Campus Internationalization and Integration Funding Scheme (CEDARS)

IMGL3868-2Campus Internationalization and Integration Funding Scheme (Scheme) is established by the University Grants Committee to support new initiatives of internationalization and engagement with Mainland China. The Scheme is administered by the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) to support projects or activities initiated, planned and organized by students to facilitate integration between local and non-local students in higher education.

Objectives

The Scheme aims to achieve the objectives below:

  1. To enhance students’ awareness on globalization and diversity; and
  2. To promote intercultural understanding and facilitate integration between local and non-local students of different cultural backgrounds for them to interact and learn from each other

Amount of Subsidies

The maximum amount to be granted to each project is HK$100,000.

Award Criteria

The Scheme finances projects organized by full-time local and non-local students, either on individual or group basis, to facilitate integration between local and non-local students in 2013- 14 and 2014-15 academic years. The projects should be of distinguishable nature that promotes campus integration.

Students from both local and non-local origins can organize and/or participate in the funded projects. The majority of students in each project team should be taking UGC-funded programmes.

Some examples of activities envisaged include visits to schools, community services for social welfare groups, hostel debating competition, movie screening, artwork exhibition, talent contests, TED talks, drama production etc. Intellectual, quasi-intellectual, culturally enhancing projects and inter-institutional collaborations will be highly valued.

Inter-institutional collaborations are encouraged. For such projects, students are required to elect a coordinator from among themselves and the institution where the coordinator is studying at will assess the project and provide the funding, if selected.

The criteria for award include:

  1. Anticipated impact on facilitating student integration in relation to the objectives of the Scheme;
  2. Active and extensive participation of both local and non-local students;
  3. Anticipated number of students taking part;
  4. Originality and innovativeness of the Project; and
  5. Benefits to the community, if any.

Application Procedure

Applications should be submitted to cedars-programmes@hku.hk on/before 5 January 2014 (Sunday). Only one round of selection will be conducted each year. Applications and proposals should contain the following information and details:

  1. Title of the project;
  2. Objectives of the project;
  3. Project/activity description;
  4. Format and schedule of activities (date, time, duration and venue, etc.);
  5. Expected number of local and non-local students taking part;
  6. Expected outcomes, achievements, impact and contributions of the Project;
  7. Information of the partner organization (if any);
  8. Method of project evaluation;
  9. Budget; and
  10. Information and CV(s) of the project coordinator(s).

Projects should be carried out during the period from January 2013 to June 2015.

Conditions of Award

The Scheme is a token subsidy and does not mean to assist any student/ student group to generate income or profit. It can be held concurrently with other subsidies and sponsorships. However, applicants are required to declare and report on details of any subsidies and sponsorships already received at the time of application or as soon as they are awarded.

Subsidies will be paid in the form of reimbursement upon successful completion of the project, presentation of original receipts and evaluation report. Disbursement of funding in advance or early reimbursement requires the approval of CEDARS.

The report should include:

  1. An account of activities carried out;
  2. Outcome(s) of the project;
  3. The number of participating students and a profile of their background by countries of origins
  4. Feedback and evaluation by students;
  5. The use of the subsidy awarded;
  6. The obstacles encountered and areas for improvement;
  7. A financial statement with the original receipts; and
  8. Publications, video or photo CD, if any.

The UGC and CEDARS may use the materials provided in the report for publicity and reporting purposes.

Students of the projects which best achieve the objective of integration will assist The University of Hong Kong to help spread the importance of the initiatives of internationalization and engaging the Mainland in the higher education sector.

Important Notes for Applicants

1. Retrospective application will NOT be considered.

2. Submission of incorrect/incomplete information may cause delay/disqualification. Moreover, a successful applicant will be disqualified and/or, where appropriate, be required to refund the subsidy if he/she provides any false or misleading information to CEDARS.

Enquiries

Centre of Development and Resources for Students (Student Development) cedars-programmes@hku.hk / 2857 8387

We Are With You Project Fund 2013-14 (First Round): Call for Applications

Message from CEDARS – Student Development

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Dear Students and Colleagues,

Applications are now invited for We Are With You Project Fund (Fund).

“We Are With You” (WAY) is a four-year community-based social capital development project in the Southern District.  HKU students and staff will contribute to improve the condition of the less privileged and empower them to improve their own conditions in the long run.  Its objective is to develop a replicable model for social capital development, particularly with the involvement of staff and students of tertiary institutions.  The Fund will support projects initiated by students and staff of HKU under WAY.

