Teaching & Learning Quality

Teaching has an indispensable role in the functions of higher education institutions. The importance of “teaching and learning” is emphatically highlighted in the “Aspirations for the Higher Education System in Hong Kong”.

The UGC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the quality of UGC-funded institutions and their activities. The QAC, established in April 2007 under the UGC, operates at arm’s length from the Committee to provide third-party oversight. One of the QAC’s core operational tasks is to conduct quality audits on individual UGC-funded institutions to assure the quality of their educational provision (however funded) at first degree level and above, with due regard to institutions’ autonomy and self-accrediting status. The quality audits are conducted by independent audit panels appointed by the QAC, consisting of local and overseas academic as well as lay auditors drawn from QAC’s Register of Auditors.

Apart from quality assurance, the UGC is also committed to enhancing teaching methods and student learning outcomes, in particular the language proficiency of students. To this end, the UGC provides institutions with the Teaching Development Grants and Language Enhancement Grants, and implements the Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme. The UGC also promotes outcome-based student learning approaches, which are increasingly used in the global scene. 

Quality Audits

The QAC’s approach to quality audits stems from the recognition that institutions have distinct and varied missions, reflecting the UGC’s vision of a differentiated yet interlocking higher education system. Recognising that each institution has objectives appropriate to its mission, the QAC defines quality in terms of ‘Fitness for Purpose’, where institutions have different purposes that reflect their missions and the role statements they have agreed with the UGC. The QAC sees itself as forming a partnership with institutions in assuring and enhancing the quality of student learning experience in Hong Kong, for the benefit of all concerned.

A quality audit examines whether an institution has quality assurance processes in place appropriate for its stated purposes, whether it pursues activities and applies resources to achieve those purposes, and whether there is verifiable evidence to show that the purposes are being achieved. The QAC’s Audit Manual sets out how the QAC conducts audits and what it expects to receive from institutions.　

In 2010-11, three audit reports on LU, HKUST and CityU were released, and the audits on PolyU and HKIEd were progressing well. All eight UGC-funded institutions will have been audited by end of 2011 in the first audit cycle.

Audit reports of LU, HKUST and CityU were published on 30 July, 18 November and 30 November 2010 respectively

Teaching and Learning

Teaching Development Grants
“Teaching and learning” is central to the roles of all institutions. To encourage institutions to adopt innovative approaches to teaching, and to improve the quality of the learning environment, the UGC provides institutions with Teaching Development Grants. For 2010/11, the UGC disbursed a total of $37.6 million as Teaching Development Grants. Allocation is mainly based on the student numbers at undergraduate and sub-degree levels.

UGC Teaching Award
To send a strong signal within the higher education sector and to stakeholders that the UGC attaches great importance to quality teaching and learning, the UGC has decided to set up an annual UGC Teaching Award to honour those who excel in teaching in the UGC sector. The award 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. The UGC announced the details of the award process in February 2011 and the first awardees will be selected and announced in the second half of 2011.　

Language Proficiency of Students

Language Enhancement Grants
Enhancing students’ language proficiency, which is an essential quality of a globally competitive graduate, is a priority high on the UGC’s agenda. To provide additional support to institutions for promoting students’ language proficiency in both English and Chinese (including Putonghua), the UGC provides institutions with Language Enhancement Grants, which are on top of resources from their block grants and other sources. A total of $112.4 million was allocated as Language Enhancement Grants in 2010/11. The amount is allocated based on institutions’ respective student numbers.

The UGC engaged a consultant who visited the institutions in June 2010 to review their language enhancement activities, and confirmed that the activities were of excellent quality. The consultant also commented that there could be more collaboration among institutions in this important area. Institutions have been invited to take into account the consultant’s comments and recommendations in planning for their future language enhancement activities.

Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme 
Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme is another language-related initiative undertaken by the UGC to enhance students’ awareness of the importance of English language proficiency through participating in an internationally recognised language assessment. The current testing instrument is the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Final-year undergraduate students of all UGC-funded institutions may participate in the Scheme on a voluntary basis. They will be reimbursed with the test fee if they agree to have a statement included in their transcripts indicating their participation in Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme. In 2010/11, about 12 400 final year students, or 69% of the projected number of graduates of the UGC-funded institutions, registered for participation in Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme.

Outcome-based Approaches in Student Learning

In respect of evaluating and improving quality, internationally there has been increasing interest in gathering credible evidence for assessing student learning. Central to our commitment to enhancing student learning, the UGC advocates the Outcome-based Approaches initiative. The promotion of Outcome-based Approaches to student learning allows institutions to articulate what they intend their students to achieve and develop appropriate teaching activities and assessment strategies accordingly.

The UGC is facilitating institutions to move forward by building up their Outcome-based Approaches capacities  with the provision of additional funds to the institutions to facilitate staff release to weave “outcomes” into their academic curricula, and to share with institutions the international experience, the challenges and stakeholders’ concerns, and ways to overcome them. The UGC is keeping abreast of the development of such approaches in the institutions through the Taskforce on Outcomebased Approaches in Student Learning comprising representatives of all eight institutions, and will continue to take measures to encourage and facilitate their adoption.