Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Teaching & Learning)
Dear Colleagues,
Staff Teaching Space Experience Survey – 2016
IT Services will be conducting an online Teaching Space Experience Survey on behalf of the University for a 3 week, commencing on Monday 14th March and closing at 5pm on Friday 1st April 2016.
The purpose of this survey is to gather information about your experiences and perceptions of the classroom environments that you use to deliver your lectures and seminars etc. in order to find out what you think is important and of any issues to be addressed.
Your opinions are valuable to us and this information will help us understand how we can provide better facilities to support your teaching. A separate survey investigating the student learning environment experience was closed on Friday 11th March 2016.
The results of both will be used to inform the University Strategy for future development of Teaching and Learning Spaces over the coming planning period (2-3 years) to ensure that space provided for teaching and learning is fit for purpose and of good quality in order to enhance the student learning experience.
I am very pleased to announce the award recipients of the University’s Teaching Excellence Awards 2015. There are now three categories of award. Alongside the established University Distinguished Teaching Award and Outstanding Teaching Award, we introduced a Teaching Innovation Award this year. The Selection Panel was deeply impressed with the awardees’ dedication to teaching, their tireless and creative efforts to make learning enjoyable and challenging, and the impact that they have made on their students’ learning. Because of the eminent achievements of two candidates for the University Distinguished Teaching Award, the Panel decided unanimously to honour both of them.
University Distinguished Teaching Award
Professor Joseph C.W. Chan, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Rick A. Glofcheski, Department of Law, Faculty of Law
Outstanding Teaching Award
Dr. Chun-kit Chui, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering Ms. Katherine L. Lynch, Department of Law, Faculty of Law Dr. Julian A. Tanner, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Miss Nicole J. Tavares, Faculty of Education Dr. Marco M.H. Wan, Department of Law, Faculty of Law
Teaching Innovation Award
Dr. Michael G. Botelho, Faculty of Dentistry
The awardees will be honoured at a presentation ceremony on Monday May 9, 2016. Please do join us for that if you can. Their names will be posted on the Teaching Excellence Awards Honour Board.
I would like to thank our external assessor Professor Huang Hoon Chng (Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education) of the National University of Singapore) for providing us with expert advice in situ during the final selection process. I would also like to thank the other Panel members, Professor Ian Holliday, Professor Grahame Bilbow, Mr. Matthew Pryor and Miss Arika Ho (student representative), for their assistance in this important exercise.
Many congratulations to all the awardees – I look forward to seeing you all at the presentation ceremony!
Professor Peter Mathieson, President
Chairman
Selection Panel for Teaching Excellence Awards 2015
The University Grants Committee (UGC) introduced in 2011 a new UGC Teaching Award to honour staff in the UGC sector who excel in teaching and to signal the importance attached by the UGC to quality teaching and learning. The latest structure of the UGC Teaching Award consists of two categories: (1) general Faculty members/teams; and (2) early career Faculty members (open to individuals only). The University is invited to nominate up to three individuals/teams, including up to two nominations for the category of general Faculty members/teams and no more than one nomination for the category of early career Faculty members.
Applications are now invited from teaching excellence award winners for the category of general Faculty members/teams, and from outstanding young teachers for the category of early career Faculty members. For details, please refer to the respective circulars below. Submissions should reach Ms. Synthia Chau, Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry, by April 1, 2016.
Applications are now invited for the Teaching Development Grants (TDGs). TDGs are intended to support projects and activities that will have an impact on the strategic development and promotion of Teaching and Learning. For priority areas and other details, please refer to Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)’s invitation circular dated February 3, 2016 (document 60/216, URL below):
Applications should be submitted to Ms. Synthia Chau, Secretary, Teaching and Learning Quality Committee, c/o Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section, Registry. TDG applications will be processed in batches according to the following cut-off dates in 2016:
1st round – Wednesday, April 13, 2016
2nd round – Friday, October 14, 2016
3rd round – Friday, December 30, 2016
Important message from Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)
Dear Colleagues,
You are cordially invited to participate in an online e-learning survey conducted at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). The aim of the survey is to collect data about teachers’ perceptions of their experience on the use of all types of technologies to enhance teaching and learning in conjunction with face-to-face learning. We invite all teachers to participate in this survey. A separate survey investigating students’ perceptions of their e-learning experience is being administered concurrently. Findings from last year’s survey have informed the formulation of our E-learning Strategy 2015. Your feedback this year will continue to help us to provide a better physical and virtual learning environment at HKU.
It takes about 5 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Your answers will remain anonymous and your survey responses will be kept strictly confidential.
To participate in the online survey, please visit:
(1) Tips in Teaching & Learning support – “My eLearning” tab of HKU Portal:
The “My eLearning” tab lists the courses of a teacher as registered in SIS and the Moodle courses that he/she requests explicitly (e.g. use one Moodle course to replace two courses created in Moodle according to SIS data).
