best universities, we will embark on cutting edge research and transform lives with the InnoHK schemes to be launched soon. The Tech Landmark on the Main Campus with its new institutes, the expansion of the Medical Campus and the new Institute of Advanced Dentistry are all symbols of our ambitious vision.
I invite all of you — students, colleagues, alumni and friends — to come together on our university’s unique journey of learning and discovery. It may not always be a smooth voyage, but we are here to innovate and to create knowledge to advance humanity.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2020 to you and your families!
Date : 22 January 2020 (Wednesday) Time : 12:45pm – 2:00pm Venue : CPD-1.24, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong Speaker : Dr Leon Lei, Ms Crystal Luo
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the fastest-growing technology in various fields. The adoption of AI spans the global learning landscape and has been used in experiential learning, tutoring, language learning, and knowledge testing. In higher education, some educators have identified the affordances of AI and utilized this technology in making teaching and learning more effective. In particular, there is a high demand for teachers to provide meaningful and prompt feedback to students within and beyond the classroom. However, designing such an experience can be challenging as this requires a lot of teachers’ time and attention to their students. Systems powered by AI can provide 24/7 support to teachers and multiple learners at the same time, with personalized support and guide them in an engaging way in the virtual environment. Some may worry that creating an AI tool from scratch requires complex computer programming skills but there are more and more AI-facilitated tools for teaching and learning.
In this seminar, we would like to discuss the potential and affordances of AI in education with some examples of AI tools for classroom engagement and assessment. Through the workshop, participants can reflect on better practices and design considerations in AI-facilitated teaching and learning.
Upon completion of this seminar, the participants will be able to:
Identify the opportunities and challenges of adopting AI tools in the classroom
Use the concept of AI learning technologies and learning analytics to facilitate classroom learning and assessment.
In my message dated November 19, the deadline to indicate your assessment options (letter grading, pass/fail grading, late drop) was set at 5pm today.
Unfortunately, the HKU IT system has been unstable today. Six Faculties have been affected: Architecture, Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Science, Social Sciences. The deadline for students from these six Faculties to indicate their assessment options is therefore extended to 9:30am tomorrow (December 7).
If you are a student from one of these six Faculties and are finding it difficult to indicate your choices on the system, you may fill in the form here and send it back to sisenrol@hku.hk .
There is no deadline extension for students from the other four Faculties, as they were not affected by the system instability today.
We are trying our best to fix the system, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused.
Best wishes, Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
Organised by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
Details of the workshop:
Date : 11 December 2019 (Wednesday) Time : 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Venue : RR321, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus Speaker : Dr. Cecilia Ka Yuk Chan, Associate Professor / Assistant Director (Innovation and Support), Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL); Dr. Matthias Buehlmaier, Programme Director and Principal Lecturer, Faculty of Business and Economics
Abstract
With the current situations in Hong Kong, teachers are having trouble communicating and providing feedback to support student learning. In this workshop, I hope to provide some practical solution using a mobile app to continue to connect with our students. It will be a hands-on workshop, with step by step instructions, please bring your mobile devices.
About the Speaker
Dr. Matthias Buehlmaier, Programme Director and Principal Lecturer from the Faculty of Business and Economics will share his experience using this app.
The workshop will run in two modes – face to face and live stream. If you are free, we recommend you to come in person as it is a practical workshop.
As you know, we’ll be putting many assessment tasks online in the examination period at the end of this semester. I’m sending you a set of FAQs to help explain some of the issues.
When is the examination period at the end of this semester?
We recognize that in this semester the learning process has been disrupted, and that some students require more time to prepare themselves for exams. We’ve therefore extended the examination period from Saturday 7 December 2019 to Friday 10 January 2020.
Will all courses switch to online assessment?
No. Some courses will not change because they do not have exams at the end of this semester. Others will not switch to online assessment because of professional registration requirements.
Does online assessment mean there will be an open-book exam?
Yes, unless specified by the course examiner(s), courses using online assessment will have open-book exams.
What new forms of online assessment has HKU created?
We have created the Online Exam (OLEX) system, which we will use solely for holding online exams. OLEX enables teachers to upload an exam paper and make it accessible to students enrolled in their course at a scheduled exam timeslot. It provides a platform for students to upload their answer papers and teachers to receive them in a WORD file (unless the course examiner gives special permission to use a PDF or ZIP file). Students are reminded to watch out for the exam end time as the system will not remind them. Please note that some teachers will continue to use Moodle for assessment and online examination purposes and will not use OLEX.
Will students need to register in advance with OLEX?
