Message from Academic Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry
Further to the circular dated September 5, 2013 from the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) inviting T&L proposals for consideration of submission to the UGC, this is to inform colleagues that they may submit a preliminary proposal, outlining the objectives, the collaborative partners, the proposed budget (and the arrangement among partners) together with the expected outcomes and impact, by November 1, 2013 (Friday) to seek initial feedback from the Review Group. The Review Group will mainly look at whether the proposal has addressed the strategic needs for T&L enhancement in the sector, and give suggestions on how it can be strengthened before the final submission by the internal deadline of November 25, 2013. Preliminary proposals should be submitted to Ms. Synthia Chau, Academic Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry.
The preliminary round of submission is entirely optional, which aims to help colleagues focus their proposals on addressing key strategic issues relating to T&L in the sector. Colleagues may also submit a full proposal directly without going through the preliminary proposal process.
As a reminder, colleagues are encouraged to consult Professor Grahame Bilbow, Director of the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, during the development of the proposal.
Chi Wah Learning Commons is a campus hub for student-centered learning activities. It is for use by HKU staff and students only, and NOT open to the public.
During the summer holiday, a project to install automated access gates at all entrances to Learning Commons was undertaken. The gates will not only help us to monitor usage of the Learning Commons, but also enable us to collect better information helping us to plan for future needs.
We will activate the gates on opening the Learning Commons on the morning of September 30th, 2013 (Monday) and from that time you will need your staff card or student card to access the facility.
Please note that any visitors to the Chi Wah Learning Commons will need to arrange their visit with the Learning Environment Services Team in advance at ithelp@hku.hk.
If you experience any difficulties, both Learning Environment Services and Security Staff will be on hand at each of the entrances to provide you with help and assistance.
Learning Environment Services
Information Technology Services
Recognising the importance of teaching and learning in the UGC sector, the UGC has made available a total of $82 million additional funding to support teaching and learning related initiatives in the 2012-15 triennium. The following three types of initiatives will be considered for support on a competitive basis:
Theme-based Projects on Teaching and Learning
Collaborative Forums
Professional Development on Teaching and Learning
Proposals are now invited for consideration of submission to the UGC. Please refer to the circular below for details. The due date for submission is November 25, 2013.
In order to provide new University staff with useful information about the wide range of services offered by Information Technology Services (ITS), we will have a series of orientation activities running between late August and mid September:
ITS Orientation Seminars
ITS Orientation Trails
Exhibition Booths
1. ITS Orientation Seminars
New colleagues are encouraged to join an ITS Orientation seminar on one of the following dates:
August 29, 2013 (Thu) 10:30 am – 12:45 pm
August 30, 2013 (Fri) 10:30 am – 12:45 pm
September 4, 2013 (Wed) 2:30 pm – 4:35 pm
Each seminar will include a one-hour “Introduction to Information Technology Services (ITS)” which gives an overview of the comprehensive range of central IT and network services offered by ITS. In addition to the introductory session, a short presentation will also be given by Dr Iain Doherty about the role of the EPSU in supporting teachers who want to innovate in their courses through the use of e-learning. Colleagues can also attend the 3 parallel sessions through which we will introduce:
– Moodle Learning Management System
– Panopto Lecture Capture System
– Research supporting environment and High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities
In addition to the Orientation seminar, Orientation Trails will also be arranged during the first week of the semester (September 2-6, 2013) at the Learning Commons and centrally timetabled classrooms. The trails will familiarize new University members with the University’s learning environments and give practical demonstrations on the use of the IT/AV facilities. Classroom facilities at the Centennial Campus and Main Campus will be introduced during the orientation trails for staff.
Chi Wah Learning Commons at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm on September 2-6, 2013 (Assembly point: Main Entrance, Ground Floor by the water feature)
The Oval on 1/F, Knowles Building at 2:30 pm on September 2-6, 2013 (Assembly point: Ground Floor reception area, Knowles Building)
Just walk-in and no registration is required for joining the trails.