The Fund is open to all HKU full-time students and staff.  Joint projects between students and staff will be preferred.  The Fund may be used to support research, direct services, community events, exhibitions, social entrepreneurship, documentary making, art, cultural, history promotion and presentations, and all activities that contribute to the goals of WAY.  The projects should be carried out in the Southern District of Hong Kong preferably in collaboration with at least one community partner/NGO in the District.  The project should normally be completed within one year.  Longer projects are also welcome but funding will be approved for one year in the first instance with possibility of renewal.  The maximum amount to be granted to each project is HK$50,000.

Details of the Fund are available at: http://wp.cedars.hku.hk/fileupload/files/sd/Application%20guidelines.pdf.  To know more about We Are With You Project, please visit: http://cedars.hku.hk/way/.  Applications should be submitted to cedars-programmes@hku.hk on/before 30 November 2013 (Saturday).  Retrospective application will NOT be considered.

For enquiries, please contact us at cedars-programmes@hku.hk (email) or 2857 8387 (phone).

Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS)

Take a break from your research and hang out with your students at Global Lounge, “TGIF”!

Message from Global Lounge

62a8e58d21c708d29994710c25762abbOn behalf of Student Ambassadors: “TGIF @Global Lounge” organizing committee:

Dear Professors and Academic Staff,

We are writing to cordially invite you to an event called T.G.I.F (stands for “Thank God It’s Friday) on:

Date: November 15, 2013 (Friday)
Time: 6:30 p.m. onwards
Venue: Global Lounge

This event is organized by HKU Student Ambassadors from all faculties and supported by Global Lounge. It aims at creating an opportunity for HKU teachers and students to meet outside the classroom setting. We hope that by creating a more relaxing atmosphere, the participants, be it students, professors or staff can meet each other and engage in freer interaction. We believe it will be a wonderful chance for you to show how much cooler you can be in real life than already in class!

Since an atmosphere easy for conversation is key to the event, we think it may be a nice conversation starter that everybody assumes a historical or fictional figure of special importance to her/him. Of course there is absolutely no need to dress up as or act out that figure. We will prepare the name tag for the figure for you and you can simply stick it on upon arrival, only if you feel like doing so. Please still do come and have a drink and a chat with students and staff. Also, you are more than welcome to bring your colleague, just let us know.

This is the first time students try to organize event like this. If this turns out to be a successful one, we plan to make it a regular event. Therefore your support it vital to us.

If you are interested to come, we will greatly appreciate it if you could kindly RSVP with your FULL NAME and FACULTY by email to globallounge@hku.hk by Thursday, 6th November as there is limited space available. We will be utterly thrilled to see you on November 15th, Friday. Hope to see you there.

Best Regards,

TGIF @Global Lounge
Student Organizing Committee

Panopto lecture capture system service suspension on Oct. 18, 2013 (Fri) 6:00am-7:00pm

Message from Information Technology Services

Dear Colleagues and Students

Please be informed that the Panopto lecture capture system will undergo system upgrade from version 4.3.0 to 4.4.1.

All Access to the Panopto RECORDING or VIEWING service will be suspended during the upgrade period:

Date: October 18, 2013, Friday
Time: 6:00 am to 7:00 pm

After the successful upgrade, Panopto will resume service with new version.  Please access it after 7:00pm on that day.

For any enquiries, please send email to e-learningTeam@hku.hk

Thank you for your attention and sorry for any inconvenience that may cause you.

Regards,
Kenneth Siu
e-learning Team

Competitive Bids for UGC T&L Funding

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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 – Activation of access gate on Sep 30, 2013

cwlc2Message from Information Technology Services

Dear staff and students,

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

Special Funding for Teaching and Learning from UGC

feature-ugcRecognising 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.

* HKU Portal Login Required

ITS Orientations for New Staff

Message from Information Technology Services

8619731692_2382cf2b21_cIn 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:

  1. ITS Orientation Seminars
  2. ITS Orientation Trails
  3. 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

Please register NOW and check out the seminar details at http://www.its.hku.hk/documentation/handbook/its-guide/2013-2014/orientation-seminars-staff#schedule.

2. ITS Orientation Trails

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.