Teaching and Learning (T&L) Services – Seminar and Exhibition on October 14-15, 2014

Message from Information Technology Services

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Dear colleagues,

Welcome to our T&L Services seminar and exhibition on how our Teaching and Learning (T&L) services facilitate your T&L activities:

Seminar talks on 15 October (Wed) 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Exhibition on 14-15 October (Tue-Wed) 10:00am – 5:00pm

(A) In the Seminar:

Apart from introducing the services and facilities available to support your teaching, two teachers are invited to share their experience on using the University’s Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle and Lecture Capture service (LCS) Panopto.

For Registration: Click here

Date: 15 October (Wed)
Time: 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Venue: Theatre C, LG/F, Chow Yei Ching Building (Location Map)
Title of talks in the seminar session Speakers
IT Services Support for Teaching and Learning Dr Danny Tang, Director, ITS
Learning & Teaching Spaces in HKU Mrs Toni Kelly, Associate Director (Learning Environments), ITS
HKU teachers’ experience sharing on using:
(a) the learning management system Moodle Dr Feng Yibin, Associate Professor, School of Chinese Medicine
(b) the lecture capture service Panopto Dr. Winnie S. C. Leung, Assistant Professor, School of Business
Panopto – Transforming the student learning experience Mr Bertrand Lee, Technical Director, Panopto APAC Ltd

(B) Highlights of the exhibition:

  • Access Moodle and lecture capture recordings using phones or laptops
  • Live demonstration of lecture capture service (LCS) – using Panopto software on a laptop to make recording
  • High definition video conferencing system will link the 2 booths to showcase presentation or lecture in high quality video
    • Users can join using phones or laptops
  • One-stop e-learning hub to access e-courses and T&L Services information

Our staff will be at the exhibition booths to demonstrate the above and answer questions.

Date: 14 October (Tue) and 15 October (Wed)
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Venues: (1) G/F, Chi Wah Learning Commons, Centennial Campus
(2) G/F, Library Building Old Wing, opposite coffee shop
(Location Map)

If you have any enquiries, please contact us at: elearningteam@hku.hk.

Mr. Kenneth Siu
e-learning Team
Information Technology Services

Scholarships News – Call for Application

Message from Scholarships Office of the Registry

October 2014 Issue

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A New Scholarships Office

The Scholarships Office is a newly restructured unit of the Registry responsible for the administration and co-ordination of the University scholarships and financial aid schemes.

Our role and mission are:

  • To serve as main contact point for the promotion and dissemination of scholarship information to prospective and current students alike;
  • To provide a one-stop platform to link beneficiaries and benefactors; and
  • To co-ordinate with internal units (such as Faculties and Departments, Admissions Office, Office of International Student Exchange, Graduate School, CEDARS, Development & Alumni Affairs Office, and Finance & Enterprises Office) for the administration and selection of the University’s various scholarship, prize, bursary and loan schemes.

Overall, the University disburses a total of more than $100M each year for over 5,000 student merit-based awards and bursaries.

Call for Applications

Most merit-based scholarships are by faculty/departmental nominations while some are open for applications and on a competitive basis. Details of scholarships that are open for applications will be announced via this monthly newsletter, individual bulk emails and on the HKU Scholarships website.

The following are highlighted schemes now calling for applications:

1. Li Po Chun Postgraduate Scholarships
Target students: Full-time postgraduate students pursuing MPhil or PhD
Deadline: Oct 17, 2014

2. Centum Charitas Foundation Scholarship
Target students: Full-time year one undergraduate students with Hong Kong permanent resident status
Deadline: Oct 31, 2014

3. HKU-Cambridge Hughes Hall Scholarships 2015-16
Target students: Current students/graduates who intend to pursue Master’s degree at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge
Deadline: Nov 21, 2014

4. HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship
Target students: Full-time undergraduate students with a minimum CGPA of 3.7 or equivalent
Deadline: Nov 30, 2014

5. Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award Scheme 2015
Target students: Full-time non-final year local undergraduate students studying in the areas of Engineering and Technology, Medicine, Dentistry and Health, and Sciences
Deadline: Nov 30, 2014

6. HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund – Talent Development Scholarship (TDS)

7. HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund – Reaching Out Award (ROA)
Target students: Full-time students pursuing publicly funded degree with a minimum CGPA of 3.0 or equivalent
Deadline: Nov 30, 2014 (TDS); Dec 31, 2014 (ROA)

8. HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund – Endeavour Merit Award (EMA)
Target students: Full-time students pursuing publicly funded degree with special educational needs as well as achieving a minimum CGPA of 2.5 or equivalent
Deadline: Nov 30, 2014

Scholarships Website

A list of “External Scholarship Schemes” is posted here.

Check out for more information on scholarship opportunities, background and sharing stories at HKU Scholarships website.

Congratulations to Mr. John Lin on winning the 2014 UGC Teaching Award

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Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor

Dear Colleagues, Students and Alumni,

As you might already have heard, we have some terrific news: Mr. John C.H. Lin, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Architecture, has been honoured with the 2014 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.

Since joining the University in 2006, Mr. Lin has distinguished himself as a first-rate teacher and researcher in architecture, and as a pioneer of experiential learning, both within his discipline and across disciplines. Mr. Lin’s portfolio demonstrates sustained commitment to experiential learning in his own teaching, as well as leadership in experiential learning as an institutional strategic priority. In recognition of his outstanding contributions in enhancing student learning, he was awarded the University’s 2010 Outstanding Teaching Award.

It is most encouraging to note that three of our colleagues have been conferred this prestigious Award in the past four exercises, which is clear evidence of the University’s excellence in teaching and learning.

Professor Peter Mathieson
President and Vice-Chancellor

Moodle and Panopto training courses for teachers

Message from Information Technology Services

Dear Teachers,

We are pleased to organize Learning Management System (LMS) – Moodle and Lecture Capture Services (LCS) – Panopto training courses for you to familiar with our e-learning services available at HKU.

The following upcoming hands-on training courses in September are now open for your registration. The course details can be found at http://moodle-support.hku.hk/training/ITS-all

Please register by clicking the “Register” hyperlinks below. The number of seats is limited. After successful registration, if you cannot attend, please cancel the registration to release the reserved seat for other colleague.

Moodle Training Courses

Course Code Moodle Course Title Date Time Venue Registration
MOD-001 Setting up Moodle Course Website 11 Sep, 2014 (Thu) 10:00am – 11:00am KB-110 Register
MOD-002 Assignments, Choices and Quizzes 11 Sep, 2014 (Thu) 11:30am – 12:30pm KB-110 Register

Panopto Training Courses

Course Code Panopto Course Title Date Time Venue Registration
PAN-001 Introduction of Panopto Lecture Video Capturing Solution 24 Sep, 2014 (Wed) 10:00am – 11:00am CPD-2.77 Register
PAN-002 Edit, Share and Output Panopto Video Recording 24 Sep, 2014 (Wed) 11:30am – 12:30pm CPD-2.77 Register

Note:
(1) KB-110 = Room 110, Knowles Building
CPD-2.77, Central Podium (CPD), Centennial Campus

(2) If you have taken a Moodle hands-on course offered by the ITS, we recommend you follow up with an e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit (EPSU) workshop and/or a Faculty of Education/ Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) seminar.

