HKUST 2006-2007 Annual Report
15
Four-year curriculum: A University Core Program
Change brings opportunity, and the HKUST embraces the opportunities arising
from the “3-3-4” education reform that reduces secondary school education
from seven years to six, bringing four-year degrees on line in 2012. The
opportunity is for HKUST to integrate its new undergraduate experience into
its overall Strategic Plan, which lays out the framework for the University’s
development to 2020 and contains a vision of a multi-disciplinary education to
prepare students for their roles as the creative thinkers, innovators and leaders
of tomorrow.
A key feature of planning for the four-year program is the decision to create
more interdisciplinary offerings to complement the traditional majors.
In addition, the University is designing a Core Program required of all
undergraduates in order to better broaden students’ intellectual horizons and
strengthen their reasoning and communication capacity.
Other elements will be introduced into our education reform. Students will
enjoy more flexibility in their choice of majors and minors from richer offerings,
and will be given more time to decide on their areas of specialization. Abundant
research opportunities will help create a learning environment rich in problem
solving and creative thinking. Overseas exchanges and relationships will be
expanded to attract a more diversified student body, and enrich students’
learning experience.
Four-year curriculum: school level
The University moved beyond the “big-picture” stage during the year by adding
detail to plans for the four-year program to be put to the University Grants
Committee in January 2008, together with an academic development proposal
for 2009-2012.
Well-attended faculty brain-storming sessions led to agreement on key features,
while major stakeholders were included in our planning for curriculum revisions.
Meetings with school principals helped clarify issues related to admissions and
a session with our Court and Council members crystalised community and
employer views.
Moves toward interdisciplinary studies picked up pace with the formation of
planning groups for key areas, which have now produced detailed ideas for the
new curriculum. Further steps were also taken toward the creation of a new
school for interdisciplinary studies.
Expansion of the student body and implementation of the new curriculum
also give us the opportunity to bring more top-class faculty members from
around the world. It is anticipated that HKUST will need to recruit about
100 additional faculty members to meet the challenges of the new four-year
program. In May 2007, President Prof Paul Chu, Acting Vice-President for
Academic Affairs Prof Roland Chin, and Associate Vice-President Prof Angelina
Yee, led a pre-recruitment visit to a first group of US universities to reach out to
potential candidates.
