Undergraduate Education
New Programmes and Initiatives
In the last academic year, the Institute has successfully completed the revalidation and Programme Area Accreditation of its programmes in complementary disciplines. The development of teacher education programmes, however, remains the Institute’s core mission. During the year, three new University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded programmes launched in 2015-16 were developed. The programmes are the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Business, Accounting and Financial Studies, Bachelor of Education (Honours) in History and Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Secondary) in Mathematics, and are designed to meet the demand for secondary school teachers in these subject areas. The introduction of these new programmes attests to the ongoing growth and development of the Institute.
During the year, the Institute entered into a strategic partnership with the East China Normal University (ECNU), under which a series of collaborative initiatives have been reached, including an enlarged quota of 20 students from each institution in the student exchange programme, and conducting joint research projects with ECNU. This is an expansion of our collaboration with Mainland universities, following the positive response to the Enriched Student Exchange Programme (ESEP) sealed between the Beijing Normal University (BNU) and the Institute in the last academic year. Under the BNU-HKIEd agreement, 19 HKIEd students left for Beijing in Semester One of 2014-15, during which they had the opportunity to learn from renowned scholars and gain valuable exposure to local field experience in the capital city. In August 2015, as this Report was under preparation, 20 BNU students arrived at HKIEd to start their one-semester exchange.
With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Institute and the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), nine elite athletes recommended by the HKSI were admitted to the Institute’s two-year part-time Bachelor of Health Education programme during the year. The MOU also covers retiree sportspersons, and as such a retired elite athlete was admitted to the Institute’s full-time Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Primary) Programme.
Cultivation of Positive Values and Language Skills
In the large-scale Survey of Core Competencies of Future Teachers conducted by the Institute last academic year, the feedback given by some 1,000 principals and their representatives revealed that positive personality, positive work attitude, cooperation and teamwork, interpersonal skills and professional knowledge and skills were the five priority areas of attention. Based on the findings, the Institute stepped up initiatives to address the demands of the school sector, with a view to cultivating positive values and a positive mind-set among our students. In a 2014-15 lecture series, distinguished individuals from various sectors of the community were invited as guest speakers to share their experiences and exchange with our students. They included, among others, Mr Pang Yiu-kai, SBS, JP, Chairman of the Institute’s Council, and Dr Joseph Ting Sun-pao, HKIEd Honorary Fellow, widely respected for his knowledge of Hong Kong’s history, delivering talks on themes covering “Leadership, Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship”, “Ethics, Values and Cultures” and “Professional Ethics for Teachers”. In addition, a forum entitled “Principal Lillian Lui Lai-hung x Miriam Yeung – I believe I can fly” was held on 11 May 2015, during which the guests were invited to speak on the genuine values of education and have a candid exchange with the audience.
To enrich cultural sensitivity and create an English-rich learning environment on campus, the International Tutors Scheme was introduced during the year. Seven tutors from the US, the Philippines, Serbia, Canada and Mexico, all recent graduates of institutions of higher education, were on board in Semester One. They facilitated English language exchanges through a variety of subjects and learning activities, such as organising co-curricular and hostel events, a conversational corner, debates and workshops, and providing language advice, among others.
Service and Performance of Graduates Recognised
In their different capacities, many of our graduates have given selfless and devoted service to the Hong Kong community. In recognition of their contributions and achievements, eight alumni were honoured in 2015 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive’s Honours List. Two were awarded Bronze Bauhinia Stars, two Medals of Honour, three Chief Executive’s Commendations for Community Service, and one a Chief Executive’s Commendation for Government/Public Service. The recipients included Ms Lillian Lui, whose true story of not giving up on a five-child kindergarten was turned into the box-office success “Little Big Masters”.
The Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence 2014/2015 once again testified to the professionalism and performance of graduates from HKIEd and our former colleges of education. In the three key learning areas of Chinese Language Education, English Language Education and Moral and Civic Education, out of 51 recipients, 25 (49 per cent) were Institute alumni, with four receiving awards and 21 certificates of merit. Since the scheme’s inception in 2003, 567 out of 767 awards (74 per cent) have been bestowed upon graduates of HKIEd or its predecessor colleges of education. The awardees have been invited to serve as Learning and Teaching Advisors at the Institute’s Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
Quest for Teaching Excellence: Academics and Students
With education as its core mission and as the stronghold of teacher education, the Institute is keenly aware that its academic and teaching staff members will continue to pursue excellence in their scholarship. Learning and Teaching@HKIEd has been organised as an Institute-wide initiative since 2013. The event has been successful in mobilising staff and students to organise a wide array of activities to share the best practices of learning and teaching under designated themes. The activity received increasing attention and was developed into a two-month “Learning and Teaching@HKIEd Festival” from February to March 2015. A biannual publication, the HKIEd Learning and Teaching Newsletter, was also launched in January 2015 to enhance understanding and spur the development of learning and teaching practices and innovations among stakeholders.
The Institute introduced the HKIEd Undergraduate Programme Nominations Scheme in 2012-13 with a view to attracting young people who aspire to become professional teachers. During the year, the Institute received close to 1,000 nominations from over 200 secondary schools. Students nominated by their schools were invited to attend an information day on 9 May 2015 that aimed at providing applicants with the latest admission and programme information, and the opportunity to experience university life.
Postgraduate Education
Research Postgraduate (RPg) programmes at the Institute have received increasing support from the UGC since their launch in 2010. Fifty UGC-funded RPg places will be allocated to the Institute for the 2015-16 academic year. Together with an allowance of 40 per cent over-enrolment, up to 70 places will be available for 2015-16. Graduates are employed by academic institutions or international agencies such as the UNESCO Bangkok Office, and universities in Malaysia and Mainland China.
To provide global engagement and overseas learning opportunities for RPg students, the International Outreach Study Programme (IOSP) has been organised annually since 2012, and was extended to Doctor of Education students during the year to create greater synergy. In the 2014-15 academic year, groups of students visited universities in Germany, the UK, Russia, Korea and Japan to participate in organised scholarly activities such as attending academic writing workshops as well as sharing research findings with postgraduate students and researchers in the host institutions.
Pursuant to the forging of the Global Alliance of Universities during the year, the Institute actively explored the possibility of offering dual doctoral degrees with universities in the UK and Australia. During the year, new taught postgraduate programmes were approved for launch in 2015-16 and the following academic years. These programmes, which cater for the specialised and diversified needs of the community, include the Master of Teaching, Master of Arts in Child and Family Education, Master of Arts in Community-based Arts Education, Master of Arts in Learning and Data Sciences, and Master of Social Sciences in Higher Education Policy and Governance.
