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e-learning News – May 2014 May 2, 2014 Posted in: Blog, e-learning, EPSU, HKUx, MOOC, Moodle

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EPSU Directorship

The EPSU Director, Dr. Iain Doherty, has resigned his position and will be leaving the University on 23rd May. The search for a new Director has already begun and we are hopeful that someone will be in place by September. Until that time Professor Graham Bilbow will be acting Director of the EPSU. All work will continue as normal and you can get in touch with the EPSU team directly with e-learning queries.

First MOOC Registration Page Launched

The first MOOC registration page – Epidemics – was launched in May. You can visit the page at here. Pages for HKU’s next two MOOCs will be launched in the very near future.

MOOC Seminar

EPSU will be giving a seminar on 16th May to update colleagues about MOOC development work at HKU. Speakers will include Professor David Lung from Architecture, Darcy Christ from the Journalism and Media Studies Center, Iain Doherty and EPSU staff. To register go to http://epsu.cetl.hku.hk/16may2014/.

New Video Tutorial on Moodle Attendance Plugin

ITS has produced a short video tutorial on the newly installed Moodle Attendance plugin. You may watch it here. The complete collection of short Moodle tutorial videos on our support website can be found here.

Panopto and Moodle Hands-On Training Courses

The ITS Panopto and Moodle hands-on training courses in May are now open for registration. Details can be found  here.

Registration Opens for HKU’s First Free MOOCs “HKUx” on edX April 28, 2014 Posted in: Blog, edX, HKUx, MOOC

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has been working on a series of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) named “HKUx” since joining edX, the non-profit online education platform founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. Among the first courses to run on the HKUx platform will be “Epidemics”, which is now open for registration. Enrollment for the other courses, entitled “The Search for Vernacular Architecture of Asia” and “Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought”, for example, will also begin in the near future.

These interactive MOOCs, designed and taught by world-renowned professors at the University, are built around self-paced video lectures, online discussion groups and assessment exercises. Registration is open to all, with no prerequisites.

Re-inventing the learning experience, enabling a worldwide audience to learn together

HKU Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Professor Roland T Chin said, “MOOCs are our new endeavour. We want to make many of our courses accessible to the global audience as well as the local public, including our alumni, students and the community at large. Our best professors have put together some very interesting topics using innovative approaches both in terms of content and pedagogy in order to make materials accessible, relevant and interesting to a global audience. They offer the flexibility of video lectures anytime, anywhere, on any device. Students will actively participate in online forums, critically reflect on discussions, and learn through various assessment exercises.” These courses are intended to be challenging, and Professor Chin invites the general public to take these HKUx courses to experience this new way of learning.

Inaugural HKUx courses highlight the University’s core strengths

The University has carefully selected the following courses as starters. They represent the core strengths of HKU in teaching and learning as well as research:

  • “Epidemics” is a course led by Professor Gabriel M Leung, Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU, and eight world-renowned experts on infectious diseases and public health, including Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases, Chair Professor of the Department of Microbiology; Professor Malik Peiris, Tam Wah-Ching Professorship in Medical Science, Chair Professor and Director of the School of Public Health; and Professor Guan Yi, Daniel CK Yu Professorship in Virology and Co-Director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The course will be co-taught by Professor Marc Lipsitch, Professor of Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and Dr Mark Jit from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

    This course explores the origins of novel pathogens, the spread of infectious diseases as well as the preventive and control measures to contain outbreaks. It also presents risk communication strategies that contribute to public health preparedness and features panel discussions on ethics and crisis management with leading public health experts. The first-hand experiences that the team has earned from combating SARS and other emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza (A) H7N9 virus will enable students from around the world to better understand the threat of epidemics.

  • “The Search for Vernacular Architecture in Asia” is a comprehensive, dialogue-based course that provides a thorough understanding of the concept of vernacular architecture and its applications to the culture and built environments of the past, present and future. Designed to promote discussion and encourage dialogue, this course will challenge the perception of tradition with examples from across Asia and stimulate a deeper analysis of participants’ local environment.

    This course is led by Professor David Lung Ping-yee, Lady Edith Kotewall Professor in the Built Environment, who is internationally recognized for his scholarship and work in the field of heritage conservation and World Heritage properties.

  • “Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought” provides an introduction to traditional Chinese ethical thought and a tour of the pervasive contrast in the way Chinese and Westerners think about ethical guidance or guidance concerning what is right and what is wrong, good or bad, with Western ethics focusing on a “law” metaphor – where moral law is “supernatural” command, while Chinese ethics focuses on a “path” metaphor where the paths are “written” in nature prior to human practices.