Now in the “My eLearning” tab, the courses activated for student access are grouped and appear first before the group of not-yet activated courses. (For more information, please visit the Moodle Resources website at http://moodle-support.hku.hk/new-arrangement-my-elearning-tab-layout-teachers for more information).
(2) Moodle & Panopto training workshops
Moodle is the central learning management system supporting teachers to create online learning content. Panopto supports teachers to do audio/video recording synchronized with PowerPoint slides and PC/Mac desktop display. Students can view the recordings through Moodle courses and search inside the recordings. A module Panopto unison lets teachers upload their existing video files for further editing. The lecture theatres upgraded after 2011 are equipped with PC/AV facilities for recording of lectures readily.
The following upcoming hands-on workshops in October are now open for your registration.
Note:
(1) KB110 = Room 110, Knowles Building
CPD-2.58 = Room 2.58, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus
(2) If you have taken a Moodle hands-on workshop offered by the ITS, we recommend you follow up with an eLearning Pedagogical Support Unit (EPSU)/Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a Faculty of Education/Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) seminar. These seminars focus on teaching approaches and good and innovative teaching practices, complement the Moodle workshops offered by the ITS.
(1) New Moodle function “Moodle Student Performance by Percentile”
It shows the students’ performance in a Moodle course by 25th, 50th and 75th percentile according to the students’ results in the Moodle Gradebook. This provides information about the performance of the class and may help the teacher give appropriate advice to the students as the course is in progress.
The web page “Moodle Student Performance by Percentile” is accessible via HKU Portal -> “My eLearning” tab -> choose a Moodle course -> click the hyperlink in “Course specific information” section at the bottom of the web page.
(2) Learning Management System (Moodle) and Lecture Capture Service (Panopto) training workshops in September 2015 is now available for registration
Workshops on Moodle and Panopto
Course Code
Course Title
Date
Time
Venue
Registration
PAN-001
Introduction to Lecture Capture Service using the “Panopto” system
As you might already have heard, we have some terrific news: Dr. Michael Botelho, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Dentistry, has been honoured with the 2015 UGC Teaching Award. Please join me in extending to him our warmest congratulations! The Award was launched by the UGC in 2011 to honour academics in the UGC-funded institutions for their outstanding teaching performance and achievements, as well as their leadership in and scholarly contribution to teaching and learning. Only 2-3 awards are made each year.
Dr. Michael Botelho has taught at the University for nearly twenty years. During this period, he has built an enviable reputation as a committed, compassionate and diligent teacher and colleague, and an influential advocate of problem based learning both within and beyond his Faculty. According to Dr. Botelho, university education should be based on meaningful dialogue with and between students. There is ample evidence that he is adept at creating the conditions for successful learning within the problem based learning curriculum. His approach is one of engaging students, even in large groups, in dialogue through sophisticated use of questioning. In recognition of his outstanding contributions in enhancing student learning, he was awarded the University’s 2014 Outstanding Teaching Award.
It is most encouraging to note that four of our colleagues have been conferred this prestigious Award in the past five exercises, which is clear evidence of the University’s excellence in teaching and learning.
Professor Peter Mathieson
President and Vice-Chancellor
Message from Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry
With reference to the invitation circular dated March 6, 2015, this is to remind colleagues that the next round of TDG applications will close on November 16, 2015, and the cut-off date for the third round of applications is December 28, 2015. For details, please refer to the URL below:
Applications should be submitted to Ms. Synthia Chau, Secretary, Teaching and Learning Quality Committee, c/o Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance Section, Registry. Enquiries may be directed to Ms. Chau (schau@hku.hk) or Ms. Julie Lau (julielau@hku.hk).
(A) The central learning management system Moodle lets teachers create online learning content to support teaching and learning.
In 2015-16, all Moodle courses created based on SIS data will include the following new features on the homepage of a Moodle course:
1. A Forum for discussion among the students and teachers/teaching assistants.
2. A shortcut for “Adding common functions” for teachers to easily add common activities to a Moodle course. The common activities are “Assignment”, “Turnitin Assignment”, “Forum” and “File”.
3. Four themes are now available on Moodle and teachers can change the look and feel of a Moodle course under the course settings page.
(B) The Lecture Capture Service Panopto supports teachers to do audio/video recording synchronized with PowerPoint slides and PC/Mac desktop display. Students can view the recordings through Moodle courses and search inside the recordings.
A new module Panopto Unison allows teachers to upload their existing video files to the Panopto system for further editing. The lecture theatres upgraded after 2011 are equipped with PC and AV facilities which support recording of lectures readily.
Note:
(1) KB110 = Room 110, Knowles Building
CPD-G.03= Room G.03, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus
CPD-3.21 = Room 3.21, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus
(2) If you have taken a Moodle hands-on workshop offered by the ITS, we recommend you follow up with an eLearning Pedagogical Support Unit (EPSU)/Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a Faculty of Education/Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) seminar. These seminars focus on teaching approaches and good and innovative teaching practices, complement the Moodle workshops offered by the ITS.
