Important message from Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)
Dear Colleagues,
You are cordially invited to participate in an online e-learning survey conducted at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). The aim of the survey is to collect data about teachers’ perceptions of their experience on the use of all types of technologies to enhance teaching and learning in conjunction with face-to-face learning. We invite all teachers to participate in this survey. A separate survey investigating students’ perceptions of their e-learning experience is being administered concurrently. Findings from last year’s survey have informed the formulation of our E-learning Strategy 2015. Your feedback this year will continue to help us to provide a better physical and virtual learning environment at HKU.
It takes about 5 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Your answers will remain anonymous and your survey responses will be kept strictly confidential.
To participate in the online survey, please visit:
(1) Tips in Teaching & Learning support – “My eLearning” tab of HKU Portal:
The “My eLearning” tab lists the courses of a teacher as registered in SIS and the Moodle courses that he/she requests explicitly (e.g. use one Moodle course to replace two courses created in Moodle according to SIS data).
Now in the “My eLearning” tab, the courses activated for student access are grouped and appear first before the group of not-yet activated courses. (For more information, please visit the Moodle Resources website at http://moodle-support.hku.hk/new-arrangement-my-elearning-tab-layout-teachers for more information).
(2) Moodle & Panopto training workshops
Moodle is the central learning management system supporting teachers to create online learning content. Panopto supports teachers to do audio/video recording synchronized with PowerPoint slides and PC/Mac desktop display. Students can view the recordings through Moodle courses and search inside the recordings. A module Panopto unison lets teachers upload their existing video files for further editing. The lecture theatres upgraded after 2011 are equipped with PC/AV facilities for recording of lectures readily.
The following upcoming hands-on workshops in October are now open for your registration.
Note:
(1) KB110 = Room 110, Knowles Building
CPD-2.58 = Room 2.58, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus
(2) If you have taken a Moodle hands-on workshop offered by the ITS, we recommend you follow up with an eLearning Pedagogical Support Unit (EPSU)/Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a Faculty of Education/Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) seminar. These seminars focus on teaching approaches and good and innovative teaching practices, complement the Moodle workshops offered by the ITS.
(1) New Moodle function “Moodle Student Performance by Percentile”
It shows the students’ performance in a Moodle course by 25th, 50th and 75th percentile according to the students’ results in the Moodle Gradebook. This provides information about the performance of the class and may help the teacher give appropriate advice to the students as the course is in progress.
The web page “Moodle Student Performance by Percentile” is accessible via HKU Portal -> “My eLearning” tab -> choose a Moodle course -> click the hyperlink in “Course specific information” section at the bottom of the web page.
(2) Learning Management System (Moodle) and Lecture Capture Service (Panopto) training workshops in September 2015 is now available for registration
Workshops on Moodle and Panopto
Course Code
Course Title
Date
Time
Venue
Registration
PAN-001
Introduction to Lecture Capture Service using the “Panopto” system
As you might already have heard, we have some terrific news: Dr. Michael Botelho, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Dentistry, has been honoured with the 2015 UGC Teaching Award. Please join me in extending to him our warmest congratulations! The Award was launched by the UGC in 2011 to honour academics in the UGC-funded institutions for their outstanding teaching performance and achievements, as well as their leadership in and scholarly contribution to teaching and learning. Only 2-3 awards are made each year.
Dr. Michael Botelho has taught at the University for nearly twenty years. During this period, he has built an enviable reputation as a committed, compassionate and diligent teacher and colleague, and an influential advocate of problem based learning both within and beyond his Faculty. According to Dr. Botelho, university education should be based on meaningful dialogue with and between students. There is ample evidence that he is adept at creating the conditions for successful learning within the problem based learning curriculum. His approach is one of engaging students, even in large groups, in dialogue through sophisticated use of questioning. In recognition of his outstanding contributions in enhancing student learning, he was awarded the University’s 2014 Outstanding Teaching Award.
It is most encouraging to note that four of our colleagues have been conferred this prestigious Award in the past five exercises, which is clear evidence of the University’s excellence in teaching and learning.
Professor Peter Mathieson
President and Vice-Chancellor
Message from Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry
With reference to the invitation circular dated March 6, 2015, this is to remind colleagues that the next round of TDG applications will close on November 16, 2015, and the cut-off date for the third round of applications is December 28, 2015. For details, please refer to the URL below:
Applications should be submitted to Ms. Synthia Chau, Secretary, Teaching and Learning Quality Committee, c/o Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section, Registry. Enquiries may be directed to Ms. Chau (schau@hku.hk) or Ms. Julie Lau (julielau@hku.hk).