The EPSU of the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) offers pedagogically focused e-learning workshops, which leverage the central Moodle platform to enable good teaching practices. These workshops focus on teaching approaches and good teaching practices, complement the Moodle courses offered by the ITS and the Moodle seminars offered by the Faculty of Education/CITE, which tend to focus on innovative teaching practice using the new features available in Moodle.

e-learning workshops by EPSU/CETL
http://www.cetl.hku.hk/professional-learning/

e-learning seminars by the Faculty of Education/CITE
http://www.cite.hku.hk/news.php?category=upcoming

For more information and inquiry on Moodle and Panopto training and support, feel free to email: e-learningTeam@hku.hk

Best Regards,

Kenneth Siu
e-learning Team
Information Technology Services

Applications for Teaching Development Grants (TDG) 2014

Message from Academic Development and Quality Assurance Section of the Registry

feature-tdgapplyWith reference to the invitation circular dated March 3, 2014, this is to remind colleagues that the next round of TDG applications will close on October 10, 2014, and the cut-off date for the third round of applications is December 29, 2014. For details, please refer to the URL below:

URL: http://intranet.hku.hk:8030/web/reg/adqa/rslleung/TDG-circular-2014.pdf

Applications should be submitted to Ms. Synthia Chau, Secretary, Teaching and Learning Quality Committee, c/o Academic Development and Quality Assurance Section, Registry. Enquiries may be directed to Ms. Chau (schau@hku.hk) or Ms. Julie Lau (julielau@hku.hk).

New e-learning Tab of HKU Portal and Revamped e-learning Support Website

Message from Information Technology Services

Dear Colleagues,

As part of our continuous effort to improve user experience of using e-learning at HKU, the e-learning Support Team of ITS is pleased to bring you an enhanced e-learning tab of HKU Portal in the new academic year. As you may have already noticed, released on 27 Aug, the new interface features three zones of information – Your e-Learning courses, Course specific information and e-learning resources. The Moodle course zone provides you easier access to the current and past Moodle courses. It is now more easy to recover and access to course outline, reading list, Gradebook and past exam papers in the Libraries (if any) of a certain current year Moodle course in the Course specific information area. We have consolidated the accesses to the mostly used e-learning resources including news updates, PC availability status, Lecture Capture Services (LCS), and seeking help and support information to the e-learning resources area.

Screenshot of the new layout:

Screenshot of the new layout

Besides, the existing Moodle Support Website (http://moodle-support.hku.hk) has been the center for getting support resources and training information of the centralized e-learning services for our users. A completely revamped e-learning support website will be released on 29 August 2014. The new website sports enhanced features over web accessibility for the disabled, with better navigation, and richer contents for users.

Screenshot of the new website:

Screenshot of the new website

We hope that you will be happy with all these new updates. If you would like to have more information and have any inquiry, feel free to email us: e-learningTeam@hku.hk

Best Regards,

Kenneth Siu
e-learning Team
Information Technology Services

ITS Orientations for New Staff

Message from Information Technology Services

8619731692_2382cf2b21_cDear colleagues,

To provide new University staff and students with useful information about the wide range of services offered by Information Technology Services (ITS), we will have a series of orientation activities running between late August and mid-September. All new University members are welcome to join.

1. Use of AV/IT Equipment in Central Classrooms

To familiarize themselves with the classroom facility, teachers and class instructors are recommended to join one of the training sessions on use of AV/IT Equipment in Central Classrooms. Through this session, they will be able to learn how to use the control panel, visualizer and other AV/IT equipment in the centrally timetabled classrooms.

For the class schedule and registration, please visit http://www.its.hku.hk/documentation/handbook/its-guide/2014-2015/orientation-seminars#classrooms.

2. Orientation Seminars

The seminar on “Introduction to Information Technology Services (ITS)” gives an introduction on the comprehensive range of central IT and network services offered by ITS. The seminar will be repeated four times.

In addition to the introductory session, different orientation sessions about teaching and learning will be arranged. Staff and students are welcome to attend seminars on “Introduction of Moodle Learning Management System and Panopto Lecture Capture System” and “About the University’s Research Support Computing Environment and the HPC/HTC Facilities” that follow the introduction session. You can also join the “Chi Wah Learning Commons Guided tour” to learn more about our learning spaces.

