Category: General

Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear colleagues and students

You will have seen the recent uptick in confirmed Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong. It’s hard to predict how high the number of new cases will go or for how long the spike will last. I’m writing in this uncertain situation to reinforce the need for full compliance with infection-control measures throughout the campus.

Our current guidelines mandate that anyone with fever or respiratory symptoms should not come to campus and should see a doctor as soon as possible. For those who do come to campus, our guidelines mandate: (i) social distancing; (ii) mask-wearing at all times other than eating and drinking; and (iii) eating and drinking in groups of no more than four. This means that inside classrooms, libraries and learning commons, masks must be worn at all times and social distance must be maintained. It means that the same rules apply when walking around the campus. It means that in restaurants, canteens and coffee shops, masks should be removed only when actually eating and drinking, and should be worn at all other times. We have asked our campus security staff to ensure that everyone is being vigilant about infection-control measures.

The University will monitor the current fluid situation carefully. We hope that if we all tighten up our behaviour, it will be possible to see out the semester as planned. Scheduled f2f components of UG and TPG classes can therefore continue, so long as everyone adheres strictly to our existing infection-control guidelines. If necessary, we will make adjustments in the days ahead.

Many thanks for helping us maintain a safe campus environment.

Best wishes, Ian

Professor Ian Holliday

Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)

The University of Hong Kong

Important message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear students

I’m writing to brief you on decisions taken about S2 teaching arrangements for UG and TPG courses.

Teaching

Teaching arrangements in S2 will be similar to our current arrangements in S1, except that more courses will be delivered purely in online mode. This reflects limited student demand for the f2f component of hybrid courses in S1, and the better learning experience that is generally available when a course is delivered through a single mode.

Communication

By 11 December 2020, course coordinators will provide all students with clear information about delivery mode:
– Lectures: In SIS, under ‘Enrollment Information’ there is a ‘Course/Class Attribute’ section. Alongside ‘Delivery of lectures’, course coordinators will insert one of three options: online, hybrid, f2f. (Only in very special circumstances will the f2f option be available.)
– Small-group interactive sessions such as tutorials, labs, studios, clinical practicums: One of the same three options (online, hybrid, f2f) will be chosen and communicated to students through the regular channels used by each Faculty.

Exams

In S2, final exams will take place online. As in S1, the only exceptions to this general rule will be exams that need to be held in-person either because there are special requirements (eg professional programmes), or because all the students taking a course are in Hong Kong and it is safe for them to attend an in-person exam. Faculties will issue separate guidance to their students about this.

Assessment

In S2, we will no longer offer students three assessment options. Those options were devised in response to the uncertain situation we all faced when getting to grips with the rapid switch to online and hybrid T&L over the past 12 months. They are not appropriate as a long-term measure. In S2, we will therefore remove the pass/fail option. Students will still have the option of late drop should they experience unforeseen difficulties with their courses. The deadline for students to late drop a course will be 23:59 on 9 April 2021.
Please do contact me with queries: ian.holliday@hku.hk.

Best wishes, Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong

Important message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear colleagues

Many thanks to the 270 teachers who completed the recent survey on hybrid T&L and the 100 or so colleagues who attended follow-up Zoom town-hall meetings. The data and discussions were extremely useful. I’m writing now to brief you on decisions taken about S2 teaching arrangements for UG and TPG courses on the basis of input received from teachers across all 10 Faculties.

Teaching

Teaching arrangements in S2 will be similar to our current arrangements in S1, with one important exception:

• In S1, a teacher with an allocated classroom is expected to make use of it by offering hybrid-mode teaching (or, in rare circumstances, f2f teaching).
• In S2, a teacher with an allocated classroom will not be obliged to make use of it, but will instead have the option of switching to 100% online mode.
• Please note that any teacher wishing to exercise this option must seek endorsement from their Programme Director or Head of Department/School.
• Please also note that all teachers, including those switching to 100% online mode, will be required to be in Hong Kong during S2, unless they have an authorized leave of absence.

Communication

Communication with students is essential. By 11 December 2020, all course coordinators are asked to provide clear information about delivery mode:

• Lectures: In SIS, under ‘Enrollment Information’ there is a ‘Course/Class Attribute’ section. Alongside ‘Delivery of lectures’, course coordinators should ask their departmental or faculty office colleagues to insert one of three options: online, hybrid, f2f. (Only in very special circumstances will the f2f option be available to teachers, and again it must be endorsed by the Programme Director or Head of Department/School.)
• Small-group interactive sessions such as tutorials, labs, studios, clinical practicums: One of the same three options (online, hybrid, f2f) should be chosen and communicated clearly to students through the regular channels used by each Faculty.

Exams

In S2, final exams will take place online. As in S1, the only exceptions to this general rule will be exams that need to be held in-person either because there are special requirements (eg professional programmes), or because all the students taking a course are in Hong Kong and it is safe for them to attend an in-person exam. Faculties will issue separate guidance to their students about this.

