TDG – Evaluation of the Core University English Course

Abstract

CAES1000 – Core University English course was offered for the first time in the 2012/13 academic year to 2,900 students. The course focuses on enhancing first-year students’ English language proficiency in the university context. It aims to help students bridge the gap between secondary school study and study at an English-medium university. It is essential that any new course of this size go through a rigorous quality assurance review process in the first year of its implementation. The purpose of this TDG project was to gather evaluative feedback from students and teachers on the CAES1000 learning outcomes, learning materials, assessments and the usefulness of the learning outcomes to students’ future studies at HKU, in order to identify areas for course improvement. Quantitative data were gathered in the form of evaluative questionnaires given to students and qualitative data were gathered from four rounds of focus group interviews with students and two rounds of anonymous teacher feedback questionnaires. The results showed that some changes needed to be made in the area of student and teacher workload, the way that the Moodle online learning system functioned and the integration of more writing practice and feedback to students. Results also showed that students valued the chance to improve their academic writing and speaking skills.

Deliverables