Teaching and Learning Arrangement (Updated February 10)

Teaching and Learning Arrangement (Updated February 10)

Dear colleagues and students

The University is continuing to draw on expert medical knowledge in monitoring the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong. While all of us are eager to return to teaching and learning in early March, we realize that it is now unlikely that scheduled classes on campus will be able to resume so quickly. As long as there is risk of infection in a crowded classroom, we cannot deliver face-to-face teaching. I’m writing to inform you of how we envisage the remainder of the semester unfolding.

Please note that the teaching and assessment schedules for professional undergraduate programmes may differ from those described below, and will be announced separately by programme directors.

Undergraduate programmes

Now – Feb 15 As you know, we are devoting these two weeks to online learning.
Feb 17 – 29 As announced previously, we will take a recess for the final two weeks of the month to enable teachers to make course adjustments for the rest of the semester, and to enable students to engage in self-study based on the three weeks of teaching already undertaken in the semester.
Mar 2 – 28 Since the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong is likely to prevent us from resuming campus teaching in March, we will return to online learning for these four weeks. While some students may be able to visit the campus for specific activities, there will be no scheduled face-to-face classes. We plan to make use of the reading week (March 9-14) for online classes, though we will of course respond sympathetically to absence requests from colleagues and students with pre-existing commitments.
Mar 30 – May 16 We hope to resume scheduled classes on campus for these seven weeks. Should that not be possible because of ongoing health and safety concerns in Hong Kong, we will make an early announcement of alternative arrangements. (In the event that it becomes safe to return to on-campus teaching before the end of March, we will seize the opportunity and make an announcement to all students at least 14 days in advance.)
May 18 – Jun 6 We intend to conduct proctored exams during the assessment period, and will require all students taking exams to be present in the examination hall. We will move the assessment period back by one week, with the aim of bringing the semester to a close in early June. We have heard from many students, especially in the final year, about the importance of concluding the semester within a reasonable timeframe. We will make every effort to do that.

 

Taught postgraduate programmes

We are adopting a flexible approach to the scheduling of taught postgraduate programmes. Faculties or programme teams will announce the detailed teaching arrangements to their own cohorts of taught postgraduate students.

Research postgraduate programmes

University policy encourages research postgraduate students with no immediate need to visit the campus to undertake their research, and liaise with their supervisors, remotely. Students who need to conduct their research in a campus setting, such as a laboratory, must adhere to Government and University infection control protocols before returning to campus. All research postgraduate students should discuss their study plans in detail with their supervisors. We will respond sympathetically to requests for candidature extensions necessitated by disruptions experienced during this semester, and for tuition waivers for the extended period of studies.

Visiting campus

One general reminder during the current coronavirus situation in Hong Kong: colleagues and students who visit the campus must adhere to Government and University infection control guidelines. We will have no alternative but to take strict disciplinary action against anyone not adhering to them.

Once again, many thanks for your understanding and cooperation as we seek to navigate the remainder of an unprecedented and unpredictable semester. As before, please stay vigilant and continue to make personal health your top priority.

Professor Ian Holliday

Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

2020: Build and Rebuild 

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.

At the same time, colleagues have scaled new heights of scholarship and discovery that won accolades and acclaim, all converging to help make the world a better place. We launched six new interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, dual degree programmes with top-tier international partners and many other initiatives to meet the needs of a changing world and new generations.  Our Common Core and Experiential Learning won top awards, locally and worldwide. To enrich our own talent hub, we launched the Presidential Post-doctoral Fellowship and Presidential PhD Scholarship, and vigorously recruited young scholars with the Meeting of Minds and a new Outstanding Young Professorships scheme.  

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!  

Xiang Zhang
President and Vice-Chancellor

Extension of deadline to indicate your assessment options

Dear students 

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)

HKU’s Common Core Team wins the UGC Teaching Award 2019

Congratulations! HKU’s Common Core Teaching Team wins the University Grants Committee Teaching Award 2019! Here, receiving the award at the UGC office are (left to right) Mr Matthew Pryor, Professor Gina Marchetti, Director of Common Core Professor Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Dr Xiao Hu, and Dr Julian Tanner. Learn more about #HKU Common Core courses and the team’s outstanding achievements at http://www.hku.hk/press/news_detail_20033.html

Preparing for Experiential Learning: a video resource pack

> Preparing for Experiential Learning: a video resource pack

Preparing for Experiential Learning: a video resource pack – helping students get the best out of their experiential learning

Experiential learning is a very important part of the many learning opportunities available at The University of Hong Kong. In collaboration with teaching staff, students and a range of units from across the university, The Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning has, on behalf of the Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Centre, developed a video resource pack to help HKU students prepare themselves for experiential learning.

