QAC Commends EdUHK’s Quality Enhancement Culture

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The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) welcomes the Audit Report on the University by the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) under the University Grants Committee (UGC) released today (14 June). Among other things, the Report recognises and commends the University’s commitment to its Education-plus vision, quality assurance and enhancement, learning opportunities and experiences as well as internationalisation strategies. The Report also acknowledges the great strides and remarkable progress the University has made since the first QAC Quality Audit of the then Hong Kong Institute of Education in 2011.

The following are some of the highlights of the QAC Report:

• The Audit Panel commends EdUHK’s commitment as an institution and the mechanism it has put in place to create a quality culture distinguished by the value it places on evidence-led enhancement;
• The Panel commends EdUHK’s well documented, comprehensive and thorough approach to the academic standards as well as its strategic and systematic use of external reference points to validate the academic standards and enhance University process;
• The Panel commends the University’s on-going process of operationalising its internationalisation strategies which involves widespread active engagement process, a commitment to internationalisation of the student experience, the curriculum and of the University itself;
• The Panel commends EdUHK on the effectiveness of assessment processes as well as its ePortfolio initiatives as a distinctive feature of undergraduate education at EdUHK; and
• The Panel formed the view that EdUHK is uniquely placed within the UGC sector to take a stronger, more innovative, pedagogical lead in e-learning. The Panel affirms our bolder initiatives already taken and the more ambitious approach embodied in the new Learning and Teaching Plan (2016-19) to enhancing students’ e-learning.

The Panel was impressed by EdUHK’s commitment to deliver high quality learning opportunities at the undergraduate level to support the development of the whole person, through a broad range of formal and informal learning opportunities which support holistic development and add value to student engagement. The Panel concluded that EdUHK’s Graduate School and Faculties had together made significant progress in fostering a postgraduate culture and offering research postgraduate students a high quality learning experience in a supportive, collegial environment.

Welcoming the QAC Report, Professor Frederick Ma Si-hang, Council Chairman of EdUHK, said, “I am particularly pleased to note QAC’s recognition of our Education-plus vision and commitment to quality assurance and enhancement. This is most encouraging and reassuring to the University community as we strive to play a bigger role as a leading university in the Asia-Pacific region focusing on Education and its complementary disciplines.”

Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, President of EdUHK, echoed, “We are grateful for this invaluable audit process through which we could reflect upon our strengths and achievements as well as areas for continuous enhancements. This very positive Report is best testimony to our ongoing commitment to excel on all fronts.”

The Quality Audit of EdUHK was conducted in October 2016 by an Audit Panel chaired by Emeritus Professor Hilary Winchester with members drawn from local and overseas experts. Auditing is an external quality assurance process that involves independent peer review by senior academics in the higher education sector. Its principal aims are to confirm that existing arrangements for quality assurance are fit for purpose, that the quality of provision is comparable to international best practices, that universities are committed to continuously improving the quality of their academic programmes and that students are well taught and well supported to ensure that they are able to achieve the expected academic standards. This audit process is applicable to the eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong.

Appendix: Report of a Quality Audit of The Education University of Hong Kong