Yes. If your course requires you to use OLEX for online examination, you will receive an email on Wednesday 4 December 2019 asking you to register. Please register on the OLEX system by 14:00 on Thursday 5 December 2019.
How will students access an online examination?
After registration, students will be able to log into an online examination at https://olex.hku.hk/exam/take-exam.html. Online access will open ten minutes before the scheduled exam timeslot.
Can students familiarize themselves with OLEX ahead of their online examination?
Yes. We have created a drill student website for OLEX: https://drill-olex.hku.hk/exam/register.html. Students may use this website to familiarize themselves with OLEX before the date of their online examination.
Will all students be able to access our online examinations?
Yes. For students currently resident in Mainland China, we have secured a leased line that will connect directly to an HKU server for online exams.
How will we make it clear to students that they must respect standard norms of academic integrity?
We have adopted an academic integrity statement that students will have to agree to before being able to access an online exam. This is the statement (if you do not fully understand the concept of plagiarism, please visit this webpage – https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism):
I acknowledge that University examinations require all students to respect the highest standards of academic integrity. For the examination I am about to take, I make the following pledge:
All the work will be my own, and I will not plagiarize from any source;
I will not obtain or seek to obtain an unfair advantage by communicating or attempting to communicate with any other person during the examination; neither will I give or attempt to give assistance to another student taking the examination;
For an examination which permits the use of calculators, I will use only an approved model as announced by the Examinations Secretary, unless otherwise prescribed by the examiner(s);
I will stop writing immediately at the designated end time of the examination, and will make no modification to my script thereafter.
I understand that students who are suspected of violating this pledge are liable to be referred to the Disciplinary Committee, and may be subject to disciplinary action such as suspension of studies or expulsion from the University.
How will students answer the exam questions?
For most courses, students will be required to answer the exam questions in a single Microsoft Word file. However, for some courses students will be able to answer the exam questions by hand with the permission of the course examiner. At the end of the exam, these students will be given time to consolidate all their work into a single PDF or zip file. All students will be asked to upload a single file to OLEX.
Will students be able to ask questions about the exam paper in the first 30 minutes of the exam?
No, this will not be possible.
How will we ensure that students do not take longer than the allocated time for an exam?
The academic integrity statement makes it clear that when the end of the exam timeslot comes, they must stop – exactly as in a proctored exam. After the end of the exam, students must make no substantive changes to their file. In cases of doubt, we will check the file history.
How long will students have to upload their exam answers?
We will allow students a 30-minute grace period to upload their exam answers in a single file to OLEX. A receipt will be sent to each student’s registered email address. This time cannot be used to continue taking the exam. Again, in cases of doubt we will check the file history.
How can we ensure the security of exam papers and scripts?
All exam papers and scripts will be within OLEX, a system hosted at HKU. We are confident that this will generate the level of security we require.
If students fear their Internet connection will not be good, what can they do?
If you worry about your Internet connection, you can voluntarily capture (for instance by video or screen capture) everything you do from the start of the exam to the finish. Then you will have a full record of any problems encountered. In cases of real difficulty, we may invite you to submit to us the record you have made.
Will HKU provide support for students in navigating the online exam system?
Will teachers know in advance which students have opted for letter grade and pass/fail?
Yes, it’s standard practice throughout academia for instructors to know in full the parameters within which they’re grading. Teachers know whether they’re grading a letter-grade or pass/fail course, so the same practice will apply to students within a course.
Will teachers grade to a curve with or without the pass/fail students?
It’s HKU policy not to grade to a curve. We use standards-based assessment, not norm-referenced.
Can students choose pass/fail for courses in the UG5?
None. It’s already the case that students bring pass/fail courses onto their transcripts, for instance through academic exchange. Because of the special assessment arrangements adopted this semester, some students may have a few more pass/fail courses than usual. We will still do what we always do – calculate GPA on the basis of all graded courses.
What impact will pass/fail courses have on SGPA?
One impact is worth highlighting. If a student opts for pass/fail for all courses this semester, there will be no SGPA. It’s worth mentioning that such a student may be placed at a disadvantage for, say, student exchange. SGPA is a key factor in allocating exchange places.
If a student fails a pass/fail course and retakes it, will the retake have to be pass/fail as well?
Yes, the original decision taken by the student will stand for the retaken course.
If a supplementary exam is set for a course offered this semester, will the assessment be online?
Yes, the same conditions will apply to a supplementary exam as to the original exam.
When is the SETL deadline?
The SETL deadline is December 30, 2019.
As ever, please drop me a line with queries.
Best wishes, Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