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Preparing for Experiential Learning: a video resource pack is open to every student at The University of Hong Kong. Students are free to watch all or any of these modules or any combination of videos from across modules that they think will be relevant to their learning context. They can do so either on their own or with the supervision of their teachers.

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The topics covered in Preparing for Experiential Learning were selected on the basis of a review of experiential learning projects at HKU to date, and they have been tested through student surveys of their perceived usefulness to HKU students. In the thirty videos in the resource pack, students will hear a number of teachers and fellow students sharing their experiences of a wide range of experiential learning activities from their own distinct perspectives. They will also get advice from fellow students on the basis of the lessons these students have learnt while on experiential learning.

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Preparing for Experiential Learning consists of five separate modules. Module One contains videos that introduce students to what experiential learning is, how it helps them learn, and how they might be assessed during or after experiential learning. Module Two contains videos that help students manage their finances, logistical arrangements, personal safety, culture shock, and issues such as ethical photography during experiential learning. Module Three consists of videos to help students develop the interview skills, team working skills and communication skills they may need while undertaking experiential learning. Module Four contains video support for students to set about preparing learning products. Module Five consists of videos that help students decide on some of the key aspects to reflect on in any specific experiential learning context.

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And finally…
This video resource pack could not have been produced without the funding support it received from the Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Fund and the time generously donated by a range of units (TELI, CEDARS, CAES, HKU Horizons, GHELC), and by teaching staff and students from across The University of Hong Kong. We should like to thank everyone for the support for this worthwhile project!

2018 Teaching Excellence Awards

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Message from Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)

Dear Colleagues and Students,

I am very pleased to announce the recipients of the University’s Teaching Excellence Awards 2018. The Selection Panel was deeply impressed with the awardees’ dedication to teaching, their tireless and creative efforts to make learning enjoyable and challenging, and the impact that they have made on their students’ learning.

University Distinguished Teaching Award

Dr. Michael G. Botelho, Faculty of Dentistry

Outstanding Teaching Award

Individual awards
Dr. Janet L. Borland, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Arts
Ms. Tanya J. Kempston, Faculty of Education
Professor Alice S.T. Wong, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Professor Daniel F.K. Wong, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr. Patcy P.S. Yeung, Faculty of Education

Team awards
Dr. Gary J. Harfitt (Leader), Ms. Jessie M.L. Chow and Ms. Candace W.F. Mok of the Faculty of Education for Nurturing today’s students and tomorrow’s teachers through experiential learning (EL)
Professor Gray M. Kochhar-Lindgren (Leader) of the Common Core Office, Professor Gina Marchetti of the Faculty of Arts, Mr. Mathew R. Pryor of the Faculty of Architecture and Dr. Julian A. Tanner of the LKS Faculty of Medicine for Transdisciplinarity in Action: Creating Multiscalar Teaching and Learning Platforms in the Common Core

Early Career Teaching Award

Dr. Elizabeth A. Barrett, Faculty of Education
Mr. David S. Lee, Faculty of Business and Economics
Dr. Tom McDonald, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr. Dirk Schnieders, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering

Teaching Innovation Award

Dr. Michael G. Botelho, Faculty of Dentistry

I would like to thank our external assessor Professor Anthony Smith (Vice-Provost (Education & Student Affairs) of the University College London) for providing us with expert advice in situ during the final selection process. I would also like to thank the other Panel members: Dr. Shahla Ali, Professor Grahame Bilbow and Mr. Daniel Lei (student representative) for their assistance in this important exercise.

Please join me in congratulating the awardees. I look forward to seeing you all at the Award Presentation Ceremony on Monday March 25, 2019.

Professor Ian Holliday
Chair
Selection Panel for Teaching Excellence Awards 2018

The Culture of Testing: Sociocultural Impacts on Learning in Asia and the Pacific

Message from Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

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Dr. Cecilia Chan from the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, HKU has been invited to speak at the webinar organized by UNESCO on 1 November 2018 (Thursday) from 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm (HK Time). We cordially invite you to join.

