|
at Lingnan College
10 May 1997
Prof Chen, Dr Yam, colleagues, ladies & gentlemen,
First I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you, and particularly those colleagues from outside Hong Kong, who are attending this conference on the excellent and timely theme of Tertiary Teaching & Technology: Visions and Practice.
The University Grants Committee, as the Government's principal adviser on the development and funding of higher education in Hong Kong, accords high priority to teaching and learning as the primary mission of our higher education institutions. This is evidenced most clearly recently by the Teaching and Learning Quality Process Reviews of UGC-funded institutions. The first round of these Reviews was recently completed and a seminar, sponsored by the UGC, was held in April to discuss what all concerned had learned from the Reviews and to promote the sharing of good practice. Further follow-up and a more formal review of the TLQPR process are planned, but I believe most, if not all, concerned would already agree that the TLQPRs have to a large extent achieved their objectives. These are:
to focus attention on teaching and learning as the primary mission of Hong Kong's tertiary institutions; to assist institutions in their efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning; and to enable the UGC and the institutions to discharge their obligation to maintain accountability for the quality of teaching and learning.
The UGC's emphasis on maintaining and improving the quality of teaching and learning is also shown by the Committee's setting aside a total of more than $150 million for Teaching Development Grants in the 1995-98 triennium; as well as the provision of some $33m from the UGC's Central Allocation Vote over the last few years to support projects aimed at fostering collaborative teaching development initiatives, including the Consortium for the Promotion of Teaching Skills and Technology.
We have recently announced the award of some $64m from the third tranche of Teaching Development Grants to support a total of 21 projects ranging from developing IT and Internet based teaching resources to research projects to evaluate students' experience and performance in tertiary education (including, incidentally, some $3m for the continuation of the Consortium for the Promotion of Teaching Skills and Technology). The UGC hopes that, by supporting these projects, the overall quality of teaching and learning in the Hong Kong higher education sector will be enhanced both by the projects themselves and through the sharing of results and outcomes. I expect that support of this kind will continue to be provided, and possibly even increased, in the next triennium.
In addition the UGC has actively supported the development of the information technology and telecommunications infrastructure to support teaching and learning, and research and other scholarly activity, in Hong Kong's higher education sector. Over the years we have contributed significantly (so far some $18m) to the development of the Hong Kong Academic and Research Network (HARNET), both locally and in terms of our links to the rest of the world. The Committee is actively considering further significant investments (possibly as much as $100m more) in this area in recognition of the challenges facing higher education institutions in Hong Kong, as everywhere, to change and adapt teaching and learning to the circumstances of the information age.
To depart momentarily from the immediate theme of this conference, I should just like to take this opportunity to mention that, as part of its on-going commitment to quality assurance in all aspects of the activities of the higher education institutions, the UGC is planning to undertake Management Reviews of all UGC-funded institutions starting in early 1998. These Reviews will focus attention on, and aim to enhance the effectiveness of, the institutions' internal resource allocation, planning and financial processes. They also, like the TLQPRs, aim to discharge the UGC's and the institutions' public accountability - in this case for ensuring that devolved funds and resources are managed appropriately and cost-effectively. However, also like the TLQPRs, the planned Management Reviews do not, repeat not, indicate any pressing concerns on the part of the UGC about the quality or performance of the institutions in this area. As mentioned earlier, they simply represent a new approach on the part of the UGC to discharging the Committee's on-going advisory and quality assurance functions.
Coming back to the theme of the present conference, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Consortium for the Promotion of Teaching Skills and Technology for producing an impressive series of workshops/courses and self-help materials for tertiary teachers. All such initiatives help to focus attention on and improve the quality of teaching and learning in our institutions. I am sure that colleagues who use the materials and participate in the workshops and conferences organised by the Consortium will greatly benefit from them. It is also our shared hope that participants will integrate the experience into their teaching activities and continue to strive for teaching excellence.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Consortium for the Promotion of Teaching Skills and Technology, and especially Dr Leo Yam, for all the efforts put into the planning and organising of the seminars and in particular the present conference. I wish all participants a fruitful day's discussions.
|
