ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) is a local university dedicated to teacher education and complementary disciplines. Funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), the University provides doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees, postgraduate diploma, higher diploma and a range of in-service programmes to about 10,620 students.
RICH EDUCATION HERITAGE
The University’s history can be traced back to 1881, when the first Government Normal School was established in Wan Chai, albeit for a brief period. As the first full-time, single-purposed teacher training institute in Hong Kong, it can be seen as the historical origin of EdUHK, which has emerged after the evolvement and development of local teacher education at different stages. With increasing interest in and demand for teacher education from the government and the public, the Northcote College of Education (1939), Grantham College of Education (1951), Sir Robert Black College of Education (1960), Hong Kong Technical Teachers’ College (1974) and Institute of Language in Education (1982) were founded to provide formal teacher education in Hong Kong.
In April 1994, pursuant to the recommendation of Education Commission Report No.5, The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) was established by amalgamating the four Colleges of Education and the Institute of Language in Education to enhance teacher education and upgrade professional development programmes.
TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY
The Institute came under the aegis of the UGC in July 1996 and moved to the Tai Po campus the following year. In 2004, it was granted self-accrediting status for education programmes following a review by the UGC. In mid-2007, the Institute promulgated a Development Blueprint for the coming decade, outlining its aspiration to become an education university and to extend its scope of educational and research activities, footprint and academic impact within the Asia-Pacific region. In 2009, the Institute promulgated, for the first time, its “Education-plus” approach under its Strategic Plan 2009–12 and Beyond, embarking on a transformation journey to an education-focused, multidisciplinary, research-strong university of education.
This was followed by the publication of the Strategic Plan 2013–16. Titled Shaping the Future: Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Scholarship, it provided direction, strategies and milestones to guide the Institute’s development, enabling it to further enhance its academic capacity, improve its research infrastructure, and promote its research culture and impact in the areas of education studies, humanities, social sciences, and creative arts and culture.
In September 2015, the UGC submitted its review report to the Education Bureau, recommending that the Institute be awarded the title of university, which the Chief Executive in Council approved in January 2016. Following the passage of the HKIEd (Amendment) Bill at the Legislative Council in mid-May 2016 and upon the publication in the Government Gazette of the HKIEd (Amendment) Ordinance 2016, HKIEd was officially renamed The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) on 27 May 2016. EdUHK was granted full self-accrediting status for all its programmes on 1 April 2018.
TEN-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN
As a new university, EdUHK promulgated its Strategic Plan 2016–2025, which articulates its vision, mission, core values and strategies to guide the University’s development under the “Education-plus” approach. Representing the collective wisdom of the entire University community, it reflects the University’s strong commitment to making continuous enhancements in learning, teaching, research and knowledge transfer, and its aspiration to have a positive impact on social progress and human development in the local, regional and global contexts.
PROGRAMMES
As the largest teacher education provider in Hong Kong, EdUHK offers teacher education programmes at different levels and in various study modes. Initial teacher education programmes such as the Bachelor of Education (Honours) programmes and Higher Diploma in Education programmes are offered to prepare beginning teachers to teach in kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Postgraduate Diplomas in Education programmes are offered for university graduates aspiring to become professional teachers.
In 2022/23, the University offered 44 undergraduate programmes for over 5,800 students and three sub-degree programmes for over 630 students. Building upon its widening academic scope and knowledge base, the University has been expanding its programme offerings to cover more subject disciplines and cross-faculty major courses. During the 2022-25 triennium, the University has been launching a variety of new undergraduate programmes covering Artificial Intelligence and educational technology, sports science and coaching, environmental management, and heritage education and arts management. There are also new Senior-year Entry Programmes specialising in early childhood and family studies, English studies and digital communication, sociology and community studies, social entrepreneurship and development studies, and executive management.
At the postgraduate level, the University offers professional doctorate degree programmes, research postgraduate programmes and a wide array of self-financed taught postgraduate degree programmes for educators and professionals in education settings who seek professional advancement. In the 2022/23 academic year, about 320 students were enrolled in four professional doctorate degree programmes, some 130 students were enrolled in three research postgraduate programmes and 46 taught postgraduate programmes were offered for about 2,500 students. In the past year, the University also offered 52 full-time and part-time professional development programmes for about 1,200 students to cater for the development needs of in-service teachers.
GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
Since 2019/20, the University has implemented a revamped curriculum structure for all undergraduate programmes. Under the revamped common core curriculum, new elements such as credit-bearing experiential learning courses, General Education Interdisciplinary Courses, Breadth Courses and a Capstone Project have been introduced, enabling students to interact academically and professionally across disciplines.
In parallel, since 2019, the Professional Excellence”, “Ethical Responsibility” and “Innovation” (“PEER&I”) has become the framework articulating the attributes of our university graduates. The framework is applicable to sub-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate students with specific descriptions for each level.