‘Can we judge a student’s performance based on exam scores alone? Does doing well in examinations signify learning? In the Asia-Pacific, young learners today are faced with a competitive, stress-fuelled and test-focused education system whereby examination scores are a measurement of what they have learnt and of their future success. What are some of the social and cultural factors that shape this culture? How does this culture of testing affect learners and their learning outcomes?’

To reflect on these questions and encourage discussion on related issues, the Network on Education Quality Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific (NEQMAP) Secretariat will host a webinar on “The Culture of Testing: Sociocultural Impacts on Learning in Asia and the Pacific”. The webinar will share the findings of UNESCO Bangkok’s regional study on the same topic, with reflections and commentaries from international expert(s) in this area.

If you would like to join the webinar, please indicate your interest by filling out your contact details in our registration form here: http://bit.ly/2C8NWHs.

You can also access the full report of the “Culture of Testing” study via the following link http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002619/261955E.pdf.

The webinar will be held via Skype for Business. We will send you an email invitation with an instruction on how to join the webinar as well as how to install Skype for Business (if you do not have the app) one day prior to the webinar.

Please feel free to share this further within your network/colleagues.

Teaching Excellence Award Scheme 2018 (Extension of deadline for nomination)

Message from Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry

teas2015Further to the circular dated May 14, 2018 from the Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) inviting nominations for awards under the Teaching Excellence Award Scheme, 2018 (document 232/518 ), please find below an update on the Scheme. 

Extension of deadline for nomination
The deadline for nomination for the various categories of teaching awards was originally set on October 5, 2018.  In order to allow more time for colleagues to prepare for their submissions, the deadline has been extended by two weeks to October 19, 2018.   Faculties please help identify colleagues/teams who have outstanding teaching and learning contributions and nominate them for these awards.  Colleagues who have already made their submission may take the extra time to review their documentation, and send the revised documents, if any, to Synthia Chau of the Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry by the revised deadline.  

Eligibility criteria for Early Career Teaching Award
As indicated in paragraph 4(a) of the circular, nominees for the Early Career Teaching Award should (1) be a full-time teaching staff with a substantial responsibility for teaching for a continuous period of three years in this University, and (2) possess no more than four years of teaching experience in higher education institutions as at May 24, 2018.  In order not to exclude young colleagues who have made exceptional contributions to teaching and learning from the award, discretion will be exercised by the Selection Panel on the three-year HKU teaching requirement, provided that the nominee can demonstrate that he/she has made significant contributions to the teaching and learning of the University during his/her service years.  
Enquiries may be directed to Ms. Chau at 2859 2440 or email to schau@hku.hk.

Teaching Excellence Award Scheme 2018

Message from Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry

teas2015Nominations are now invited for awards under the 2017 Teaching Excellence Award Scheme (TEAS).

This is to remind colleagues and students that nominations are now invited for awards under the Teaching Excellence Award Scheme (TEAS) in 2018. The invitation circular dated May 14, 2018 from the Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) is accessible at http://intraweb.hku.hk/reserved_1/cdqa/doc/TEAS/TEAS-List-A-2018.pdf.

The TEAS aims to recognise, reward and promote excellence in teaching at the University. Under the Scheme, there are four categories of awards, viz. University Distinguished Teaching Award, Outstanding Teaching Award (OTA), Early Career Teaching Award and Teaching Innovation Award (TIA). Besides individual awards, both OTA and TIA comprise team awards to recognise and encourage collaborative effort and achievement in enhancing teaching and learning. All Faculties are encouraged to nominate colleagues who have made outstanding teaching and learning contributions for these awards. Please refer to the abovementioned circular for further details.

Nominees are encouraged to contact the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) for advice on the preparation of teaching portfolios. CETL will hold a further workshop in September 2018 to support interested staff members to prepare for their submissions.

All nominations and the supporting documents should reach Ms. Synthia Chau, Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section, by October 5, 2018. Enquiries may be directed to Ms. Chau at 2859 2440 or email to schau@hku.hk.

Use of Inclusive Language in Academic Work – A Guideline for Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Students

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The University of Hong Kong is committed to creating, promoting and maintaining an environment for staff and students which provides equality of opportunity and is free of any discrimination or harassment.