(A) The central learning management system Moodle lets teachers create online learning content to support teaching and learning.
In 2015-16, all Moodle courses created based on SIS data will include the following new features on the homepage of a Moodle course:
1. A Forum for discussion among the students and teachers/teaching assistants.
2. A shortcut for “Adding common functions” for teachers to easily add common activities to a Moodle course. The common activities are “Assignment”, “Turnitin Assignment”, “Forum” and “File”.
3. Four themes are now available on Moodle and teachers can change the look and feel of a Moodle course under the course settings page.
(B) The Lecture Capture Service Panopto supports teachers to do audio/video recording synchronized with PowerPoint slides and PC/Mac desktop display. Students can view the recordings through Moodle courses and search inside the recordings.
A new module Panopto Unison allows teachers to upload their existing video files to the Panopto system for further editing. The lecture theatres upgraded after 2011 are equipped with PC and AV facilities which support recording of lectures readily.
Note:
(1) KB110 = Room 110, Knowles Building
CPD-G.03= Room G.03, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus
CPD-3.21 = Room 3.21, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus
(2) If you have taken a Moodle hands-on workshop offered by the ITS, we recommend you follow up with an eLearning Pedagogical Support Unit (EPSU)/Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a Faculty of Education/Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) seminar. These seminars focus on teaching approaches and good and innovative teaching practices, complement the Moodle workshops offered by the ITS.
Message from Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry
Applications are now invited for the Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme. The Scheme aims to enhance the scholarship of teaching at the University through enabling academic staff members to share experience and to collaborate on teaching and curriculum development initiatives at reputable universities where excellent pedagogical practices or curriculum innovation are being implemented, and to facilitate reciprocal visits to the University by academic staff of these institutions. The Scheme is a measure also to ensure that our curriculum and pedagogy are benchmarked against international best practice.
All full-time teaching staff with a minimum of two years of service at the University are eligible to apply. Applicants are expected to take a leadership role in curriculum enhancement and pedagogical innovations at the departmental/Faculty level.
Interested colleagues are encouraged to attend the CETL seminars to be held in October 2015 and January 2016. Applications should be submitted to Ms. Julie Lau, Secretary, TLQC Sub-Group on Teaching Exchange Fellowship, c/o Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section, Registry. Applications in 2015-16 will be processed in two rounds with the following deadlines:
1st round – Friday, November 13, 2015
2nd round – Friday, March 18, 2016
To provide new University staff with useful information about the wide range of services offered by Information Technology Services (ITS), a series of orientation activities will be conducted between late August and mid-September. All new University members are welcome to join.
1. Use of AV/IT Equipment in Central Classrooms
To familiarize themselves with the classroom facility, new teachers and class instructors are encouraged to join one of the training sessions on the use of AV/IT equipment in central classrooms. Through this session, they will be able to learn how to use the control panel, visualizer and other AV/IT equipment in the centrally timetabled classrooms.
The seminar on “Introduction to Information Technology Services (ITS)” gives an introduction of the comprehensive range of central IT and network services offered by ITS.
On top of the introductory session, the following parallel sessions will be arranged on the same dates. They are-
About the University’s Research Support Computing Environment and the HPC/HTC Facilities
Introduction to IP Telephony and Video Conferencing Services
Chi Wah Learning Commons guided tour
Another series of training on “Introduction to Moodle Learning Management System and Panopto Lecture Capture System” specifically for new colleagues will also be conducted.
An exhibition booth will be arranged in the first two weeks of the first semester (September 1 – 11, 2015) with display boards showing the core IT Services, in particular the support for teaching and learning and research with University.
Date: September 1, 2015 (12:00 noon) to September 11, 2015 (5:00 pm)
Venue: G/F, Chi Wah Learning Commons, Central Podium Level, Centennial Campus
Veronica Yick
User Services
Information Technology Services
The HKUSLEQ and TPgLEQ online surveys are now closed.
HKU conducts institutional surveys on students’ learning experiences regularly to yield information for analysis and renewal of curriculum and pedagogy. The findings help ensure and enhance the quality of learning experiences.
We now invite all first, second and final year undergraduate students to complete the University of Hong Kong Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (HKUSLEQ); and all final year taught-postgraduate students are invited to fill out the Taught Postgraduate Learning Experience Questionnaire (TPgLEQ). Both surveys are conducted on-line. All target students should have received an e-mail invitation with the link to the survey. They can also access the link through the “My e-learning” tab in HKU Portal, as well as this direct link.
It takes about 8-10 minutes to complete the questionnaire. All information collected will remain strictly confidential. Please contact the Institutional Survey Team at surveytl@hku.hk or 3917- 4787 for technical assistance.