3. Exhibition Booths
A joint exhibition together with the University Libraries will be held in the first two weeks of the first semester.
During the exhibition, there will be display boards showing the core IT services, in particular the support for teaching and learning, and research, in the University. Staff will be there during designated timeslots to answer questions.
Details of the exhibition are tabulated below:
G/F, Main Library, September 2 (12:00 noon) – September 9 (5:00 pm)
G/F, Chi Wah Learning Commons, September 2 (12:00 noon) – September 13 (5:00 pm)
All new University members are welcome to join the above orientation activities.
Nominations are now invited for the University Distinguished Teaching Award and the Outstanding Teaching Awards under the Teaching Excellence Award Scheme in 2013.
The HKUSLEQ online survey was closed on July 15, 2013. The TPgLEQ is still open.
HKU conducts institutional surveys on students’ learning experiences for undergraduates and taught postgraduates on a regular basis to yield information for analysis and renewal of curriculum and pedagogy. These analyses help ensure and enhance the quality of learning experiences.
We now invite all first 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 participate in the Taught Postgraduate Experience Questionnaire (TPgLEQ). Both surveys are conducted on-line. All target students should have received an e-mail invitation, and we are pleased to announce that students can now access the on-line survey more easily by using either of the following pathways:
By clicking the above link, students will be redirected to the on-line survey after successfully logging in to HKU Portal.
(2) Clicking the survey link under the “My e-learning” tab in HKU Portal.
Students could log in to HKU Portal and then go to the “My e-learning” tab, under which a survey link is available directing to the on-line survey for the students who have not yet responded to the survey.
Each questionnaire should take about 10 – 15 minutes to complete. All answers will remain anonymous and the personal information will be kept strictly confidential.
Faculties or students are welcome to contact the Survey Team at survey@cetl.hku.hk or 3917- 4787 for any technical problems. The Survey Team very much appreciates the students’ participation.
You are cordially invited to attend the Award Presentation Ceremony for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Knowledge Exchange 2012, which will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 in Loke Yew Hall at 5:00p.m. We are privileged to have Dr The Hon David Kwok-Po Li, our Pro-Chancellor, agreeing to be our Guest of Honour on the happy occasion again this year.
This annual ceremony is a wonderful opportunity for us to honour and celebrate the outstanding teaching and research achievements of our distinguished colleagues. It is also pleasing to note that, starting this year, we will present the Knowledge Exchange Award and Faculty Teaching Award at the Ceremony.
During the ceremony, the Outstanding Teaching Award under the Teaching Excellence Award Scheme, Faculty Teaching Award, Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award, Outstanding Researcher Award, Outstanding Young Researcher Award, Research Output Prize, and Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award will be presented.
These honours to outstanding teachers and researchers are only bestowed sparingly, and are a tribute to the high standards of excellence that the University of Hong Kong stands for.
I do hope you will be able to join us at the ceremony, both to salute our deserving colleagues and to share the pride of being a member of the University family that includes such distinguished scholars.
The Teaching and Learning Quality Committee (TLQC) invites submission of project proposals for funding support from the Teaching Development Grants (TDG). The TDG Scheme underlines the University’s commitment to furthering its mission in Teaching and Learning (T&L). The TDGs are intended to support projects and activities that will have an impact on the strategic development and promotion of T&L. Given the implementation of the reformed undergraduate curriculum in September 2012, the Committee will support initiatives beyond the exploration and development of the new 4-year undergraduate curriculum, in particular the evaluation of the impact of the new curriculum on student learning. Notwithstanding this, support will be provided to address the following areas which need further strengthening across the university: setting clear goals and standards, teacher feedback and assessment for understanding.
