Excellence in teaching deserves recognition

(16-09-2010)

Last Wednesday, the UGC hosted a dinner reception to celebrate the teaching excellence of UGC-funded institutions. Over 60 outstanding academic staff who dedicate themselves to providing a creative and excellent learning environment for our younger generations attended the dinner. It was most encouraging to hear from these outstanding teachers their interesting stories on innovative teaching methods and helping students learn. Indeed, excellent research often grabs the news and the headlines – and it seems also the promotion opportunities for the institutions. But excellent teaching is not so visible, not so apparent immediately. There is a growing perception in the community that our institutions have been putting much of their effort and resources to research – and that teaching and learning is being rather downplayed. I have heard this first hand, both at the consultation fora of the Higher Education Review 2010 and in my visits to institutions.

Renewed Focus on the Quality of Teaching

I am not sure how much truth there is in this, but it is certainly unfortunate that such an impression seems to be taking root. There is no dispute about the benefits research brings to our society and economy, but it should not distract our institutions from fulfilling their paramount and indispensable role – i.e. teaching of the highest quality. Despite their tremendous contribution to society through the education of their students, teachers have somehow been taken for granted in recent years. Clearly there is a need for the academic community to focus once again on the importance of teaching and learning for the benefit of our students.

The UGC considers that universities have three broad functions: teaching and learning, research and knowledge transfer. Teaching and learning are always named first. Research and knowledge transfer, while important in their own sense, should take a complementary role to inform teaching. The UGC has a significant commitment in supporting teaching and learning: three-quarters of the UGC's Block Grant, i.e. over $7 billion is designated for teaching per year; on top of that about $150 million per year are for Teaching Development Grants and Language Enhancement Grants – both designed to improve teaching and students' ability to learn.

Following the implementation of the new "3+3+4" academic structure, teaching and learning is going to be more challenging and will take more varied forms, given the greater student diversity and emphasis on co-curricular activities. We shall put a renewed focus on the quality of taught programmes in our forthcoming academic planning exercise, which will allocate student places and funding for the coming 2012-15 triennium.

Teaching Awardees to be "Ambassadors of Good Teaching"

Outstanding teachers who enjoy teaching and inspire many are the gems in our higher education system. It is with their professional expertise that the society feels confident to put over $7 billion public funds in our institutions, so that generation after generation of thinking, productive and socially motivated young people will join our community. There is no end in the influence that a good teacher can bring – not only to students, but also to their peers and the community. Such greatness and excellence in teaching should get the attention and recognition it deserves.

To send a very strong signal within the higher education sector and to our stakeholders that we do attach great importance to quality teaching and learning, I took the opportunity at the UGC dinner reception last Wednesday to announce the UGC’s initiative to set up a "UGC Teaching Award".

The UGC Teaching Award will duly honour those who excel in teaching in the UGC sector, and it will be forward-looking. It will not only recognise past and present teaching performance and achievements, but also the teachers’ leadership in and scholarly contribution to teaching and learning within and across institutions. In other words, the awardees will become "ambassadors of good teaching" to collectively make a real and sustained impact in promoting teaching excellence in the UGC sector.

This is no doubt an ambitious goal and, for this reason, the award will be highly selective, competitive and prestigious. The UGC has set up a dedicated sub-group to work out the framework of the Award. We are under no illusion that the introduction of a UGC Teaching Award alone is sufficient in sustaining and enhancing the quality of learning and teaching. But this is an important first step. The UGC is working out the framework for the Award and will collect stakeholders' views in the process.

The Hon Laura M Cha
Chairman, UGC