This Guideline on the Use of Inclusive Language in Academic Work aims to encourage students to be aware of the ways in which the use of language can marginalise, demean, and exclude social groups such as women, sexual minorities, ethnic groups, persons with physical or psychosocial disabilities, etc. This often occurs through unconscious bias and lack of awareness of the implications of the language we use. This guideline aims to increase awareness of these issues and to generate a more thoughtful and respectful use of language.

To further these aims, the University encourages all students to adopt the principles of inclusive language in their academic work in all languages, whether written or spoken.

Inclusive language helps to reduce discrimination by promoting a balanced and considerate engagement with social diversity. It avoids words and phrases that stereotype, marginalise and demean social groups.

General Principles:

When engaging in writing, discussing, and making oral presentations, students should bear these general principles in mind:

  • Think about the fact that you are addressing a diverse audience
  • Be mindful and considerate of others, particularly those in different life circumstances to your own
  • Question established language structures that may be discriminatory
  • Listen and adhere to an individual’s or group’s preferences on how they wish to be spoken about

Examples:
The following examples illustrate some areas in which students should think about using non-discriminatory language.

* When speaking of people generally, use person-centric language (ensure groups, especially gender groups, are not inadvertently rendered invisible):

Consider using:
‘Students must work hard if they wish to get good grades’ instead of ‘A student must work hard if he wishes to get good grades’;
‘Humans’ or ‘Humankind’ instead of ‘Man’ or ‘Mankind’;
‘Chairperson’, ‘Firefighter’ and ‘Police officer’ instead of ‘Chairman’, ‘Fireman’ and ‘Policeman’.

* When using word-pairs repeatedly, vary the word orders to avoid dominant word hierarchies. For instance:

Consider using:
both ‘Women and men’ and ‘Men and women’;
both ‘Old and young’ and ‘Young and old’.

* When it is relevant to identify a group, address all its members:

Consider using:
‘Hong Kong people speak a variety of languages’ instead of ‘Hong Kong people speak Cantonese’;
‘Busy CEOs must find time for their spouses’ instead of ‘Busy CEOs must find time for their wives’.

* When describing groups of people, use respectful terms (avoid derogatory or outdated terms):

Avoid terms such as ‘locusts’; ‘ethnics’; ‘the handicapped’; ‘maids’, etc.

* When referring to individuals and groups, use their preferred terminology:

Use a person’s preferred gender pronoun (ask if unsure) and preferred honorific (eg ‘Ms.’ or ‘Mrs’);
Use preferred surnames (note a woman may keep her surname after marriage);
Whenever possible, reproduce the spelling and cultural nuances of an individual’s given and family names accurately (e.g. ‘Ms. Pérez Rivera’ instead of ‘Ms. Perez Rivera’).

* When presenting case studies and illustrations, use a diverse range of examples relevant to your discussion and assume a diverse audience:

Portray both men and women in a variety of roles;
Discuss same-sex partnerships as well as heterosexual partnerships;
Use examples of people from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

* When referring to people with disabilities, avoid language that stigmatizes, or that defines people solely in terms of their disability:

Use ‘person with a disability’ instead of ‘handicapped person’ or ‘cripple’;
Use ‘people with a mental illness’ instead of ‘the mentally ill’;
Use ‘people with autism’ instead of ‘autistic people’;
Use ‘people with addiction’ instead of ‘addicts’.

Useful references:

American Psychological Association – General Guidelines for Reducing Bias
http://supp.apa.org/style/pubman-ch03.00.pdf

American Philosophical Association – Guidelines for Non-Sexist Use of Language
http://www.apaonline.org/?page=nonsexist

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
https://alum.mit.edu/creating-gender-identity-inclusive-environments-0

University of Pittsburgh Gender – Inclusive Guidelines
https://www.wstudies.pitt.edu/resources/faculty-resources/gender-inclusive-non-sexist-language-guidelines-and-resources

University College London – Guide to Non-Discriminatory Language
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/equality-areas-and-support/lgbtq-equality/what-inclusion-language

The UK Government – Inclusive language
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability

March 2018
Amended May 2018

Note: This is adapted from the Guidelines developed by the School of Humanities in April 2017.