The Review 2013

THE REVIEW 2013 ⎜ Teaching and Learning curriculum and the final intake of the three-year curriculum. The quality of our student intake has certainly helped to smooth the transition. We continue to admit top students from Hong Kong and abroad, where increasingly HKU is becoming a preferred choice. In 2012-13 we received more than 25,000 applications from students outside the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) system, but were able to admit only a fraction of them. More details on our Mainland and international engagement can be found in a separate chapter (see page 36), but it is clear from the applications and comments of incoming students that an HKU education is highly regarded not only in Hong Kong, but around the world. The smooth introduction of this first year of the new curriculum has been a proud achievement and a testament to the hard work and planning of the University's academic and administrative staff. The University is well aware that this is just the beginning, not the end, of reform at HKU. The true test of the new curriculum lies ahead, when we will be able to see more clearly if it is achieving our learning aims. The work has just begun and we will continue to monitor and refine our curriculum and be attuned to new learning opportunities in the years ahead. The Double Cohort One of the main unknowns at the start of the 2012-13 academic year was how the two cohorts would fare. Students admitted on the four-year track in 2012-13 were the first to complete Hong Kong's new DSE, which includes the new Liberal Studies content and requires six years of secondary school. Those on the three-year track were the last to complete the old A-levels and did seven years of secondary school. A key question for the new curriculum has been, would the two groups perform similarly, academically and in terms of maturity? The new curriculum was planned with this concern in mind and feedback from across the faculties suggests that the two cohorts have achieved largely similar results, each cohort with its own strengths over the other. Academically, they have been comparable in most subjects and in the Common Core, where they are mixed together in the same classes and do not require discipline-specific knowledge. In terms of their own perceptions of learning, surveys of the two groups of students, which had about an 80 per cent response rate for each cohort, produced similar ratings for learning support, teaching and learning in the discipline, the Common Core and other components of their first year. Overall, the first challenge of the double cohort has been ably met. The next challenge will be to sustain results and satisfaction levels across the two groups. The first year was an introductory year for everyone. But as students enter the higher years, they will nominally be in the same year group but at rather different stages of learning. This will create a demanding task for teachers. However, faculties are confident that students in both cohorts will attain the knowledge and skills required of their disciplines. The University has been planning many years for this transition. We will provide on-going support to staff and students and continue to monitor and fine-tune the curriculum as we get a better understanding of its impact and potential. A Brave New World of Learning The success of the new curriculum will be measured over several years, as the two cohorts traverse through their education. Even then, that will not be the end of reform at HKU. In this rapidly changing world, it is essential to be open to new developments and opportunities, and to adapt accordingly. One development exciting educators is the advent of ‘MOOCs’ - massive open online courses - which have the potential to make quality higher education accessible to everyone around the world. In May 2013 the University joined edX, a non-profit on- line learning platform founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Member universities offer courses free to anyone anywhere in the world who is interested. HKU sees this as both an opportunity and a responsibility to contribute to knowledge and skills dissemination beyond our borders and to learn from best practices in teaching and learning. Preparations are underway to offer four HKUx courses from September 2014 in areas that highlight HKU's academic and regional strengths: vernacular heritage in Asia; law, economy and society; Chinese and Western philosophy; and infectious disease and public health. We are still working on the technical and logistical details, such as how to assess students who may be sitting on the other side of the planet. This is very much a trial-and- error endeavour because there is no template to work from and the impact of MOOCs is still unclear. However, like the curriculum reform at HKU, we are determined to put our best foot forward. Education is changing, at the local level and globally. The University is committed to capitalising on these changes so we can continue to offer learning programmes that are relevant and at the cutting- edge. The University of Hong Kong ⎜ 13