BREAKTHROUGHS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
As testimony to its educational leadership, the University has ranked the top four in Asia and 21st in the world in education in the QS World University Rankings 2023 by Subject. As for individual faculty members, 34 EdUHK scholars were named among the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world, in an annual list released by Stanford University in 2021.
EdUHK boasts the largest critical mass of scholars and experts in education and related disciplines in Hong Kong, with academic and teaching staff from 26 countries or places on five continents and an increasingly internationalised profile of research postgraduate students from different parts of the world. EdUHK had entered into partnerships with over 200 universities and institutions in more than 30 countries or places, together with dual doctoral or master’s degree programmes launched with six partner universities.
The University has dedicated to contribute to the teacher and talent development and support the strategic plans of nurturing future teachers and talents through diverse initiatives and collaborations taking into account the societal development in local, national and global aspects. For example, the University has recently incorporated the Greater Bay Area (GBA) elements in the undergraduate curriculum and required students to visit the GBA to equip students with the most updated knowledge of the development in the mainland. To strengthen students’ understanding of the rule of order and of the importance of National Security, the University has also enriched the undergraduate curriculum by making “Basic Law and National Security Education” a common core course and embedding this element in other existing courses. Outside Hong Kong, the University has contributed to ongoing educational reform in the Belt and Road countries to enhance their higher education capacity, through nation-wide projects. Over the years, EdUHK has also partnered with the World Bank, UNESCO, UNEVOC, the Asian Development Bank and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization to drive educational change.
RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
Leveraging its established niche in education and growing capacity in multidisciplinary fields, the University has been advancing knowledge boundaries through research and knowledge transfer. As of June 2023, with newly funded projects and those previously awarded, senior academics and emerging young scholars at the University are undertaking 187 ongoing projects funded by the Research Grants Council (RGC) and other funding bodies*, with a total awarded amount of HK$178.18 million, in a wide array of disciplines and subjects, including education, social sciences, psychology and linguistics, and humanities and arts, among others.
The University also excels in research performance and impact, as evidenced by the latest results in the UGC’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020, in which an array of the University’s research projects were judged to be “world leading” or “internationally excellent”. Apart from the traditional education field, the University’s research was recognised in other Units of Assessment, covering earth sciences, geography, Chinese language & literature, psychology, computer studies and linguistics & language studies.
With its enhanced research capacity, the University established the Knowledge Transfer Sub-office in 2016 to actively make our innovations more impactful through the development and commercialisation of intellectual property, entrepreneurship talent development, and start-up incubation. In the previous triennium, the Sub-office supported 40 translational research and knowledge transfer projects, received over 60 international awards and filed 12 patent applications. Under its Education And Social Entrepreneurs (EASE) Fund scheme, the University has trained 97 start-up teams over the years, 20 of which were funded. These startup teams received 15 external awards or sizeable funding.
*Other funding bodies include the Beat Drugs Fund, the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (previously the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office), the Environment and Conservation Fund, the Health Bureau, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, and the Sports Science and Research Funding Scheme (with funding from the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (HKJCCT))
CAMPUS
The purpose-built campus, surrounded by the lush greenery of a mountain range, is divided by a central spine road, with student hostels and staff quarters in the upper zone and academic and sports facilities in the lower zone. It also links the main entrance at the south end to the Amenities and Sports Complex at the north end of the campus.
The Main Complex comprises eight blocks of academic buildings, which house the academic staff offices and teaching facilities. The Central Facilities Building, which is located in the centre of the main complex, houses the Library, the IT Help Desk, lecture theatres, the Learning Commons area, a convenience store, student activity rooms and canteens. The covered Central Plaza is the hub of the University, where university-wide events and student activities are held. Designed for 21st century educational trends, eight “Future Classrooms” located in the Library have been operational since 2021, alongside the AI Education Lab and other new research facilities.
The Amenities and Sports Complex at the north end of the campus consists of a Conference Centre, departmental offices and sports facilities, including an Olympic-standard outdoor swimming pool, an indoor training pool, a sports hall, a practice gymnasium, a climbing gymnasium, two fitness rooms, three squash courts and two sports laboratories. The five-hectare off-campus sports complex at Pak Shek Kok houses outdoor facilities including an athletics track, two full-sized football pitches and five tennis courts for students, staff and their dependents, sports club members and partnership schools. In addition to the existing Tseung Kwan O Study Centre, the University’s second down-town study centre in North Point, renovated from an ex-primary school building, will be open for classes in September 2023. The new North Point Study Centre is well furnished with 12 Classrooms of various sizes, an AI Education Laboratory, a Lecture Theatre of capacity accommodating 130 people, a Learning Common and some Discussion Rooms for teaching and learning purposes.
The University has also commenced the construction of a new Academic Building on the Tai Po campus, which will take about three years. With a net operating floor area of 7,600 square metres, the eight-storey building will support the University’s teaching and research through the application of educational technology, pedagogy and interactive learning.