For the schedule of the orientation seminars, please refer to http://www.its.hku.hk/documentation/handbook/its-guide/2014-2015/orientation-seminars#seminars.

3. Exhibition

An Exhibition will be held at Chi Wah Learning Commons G/F in the first two weeks (Sep 1 – Sep 10) of the first semester with display boards showing the core IT Services, in particular the support for teaching and learning and research with University. Staff will be there from 1-2 pm on Monday to Friday (except September 9, 2014) to introduce ITS facilities and answer questions.

For details, please refer to http://www.its.hku.hk/documentation/handbook/its-guide/2014-2015/orientation-seminars#exhibition.

Veronica Yick
User Services
Information Technology Services

IT Services News issue no. 170 now online & Training News

Message from Information Technology Services

General News

Teaching and Learning News

E-learning News

System News

Training News

We also organize training courses to assist colleagues and students in using our facilities. The following training courses are organized in the coming months and details can be found in the Training News (http://www.its.hku.hk/news/news170/training):

on using the Moodle Learning Management System and Panopto Lecture Capture Software (for staff only)

  • Please click here to check out the course schedule on Scientific Computation & Visualization
  • Parallel Programming with Workshop on Unix System and Applications
  • Introduction to MATLAB and on Software Asset Management training

You are welcome to attend the training courses.

Guidelines for Using External Web 2.0 Services for University Purposes

Message from Information Technology Services

Dear colleagues,

There are many useful web services on the Internet, such as PBworks, Facebook, Second Life, Socrative and Basecamp, which are commonly referred to as Web 2.0 services. Some departments and staff members are using, or have expressed interest in adopting, these services for academic-related activities and/or engaging existing and prospective students.

While there may be perfect reasons for using external web services, it is important that, when making the decision to use such services, the individual and the department concerned also recognize the risks involved. The document “Guidelines for Using External Web 2.0 Services” provides guidance on the issues that need to be considered before adopting external web services for university purposes. Annexed to the document is a template for risk assessment.

The document can be found at http://intraweb.hku.hk/local/its/web2guidelines/ or by following the path: HKU ITS Homepage (www.its.hku.hk) > About Us > Policies and Guidelines.

The Guidelines document was put together jointly by the e-learning Pedagogical Support Unit of CETL and IT Services based on a similar document made available by the University of Edinburgh under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. The document has incorporated inputs from our University’s Data Protection Officer, and feedback received from academic and administrative staff at two separate workshops on 15 January 2014. Based on the feedback, two scenarios of using Web 2.0 services – one on Facebook and the other on Dropbox – have also been developed to illustrate the use of the risk assessment template. At its meeting on 27 May 2014, the IT Committee endorsed the Guidelines for release.

Any staff member who considers using an external Web 2.0 service should study the Guidelines document carefully and conduct a risk assessment using the template. In case there is any change to the usage Terms and Conditions of a Web 2.0 service in use, the staff concerned should reassess the risk involved. Each department should also maintain a Register of all external web services adopted.

If you have any query on the subject, please contact me (dwhtang@hku.hk) or Dr. MC Pong (mcpong@hku.hk).

Danny Tang
Director of IT Services

Moodle System Upgrade to 2.6.3

Message from Information Technology Services

Dear Colleagues and Students,

Please be informed that the central Moodle Learning Management System will undergo system upgrade from version 2.4.4 to 2.6.3. All Access to it will be suspended during the upgrade period of time:

Date: July 27, 2014, Sunday
Time: 6:00 am to 2:00 pm

After the successful upgrade, Moodle will resume service with the new version 2.6.3. Please access it after 2:00pm on that day. (In the unlikely event that the upgrade was unsuccessful, it will fall back to the current version 2.4.4.)

The new features and improvements are described in the release notes (http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_2.6.3_release_notes)

For any enquiries, please send email to e-learningTeam@hku.hk.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your attention.

Best Regards,

Kenneth Siu
e-learning Team