Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President (Teaching & Learning)
Dear colleagues,
Policy
Our GenAI policy was endorsed by Senate in June 2023. It provides a framework for us to embrace new AI technologies fully and enthusiastically in our courses.
Teachers
When S1 starts on September 2, we’ll provide teachers with unlimited access to OpenAI tools ChatGPT 4o and DALL•E 2. We encourage all teachers to explore the world of GenAI together with their students.
Students
Students will have tokens worth the equivalent of USD1 per month to access any topic they like on ChatGPT 4o and DALL•E 2. Once their allocation of tokens has been exhausted, there will be no further access until the next month.
Assessment
GenAI has implications for assessment. Last year many teachers revised their assessment tasks for a time when all students have access to GenAI tools. If you haven’t yet done this, however, please do take a look at your assessments as a matter of urgency. We need to ensure that what we grade when we receive assignments is actual student work, even when ChatGPT and other GenAI tools are involved. For advice on GenAI and plagiarism, please visit our plagiarism website.
Security
You’ll see from the June 2023 Senate paper that HKU can only ensure stringent data security and privacy protocols within its own GenAI supported and sanctioned tools. Staff and students must be aware that using non-HKU supported AI tools may expose them to inferior security measures. For optimal data protection, strict adherence to HKU GenAI security protocols is essential.
Support
TALIC provides resources and support for all teachers. In September, the HKU AI Clinic will offer rapid response support services. Throughout the academic year, TALIC can be contacted at talic@hku.hk.
Future
Looking ahead, in October we’ll host a series of weekly discussion forums to determine where we plan to go with GenAI at HKU and how best to support teachers and students. I’ll write soon with details.
Best wishes for 2024-25 — Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
VP/T&L