Technology is bringing about a gradual but significant transformation in education. With the growing popularity of online learning, phenomena termed as nanodegree and MicroMaster have emerged over the years to provide a more focused and flexible alternative to regular institutional degrees. It may sound like these new form of credentials are posting a threat to the regular degree providers, yet in fact, prestigious universities around the world are leading this parade.

For universities:
MicroMaster programs serve as a convenient sneak peek to regular master’s degrees provided by universities. With essentially no registration fee and pre-requisite, MicroMaster programs can attract a pool of applicants who are potentially interested in universities’ regular master’s programs. The universities can also identify high-flyers from the MicroMaster programs for admission to their regular program to ensure intake quality.

For learners:
MicroMasters programs offer a focused and affordable “teaser” before they make full commitment to the regular master’s degree. They also have a choice of applying for a Verified Certificate costing US$150 per course, either to enhance their competitiveness in the job market or gain a better chance of getting admitted into the regular master’s program. MicroMaster programs are also credit-eligible – it can substitute part of the on-campus coursework.

For employers:
MicroMaster credentials are still new to the employers but Ryan Craig, author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” predicted that human resource platforms such as LinkedIn will develop new functions catered to this new form of qualification in terms of certificates/skills listing and credentials verifications. MicroMaster programs are focused, efficient and mostly concentrated in skills that are in high demand in the current job market. It is a great way to address the discrepancy between traditional institutional degrees and expectation from students and their future employers.

MicroMaster is indeed a leap forward in achieving internationalization. By extending our high quality teaching and learning contents to a greater audience, we can create a greater ripple of impact in the Asian region and the world. Want to give it a go? Contact us at enquiry@teli.hku.hk and let’s make it happen!

Fast facts:
– 20 MicroMasters programs offered by 14 universities are currently available on edX edX as of February 2017.
– Most of the programs focus in the field of business, management, computer science and education.
– The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is offering a MicroMaster on International Hospitality Management.

Reference
Craig, R. (2015). College disrupted: The great unbundling of higher education.

Knowledge exchange with fellow academics through collaboration and outreach is always an important part of TELI. On 12 October 2016, we were honored to welcome a Macao education delegation to HKU.

Initiated by the Macao Tertiary Education office, the purpose of the half-day visit was to share and exchange HKU’s experience in e-learning, MOOCs and language teaching with the delegation.

A 360 degree group photo with the delegation

We welcomed a total of 23 delegates from 8 Macao higher education institutions, which included Vice Presidents, Faculty Deans, Language professors and Admin personnel. It was led by Prof. SUN Jian Rong (Macau University of Science and Technology) and Prof. JIN Hong Gan (University of Macau).

The day opened with an introduction of HKU’s e-learning landscape and visions for online learning by TELI.

After introducing the wider picture, Prof. Gina Marchetti from the Department of Comparative Literature then introduced and shared her hands-on experiences on creating an upcoming MOOC called Hong Kong Cinema through a Global Lens. To produce a rewarding MOOC, Prof. Marchetti stressed the importance of identifying your academic strengths, using existing content alongside supporting research, and working with a team throughout development progress.

Prof. Marchetti introducing the MOOC

As HKU has been pioneering language teaching through technology, Dr. Ka-Yee Loh’s team from the Faculty of Education next introduced mLang, a mobile language app (IOS, Android) developed for non-native students to learn Chinese. Dr. Ki Wing Wah provided background to the app which revolves around DIY flashcard production by students. Ms. Florence Chu and Principal Tracy Cheung from HKMA Lee Kwok Po Secondary School (one of the partner schools) shared first-hand experiences and showcased videos demonstrating usage of mLang in class. Dr. Vincent Lau concluded with technology’s important role in mLang.

Ms. Florence Chu showcasing how mLang is applied in the classroom

Subsequent tours to the Centre for the Promotion of Language Learning, Digital Literacies Lab and TELI’s multimedia office enriched the visit, allowing delegates to learn more about the infrastructure supporting online learning in HKU.

A visit to the Centre for the Promotion of Language Learning, guided by Mr. Kevin Chan

Mr. Patrick Desloge guiding delegates through the Digital Literacies Lab inside the Chi Wah Learning Commons

TELI Multimedia team showcases TELI’s daily works

We look forward to future collaborations with Macao’s tertiary institutions. Contact us to learn more.

Click here if you cannot access Youtube

Implant Dentistry is one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing areas within oral health care. In spite of increasing popularity of implantology, it is a relatively new discipline within dental education and remains limited to post-graduate courses offered by dental schools in many parts of the world today.

With the vision to help dental practitioners gain clinical understanding of implantology and an opportunity to provide implant treatments to their patients, the Faculty of Dentistry of HKU (ranked No. 1 dental school in the World in 2016) developed this MOOC to provide a world-class quality, unbiased, evidence-based and clinically-oriented course in this discipline.

What are the contents covered in the course?
The MOOC includes 5 modules and runs over a period of 5 weeks. We will begin the journey of Implant Dentistry by exploring how discoveries in biology and technological developments lead to the current practice of dental implants. Then, we will examine clinical cases, diagnose our patients’ needs and expectations and learn the principles of treatment planning. We will learn step-by-step surgical procedures for placing implants and various restorative techniques, directed by current evidence and best practices. Finally, we will investigate major threats and complications of implant procedures and ways to ensure successful treatments and long serving implants.

Registration

Listen to our students and find out how they like our course!

The Logo
The Logo of Implant Dentistry MOOC features the joining of an implant screw and a scholar hat, signifying the importance of a good education in oral implantology. The four colours of the logo are based on the four colours of blue, green, gold and red of HKU’s coat of arm, following the university’s spirit to manifest virtue and to investigate things.

Sneak Previews

More sneak previews here.

How to become an Implant dentist YouTube	Minimally Invasive Surgery YouTube	Micro Surgery Instruments YouTube
The 3 main pathways YouTube	Suture Techniques YouTube	Implant Supported Provisional Restorations YouTube

We believe that online courses are more than just YouTube videos plus a quiz. In building courses online, we endeavour to create the most integrated and personal learning experience for our learners.

In this age of information explosion, with numerous education resources available already, why would somebody care to be involved in a MASSIVE open online course (MOOC) through participation in the discussion forum? Ms. Karen Carlson, an enthusiastic MOOCer and a star learner in the course HKU03x Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought, is kind enough to share with us her thoughts. To Karen, one of the best things about HKU03x is having an instructor who is “extraordinarily involved” in the course from the start. Discussion with the teaching assistant, Catherine, also prompts her to think further and ask questions on issues such as whether it is possible to have a morality that is not imposed from the outside.

The course instructor Professor Hansen’s ownership, together with the active involvement of teaching assistants and fellow learners, are great motivations. Without instructor ownership, a course tends to turn into just “YouTube plus a quiz”, which is hardly a good class. “A class is far more of an overall experience where everything is integrated,” said Karen, and this is exactly what we believe.

While we are flattered to receive Karen’s positive comments, it is also our pleasure to meet and greet our MOOC learners. To us, producing a MOOC is not just about uploading videos and quizzes, but is also about connecting with learners from all around the world and building an online learning community. We don’t just teach. We care. Contact us if you have anything to share about your learning experience in HKU MOOCs.

Further reading
Take a look at Karen’s blog for her deep reflections on our course and other MOOCs.

The following news might be quite useful for our freshmen and graduating class.

TELI x The Libraries: A project on Information Literacy and Academic Honesty

As a university student, you might be turning in 20-30 pieces of academic writing in a year from short reports to term papers. That could be quite daunting, especially for freshmen. TELI has teamed up with The Libraries to bring our students some tips and resources on improving your writing on these aspects:

• Avoiding plagiarism
• Doing citations properly with time-saving tools
• Checking for originality with Turnitin

Please visit the playlist here to find out more. Our librarians will also conduct several face-to-face sessions with students in selected Common Core courses to dig deeper on information literacy skills. Get ready with your questions, and let’s be stronger writers together!

Information Literacy

TELI x CEDARS: CRE & BLT online module
For those who are making plans for life after HKU, and have applied for the HKSAR Government Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test in October, you may now join our online module developed in collaboration with CEDARS to get familiarized with the various types of tests. Overview of the test structure, useful tips on preparation and sample questions with adaptive hints are provided.

To register for this online module, please log onto:
https://learning.hku.hk/courses/course-v1:HKU+CRE001+2016/about

Good Luck!