HKUST 2008-2009 Annual Report
15
教與
Teaching and Learning
The number of exchange-in and exchange-out students
continues to grow in recent years. In 2008, 510 overseas
exchange students came to HKUST while 602 HKUST
students studied overseas for at least one semester. In
a recent survey conducted by students, international
exchange is recognized as a competitive advantage of
HKUST in student recruitment.
The number of non-local degree-seeking students
also grew modestly to 185 in 2008 with a significant
increase in the diversity of the nationality of incoming
students. The University hopes to take advantage of an
expanding international student body to launch a number
of programs and events to promote social and cultural
exchange.
Scholarships
Students are the most important assets of a university. It
is essential to recruit the best talents to come to HKUST
and to recognize outstanding academic achievements
of existing students. With the establishment of the
Scholarships and Awards Unit in 2008, the University
is able to formulate effective recruitment strategy and
scholarship schemes to recognize academic excellence.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, the University
has been able to steadily increase the number of
scholarships in recent years. In 2008, 771 students received
scholarships, representing 12% of the undergraduate
student body.
The Four-Year Degree
The University is now well advanced in its planning for
the four-year degree. A cross-department Working Group
for the Four-year Degree Curriculum has been formed.
A wide range of issues must be tackled — admissions,
the interface with the new secondary-school curriculum,
creating flexible program-choices for students, building up
the “University Core” of common courses, and providing
students with positive out-of-class learning experiences.
With the strong support of Schools and Departments,
these issues are being tackled, and thus the four-year
degree program is beginning to take shape.
To support the University’s strategic direction in light of
the education reform, HKUST College of LifeLong Learning
(CL3) will be playing a more prominent role in furthering
HKUST’s higher education mission with a focus on
programs relating to 3-3-4, outreach and the development
of students’ lifelong learning skills. To facilitate this new
role, CL3’s operation will be consolidated back to the main
campus in Clear Water Bay, and the Admiralty Learning
Center will cease to operate by the end of 2009.
Outcome-Based Education
Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is an initiative of
the University Grants Committee to coincide with the
transition of Hong Kong’s undergraduate education from
three to four years. The initiative calls for programs at all
levels to have clearly defined learning objectives, to set out
the teaching and learning processes for achieving these
objectives, and assessment methods to determine if the
learning objectives are met.
To implement OBE for the new four-year undergraduate
curriculum, the University has set up an OBE Steering
Group with participation from the Schools. The University
and Schools have developed learning outcomes
statements and attention has now switched to piloting
implementation of OBE at the course level.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Program
Almost all of our research-active faculty teach
undergraduate students, thus allowing our students to get
a first-hand introduction to the research frontier of their
chosen field. For those who are particularly interested
in research, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Program (UROP) provides a chance to go into the lab and
work alongside their professors.
Students enrolled in UROP will engage in research under
the guidance and supervision of professors. UROP has
become popular among faculty and students since its
inception three years ago. The participation of faculty and
students increased from 54 in 2006 to 87 in 2008, and
125 in 2006 to 256 in 2008, respectively.