Date : February 19, 2013 (Tuesday)
Time : 12:45pm – 2pm
Venue : Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building
Speaker : Dr Iris Vardi
Abstract
The analysis of marks, grades and student satisfaction ratings often dominate the educational landscape, and are an important part of ensuring a quality education. But do they give us sufficient understanding of what students actually learnt, how we can improve that learning, and how we can express that learning to the students and others? This seminar looks behind the grade and satisfaction ratings to explore different types of learning, how (and if) they can be made visible, and how they can be identified and acted upon at the class, course and programme levels. The seminar will also share how student learning in a large newly re-constructed first year core course was examined, tracked, reported, and used to improve student achievement. In so doing, it will also explore the challenges in identifying, tracking and reporting learning.
This seminar is for academic staff who want to get to the bottom of what their students believe, know and can do, and use this information to make improvements to their course and programme outcomes.
For enquiries, please contact Mr William Yieu by email wyieu@hkucc.hku.hk .
About the speaker
Dr Iris Vardi has been involved in education for over 25 years. She has worked with a variety of disciplines at the University of Western Australia, Curtin University and Edith Cowan University, and has published and presented extensively both nationally and internationally. Her research and work in different teaching methodologies, critical thinking, assessment and feedback has improved student learning outcomes and student satisfaction across a range of disciplines.
Dr Vardi is the author of the 2012 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Guide Effective Feedback for Student Learning in Higher Education, the author of the upcoming 2013 HERDSA Guide Developing Students’ Critical thinking in Higher Education, the winner of the HERDSA 2012 Conference Creative Presentation Award, and the recipient of a 2012 HERDSA Fellowship which recognised her “important contribution to higher education at the local, national and international levels”.
I am very pleased to announce the winners of the Outstanding Teaching Award (OTA) of the Teaching Excellence Award Scheme for 2012:
Individual Award
Dr CHAN Lap Ki, Institute of Medical and Health Sciences Education & Department of Anatomy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Dr Gary James HARFITT, Faculty of Education
Dr LAM Shui Fong, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Miss Alice LEE Suet Ching, Department of Law, Faculty of Law
Dr Robert Shannan PECKHAM, School of Humanities (History), Faculty of Arts
Mr Mathew Robert PRYOR, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture
Team Award
Dr Susan Margaret BRIDGES (Leader), Professor Cynthia
YIU Kar Yung, Dr Michael George BOTELHO, :Professor Edward LO Chin Man, Dr Peter TSANG Chiu Shun, Dr Rory Munro WATT, Dr YANG Yanqi and Miss Jessica WONG Wai of the Faculty of Dentistry for the PBL 2.0: E-learning for problem-based learning (PBL) at the Faculty of Dentistry
Dr Hayden SO Kwok Hay (Leader), Dr Edmund LAM Yin Mun and Dr Kenneth WONG Kin Yip of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering for the Design Thinking, Problem Solving, and Team Building: Reshaping the First Course in the EEE Curriculum
The Selection Panel was deeply impressed by the awardees’ dedication to their students, their tireless and creative efforts to make learning enjoyable and challenging, and the impact that they have made on their students’ learning.
The awardees will be honoured at the upcoming award presentation ceremony for excellence in teaching, research and knowledge exchange, which has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 27, 2013; and their names will be posted for a period of five years on the Teaching Excellence Awards Honour Board in the Main Library. Many congratulations!
I would like to thank our external assessor Professor Michele D. Marincovich (Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University) providing us with her expert advice in situ during the final selection process. I would also like to thank Professor Amy B.M. Tsui (Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Teaching and Learning), Professor George Tham, Dr. Gayle E. Morris and Mr. Ernest C.H. Cheung (student representative) for their assistance in this important exercise.
Last but not least, I wish to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to all the other nominees for the teaching excellence awards for their devotion and sustained contribution to promoting excellence in teaching at this University.
I look forward to seeing you all at the ceremony on March 27, 2013.
Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor Chairman, Selection Panel for Teaching Excellence Awards 2012