    The instructor of this course is Chad Hansen, Emeritus Chair Professor of Chinese Philosophy, and also a prolific author on Daoism, theory of language and logic, and classical Chinese ethics.

  • About edX and Enrollment procedures for HKUx

    EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise of its founding partners Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on transforming online and on-campus learning through groundbreaking methodologies, game-like experiences and cutting-edge research. It uses its open source technology to transcend physical and social borders.

    EdX brings together world’s top universities to provide inspirational and transformative knowledge to students of all ages, social status, and income who form worldwide communities of learners. In addition to Harvard and MIT, the edX consortium previously included the California Institute of Technology, University of California Berkeley, Australian National University, Delft University of Technology, University of Toronto and Kyoto University.

    More information on HKUx is available at https://www.edx.org/school/hkux . Registration is open and free.

    For general questions and answers about edX courses, please visit: https://www.edx.org/student-faq.

    For media enquiries, please contact Communications and Public Affairs Office:
    Ms Rhea Leung, tel: 2857 8555 / 9022 7446 email: rhea.leung@hku.hk

    Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): What’s Happening at HKU? April 9, 2014 Posted in: e-learning, edX, EPSU, MOOC

    Organized by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)

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    Presentation Speaker
    Opening Dr. Iain Doherty, e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit
    Development of a Massive Open Online Course: The Search for Vernacular Architecture in Asia Professor David Lung, Faculty of Architecture
    Designing a MOOC to Innovate Teaching & Learning Mr. Darcy Christ, Journalism and Media Studies Centre
    HKU01x: Epidemics Mr. Steve Roberts, e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit
    HKU03x: Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought Mr. Darren Harbutt, e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit
    MOOC Course Structure Mr. Nicky Ng, e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit
    Date: 16th May, 2014 (Friday)
    Time: 12:45 pm -2 pm
    Venue: Room 321, Run Run Shaw Building, HKU

    Abstract:

    The University of Hong Kong will be delivering four Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through edX (http://www.edx.org). Work on these MOOCs has been progressing steadily and this seminar will update colleagues on what has been happening with the development work. Participants will learn about the content and pedagogical underpinnings of four courses from Architecture, Medicine, Philosophy and Journalism & Media Studies. Participants will also be shown examples of course pages from the MOOCs that are being developed. There will be a question and answer session so come along and find out everything you always wanted to know about MOOCs.

    For information on registration, please contact:
    Ms Ivy Lai , CETL
    Phone: 3917 8996; Email: laichun2@hku.hk.

    Wen Wei Po article on HKU’s MOOCs March 4, 2014 Posted in: edX, MOOC

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    Wen Wei Po interviewed Professor Amy B.M. Tsui, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning), on HKU’s approach to massive open online courses (MOOCs) and our contribution to the edX platform. Read the article to find out more about how MOOCs bring a shift to the teaching and learning landscape of higher education, and change the way we envision alternatives to pedagogies. In the article, Professor David P.Y. Lung, Professor of Architecture, also shared about the challenges and excitement of preparing his edX course on vernacular heritage in Asia.

    HKU joins Harvard and MIT led global online education platform May 22, 2013 Posted in: e-learning, edX, Harvard, MIT, MOOC

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    Message from Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) Professor Amy B M Tsui

    Dear colleagues, students, alumni and friends,

    Many of you will know how important it is for HKU to be both internationally engaged and at the forefront of innovations in teaching and learning.

    As part of our continuing endeavours in this area, I am pleased to announce that the University has joined edX, a non-profit online education platform founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which provides a platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs). HKU is among the few Asian universities which have become new members of the “X universities”.

    MOOCs, through the use of a quality and effective learning platform – which includes web environments, interactive video, online discussion, social/cohort interaction etc. to support teaching and learning – access to knowledge would be enhanced and a large group of people could be benefited.

    MOOCs are an educational innovation that will bring about a seismic change in the higher education landscape that has yet to be understood. The opportunity to witness and contribute to this change cannot be missed.

    At this stage, HKU will provide a series of HKUx courses that are specially designed for edX, including “vernacular heritage in Asia”, “law, economy and society”, “Chinese and Western philosophy” and “infectious disease and public health”. These courses will be taught by professors of Architecture, Economics, Philosophy and Public Health.

    The University will continue to call on professors with a track record of excellence in teaching to offer HKUx courses so that not only HKU students but also students from around the world can benefit from our online programmes.

    HKU is delighted to be part of this consortium of world class universities and I look forward to seeing how the HKU community can work with the consortium to fully leverage technology to make quality higher education more accessible to all.

    Professor Amy B M Tsui
    Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)

    Note: More details can be found at
    http://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/9721.html
    http://www.hku.hk/press/all/
    and https://www.edx.org/