Assessment

In S2, students will no longer be offered three course assessment options for most of the courses they take: letter grade, pass/fail, late drop. Rather, we will remove the pass/fail option and retain only late drop as an alternative to the default option of letter grade. The deadline for students to late drop a course will be 23:59 on 9 April 2021.

AV audit

Alongside teaching arrangements for S2, the other major theme in the recent staff survey is AV facilities. We are currently conducting an AV audit of all 153 centrally-allocated classrooms against a checklist derived from the survey. Ahead of S2, we will upgrade as many classrooms as possible and update the teaching space information provided by LES (https://www.les.hku.hk/teaching-space).
Renewed thanks for all the valuable feedback. Please contact me with queries: ian.holliday@hku.hk.

Best wishes, Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong

Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear students

I’m writing to update you on a few issues.

Assessment choices

As you know, we’re offering all UG and TPG students three assessment choices for S1 courses: letter grade, pass/fail, late drop. Assessment choices can be submitted through SIS from 09:00 on Monday September 28 to 23:59 on Saturday October 10 (https://sweb.hku.hk/student/servlet/MyChoice/Status). This deadline is final, and no modifications will be permitted once it has passed. I’d like again to advise all students to think very carefully when opting for pass/fail grading. Courses that are simply passed will be recorded as P on the transcript, with no impact on the GPA calculation. For UG students in particular, this could have important knock-on effects. Internally, we rely on SGPA data for elective opportunities, such as academic exchange and other funded programmes. Externally, employers and universities around the world examine transcripts in some detail when taking decisions about jobs and postgraduate study. Students without solid GPA data may therefore place themselves at a significant disadvantage. Please consult your teachers, your academic advisers, the Academic Advising Office (https://aao.hku.hk/impact-pf/), your family and your friends before submitting your assessment choices. Please also note the points below about honours classification.

Honours classification for UG programmes

For most UG programmes, HKU has an honours classification system informed by the GPA system. Students graduating from programmes employing this system may be awarded first-class, second-class (upper or lower) and third-class honours. They may also graduate with a pass degree. To calculate a student’s GPA, we make reference only to credits accumulated through study at HKU. In turn, to award honours to a student we normally employ a ‘50% rule’, which mandates that at least half of the credits of a degree curriculum should be letter-graded. This means that a student taking a programme requiring 240 credits for graduation will normally be required to have at least 120 letter-graded credits. A student with fewer than half the total credits letter-graded will normally be awarded a pass degree with no honours classification. This reinforces the need for students to think extremely carefully before opting for pass/fail grading, especially if they are in special situations such as senior-year entry.

Award classification for TPG programmes

For most TPG programmes, HKU has an award classification system informed by the GPA system. To calculate a student’s GPA, we make reference to credits accumulated through study at HKU. In turn, to make an award of distinction at graduation we normally employ a ‘50% rule’, which mandates that at least half of the credits of a degree curriculum should be letter-graded. This means that a student taking a programme requiring 60 credits for graduation will normally be required to have at least 30 letter-graded credits (unless there are courses which are not letter-graded). This reinforces the need for students to think extremely carefully before opting for pass/fail grading.

SETL/SFTL

Following extensive consultation and piloting in the Common Core, we’ve reformed our Student Evaluation of Teaching and Learning instrument. It’s now called Student Feedback on Teaching and Learning, reflecting the fact that what teachers receive from students is not formal evaluation, but rather feedback. We’ve also simplified the instrument as much as possible. SFTL will be used for all course and teacher feedback in 2020-21. The new SFTL form can be viewed at https://tl.hku.hk/tl/student-feedback-on-teaching-and-learning-sftl/.

We’re looking forward to seeing some of you on campus once f2f teaching partially resumes on Tuesday. Please do drop me a line with queries – ian.holliday@hku.hk.

Best wishes, Ian

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong

Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear colleagues,

As you are aware, assessment is an important vehicle for supporting and guiding student learning. The University has an overarching assessment policy which sets out the philosophy and principles that guide and regulate assessment practices. The key principle is that students should be assessed in an appropriate, fair, rigorous and transparent manner. Solid and timely feedback, not restricted to scores or grades, should be provided. In particular, the QAC Audit Panel has advised us to enhance students’ understanding of the grade descriptors used in undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses, and to provide better feedback.

You are therefore requested at the start of each semester to talk students through the grade descriptors used in their courses, so that they understand the level of performance expected of them. You are also asked to give timely feedback on assignments and written examinations, so as to enable students to learn from what they have done well and what they have done badly.

The Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) will continue to work on enhancing assessment practices and providing good feedback to students. If you have any thoughts or need any help, you are most welcome to contact the CETL staff liaison for your Faculty/Office as set out below:

CETL Staff Liaison	Faculty / Office
Dr. Susan Bridges (sbridges@hku.hk)	Medicine, Dentistry, and Education
Dr. Cecilia Chan (cecilia.chan@cetl.hku.hk)	Architecture, Engineering, Science, and Business & Economics
Dr. Luke Fryer (fryer@hku.hk) (currently on sabbatical leave until February 2021, during which his duties are undertaken by Dr. Cecilia Chan)	Social Sciences, and Law
Dr. Tracy Zou (tracyzou@hku.hk)	Arts, and Common Core

Best wishes, Ian

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor
(Teaching and Learning)

Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear colleagues

Just a few additional technical matters.

Panopto, Zoom and Teams

We’ve made some basic ‘how to use’ videos:

– How to use Panopto: https://hku.to/UsePanopto

– How to use Zoom: https://hku.to/UseZoom

– How to use Teams: https://hku.to/UseTeams

Zoom vs Teams

Until recently, it’s been easier to use Zoom for teaching because it’s integrated with HKU Moodle. Now, however, Teams is also fully integrated with Moodle. Two buttons are shown one on top of the other in Moodle. So both Zoom and Teams can readily be used by teachers. The Zoom vs Teams choice needs to be made by teachers and then made known to students within a course. It’s not up to students to make this choice. An updated Zoom vs Teams comparison and useful videos are here: https://tl.hku.hk/2020/08/online-teaching-through-zoom-or-microsoft-teams/.

Dual-mode teaching

For lectures involving both f2f and online teaching, this is a simple video (making reference to Zoom, though the points also apply to Teams): https://tl.hku.hk/elearningblog/?pid=30618. One way to conduct an interactive tutorial with both f2f and online elements is to ask all online participants to mute themselves and contribute to the discussion only through the ‘chat’ function. The teacher or moderator can then voice out points made in the chatroom and blend them into the discussion.

Support

All ten Faculties have been allocated funding to recruit additional TAs to help with online learning. Your Faculty Office will have details. The TeLi WhatsApp number remains as before: 6437 8034. Instant technical support during lessons is available 08:00-20:00 Mon-Fri and 08:00-13:00 Sat via the LES team at 3917 5122 (Main Campus) or 3917 8888 (Centennial Campus). These phone numbers are also displayed in classrooms.

Best wishes, Ian

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong

Message from Professor Ian Holliday, Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

Dear colleagues and students

I’m writing to follow up on my July 29 email regarding teaching arrangements for Semester 1 (S1), 2020-21, and to brief you on some related matters.

S1 teaching arrangements

Since the public health situation in Hong Kong is currently improving, we will make a partial return to face-to-face (f2f) teaching from September 22. Based on the information available to us now, this is how we expect S1 to look for most UG and TPG programmes (for exceptions, see the section below):

– Sept 1-21: all courses will be delivered online only.

– Sept 22 – Nov 30: all courses with either ‘f2f’ or ‘mixed’ as the delivery mode (view under ‘course attributes’ in SIS) will provide an f2f option.

– S1 as a whole: all courses will be available online throughout S1, and every student will have the option of completing S1 online. No student will be required to return to campus for f2f classes in S1.

– Final exams: all final exams will take place online.

Exceptions

These are the exceptions to our general guidelines:

– Some courses involve hands-on engagement and will have to be, or will be better if they can be, taken f2f either in whole or in part. Faculties will issue separate guidance to their students about any required hands-on teaching.

– Some exams will be held in-person either because there are special requirements (eg professional programmes), or because all the students taking a course are in Hong Kong and it is safe for them to attend an in-person exam. Again, Faculties will issue separate guidance to their students about this.

Add/drop period

As in Semester 2 earlier this year, we are providing students with a ‘self-enrol’ function on HKU Moodle to allow courses to be audited during the add/drop period. This function will be available only during the add/drop period. Once that period ends, all self-enrolments will be deleted unless the student has formally enrolled in the course through the course registration system.

Webcams

In 2020-21, students taking online classes are required to turn on their webcams when the teacher asks them to do so. (Virtual backgrounds are of course permissible.) Students with special needs or circumstances may apply to their teachers for exemption on a case-by-case basis. If it is not possible for a teacher and student to reach agreement, the case may be referred to the relevant Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) or, in the case of Common Core courses, to the Director.

Campus health and hygiene

HKU has devised robust protocols to promote campus health and hygiene (https://covid19.hku.hk/). Everyone coming to campus needs to be aware of and respect these protocols. Throughout S1, the University will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and make any necessary adjustments. Please always stay vigilant and make personal and group health your top priority.

Looking ahead

Both globally and locally, the public health situation remains volatile and unpredictable. In the coming weeks and months, it is quite possible that we will face renewed pandemic challenges. Throughout S1, we will keep the public health situation under close review. Should there be a deterioration, we may need to suspend all f2f teaching at short notice, and switch back to online delivery for all courses. In making your plans for the semester, please bear this in mind.

Best wishes for S1 – Ian

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong