Achievements Highlights 2020-2022

• We have made considerable effort to review our existing programme offerings to ensure that the programmes remain relevant and current to prepare our students for future challenges, and to remain responsive to the manpower needs of different sectors.


• Guided by our “Education-plus” approach and with the support of the Government, we launched nine new undergraduate programmes in the 2022-25 triennium (including senior year entry programmes), covering the complementary disciplines of AI and educational technology, sports science and coaching, heritage education and arts management, integrated environmental management, early childhood and family studies, English studies and digital communication, executive management, social entrepreneurship and development studies, and sociology and community studies. These programmes are enriched with elements of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), Life and Values Education (LVE), and Basic Law and National Security Education (NSE). New collaborations have also been established in the GBA to provide internships, field experience (FE), and study tour opportunities for students, and to facilitate youth exchange in the region. For instance, field visits to AI and educational technology organisations and universities in the GBA (e.g. Huawei’s Shenzhen campus) are being planned to prepare our graduates to seize the opportunities presented by the Government’s initiatives like the “Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme” and “Youth Entrepreneurship”. The senior entry programmes will provide students who have Associate Degree / Higher Diploma qualifications with a flexible post-secondary education opportunity to build a diversified labour force for the social and economic development of Hong Kong.


• We have set Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) as one of our strategic priorities. To fully integrate STEAM education into our curricula, we have introduced a multitude of trainings, resources, and opportunities to enable our students to advance their digital skills.


• To keep our students abreast of the latest developments and curriculum changes in the school sector, NSE elements were incorporated into the FE / General Education (GE) / Education Studies curriculum. Positive and Values Education (PAVE) courses focusing on NSE were progressively introduced into the GE curriculum. NSE-related online learning resources have also been developed as self-learning and reference materials for University members.


• The new FE curriculum has been implemented in the 5-year full-time Bachelor of Education (BEd) programmes starting from the 2019-24 cohort. We have embedded LVE into our curricula to meet societal expectations of teachers’ professionalism, ethics, and conduct. Three new topics were introduced to strengthen the development of professional teacher identity in the context of professionalism, moral and ethical values, and local legal compliance, including (a) teachers’ morality; (b) teachers’ professional values and conduct; and (c) legal knowledge and law compliance, e.g. National Security Law and Basic Law. Assessment tasks were re-arranged to build a solid foundation of students’ understanding and awareness of professional teacher identity.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transformation of our learning and teaching ecosystem. We used various strategies to improve the effectiveness and quality of virtual learning and teaching: online workshops for instructors and students; new FE arrangements with diversified teaching modes; expansion of the EdUHK Online Classes Platform to include webinars and workshops that feature sharing by school principals and frontline teachers; videos and resources relating to online pedagogies in subject-specific contexts; and Communities of Practice fostering exchange in learning and teaching in the “new normal” environment.


• From 2020 to early 2022, 254 sessions of seminars and workshops related to technology-enhanced learning, teaching and assessment were organised, which attracted 3,187 participants in total. According to the self-reflection reports, academic / teaching staff and students had already adapted to online teaching and learning. Institution-wide surveys also showed a significant increase in students’ overall ratings on their learning experience with real-time synchronous lessons, with the mean score (on an 11-point scale) increasing from 5.50 in March 2020 to 6.87 in May 2021 and 7.65 in November 2021, i.e. an increase close to 40%.


• Following the principles of equal opportunities and with the concerted efforts of all departments and offices, we value the diversity of students and are committed to providing a learning environment that is conducive to fruitful learning experience for all. Our strategies and actions to support students with special educational needs (SEN) cover their entire period of study. Apart from the infrastructural support, students with SEN are offered accommodation and support for assignments and practicums, as well as for examinations and assessments. Career consultation is available to them before graduation. We aim at cultivating an inclusive campus environment that is conducive to intellectual and social exchange among students. The effectiveness of the overall support services is affirmed by the positive result of a survey with SEN students, where 83% of the respondents were “satisfied/very satisfied” with the overall support services.


• In addition, mental health support for students is available at various levels. At the programme level, we have implemented a comprehensive management protocol. Students with any sign of psychological distress or psychiatric symptoms are encouraged to seek help from the programme and Student Affairs Office (SAO). The Integrated Centre for Wellbeing (I-WELL) has launched the “Mindfulness, Resilience and Compassion Project” which offers a series of on-campus lunchtime mindfulness training sessions for our students and staff to raise awareness of the importance of mindful practice and to cultivate resilience and psychological wellbeing. Apart from the regular Certificate Course on Mental Health First Aid, SAO has collaborated with the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association to introduce the Wellness Recovery Action Plan Course in 2022-24. In addition to the annual mental health screening exercise, the Counselling Team will reach out and encourage students in need to come for professional counselling support through various means, including strengthening the referral networks in the University and provision of a 24-hr counselling hotline.


• For non-Chinese speaking local students (NCS), individual advising sessions and workshops on time management and email etiquette run by SAO are provided for them to support their transition into university life. The Faculty of Education and Human Development (FEHD) assigns a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist to new students from ethnic minorities, while the Centre for Language in Education (CLE) offers credit-bearing written Chinese, Cantonese and Putonghua enhancement courses which are tailor-made for NCS local students in preparation for academic and workplace settings. The “Inclusion and Equity in Hong Kong’s Diverse Classrooms” project conducted by FEHD assists our students in understanding cultural diversity issues in the classroom, while the Jockey Club Youth Academy for Special Educational Needs of The Chief Executive’s Community Project was set up to promote social inclusion among the undergraduates and SEN youths on campus. Another project, “C-for-Chinese@JC”, created and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and managed by FEHD, aims to enhance the Chinese learning and social-emotional competence of both NCS and Chinese students through evidence-based practices. Since its launch in July 2016, EdUHK has been awarded a total grant of HK$139.61 million and is collaborating with universities and non-governmental organisations to foster culturally responsive education for supporting the learning of NCS students from ethnic minority families. The Project has set a target of supporting 42,000 kindergarten students by 2026, including 5,100 NCS students and their teachers and families. Beyond the classroom, NCS local students are supported by various programmes, e.g. a buddy scheme, an ambassador programme, regular face-to-face / online workshops, and sessions on Cantonese and Putonghua that help facilitate their sense of belonging to the University and promote cultural integration on campus.

• The E-Learning and Digital Competency Strategy in 2019 affirmed a progressive approach that dovetailed learner-centred learning and lifelong learning attributes. Thanks to the dual focus on e-learning and digital competency set out in the 2019 Strategy, EdUHK has been well-positioned to adapt to virtual learning and teaching, and our smooth implementation of contingency measures during the pandemic serves as strong testimony.


• In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching methods had to be adopted. The University underwent a timely expansion of its IT infrastructure, leading to much-improved conditions for e-Learning. Meanwhile, we have built a collection of next-generation learning facilities under the Future Classroom Initiatives, capitalising on the advances in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and AI, to explore the synergy between pedagogies and technology. The eight future classrooms are showcasing to the education community our success and efforts in integrating technology into changing physical classrooms to become versatile and virtual learning environments. The classrooms were put into operation in 2021; they were designed for a wide range of educational purposes and school levels, with each classroom having been equipped with facilities matching its theme. For example, the “Special Education Room” features extra wide video projection for students’ visual stimulation. Student teachers can use the VR capabilities in a wide range of subjects, including abstract concepts in Liberal Arts and History to enhance learning effectiveness. VR and AR teaching resources can be applied to art creation (Visual Arts), virtual field trips (Geography) and scientific activities such as astronomy.


• The “University Enhancement of ePortfolio for Reflective Learning” initiative, which aims at helping students review and monitor their learning experiences, entered the second phase in June 2020. Faculties took turns to organise three university-wide sharing sessions. The percentage of programmes with graduating students from the BEd and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programmes having completed ePortfolios for reflective learning increased from 62.5% in 2019/20 to 85.7% in 2020/21.


• The second phase of the “Blended Learning for University Enhancement Initiative” (BLUE Initiative) was completed in August 2021. This project promoted blended learning through one-course one-online lessons and saw the successful completion of 10 mini-MOOCs and seven mobile applications for students’ self-directed learning.


• The “Excellent e-Teaching Student Award” was set up in 2019/20 to recognise and reward students’ exemplary e-teaching, including microteaching and virtual teaching, and their contributions to the development and delivery of exceptional online lessons. Meanwhile, the University is also developing virtual learning and teaching video resources for students through various projects, such as “Promotion and Integration of Virtual Teaching and Learning in Field Experience”.

• EdUHK graduates continue to be highly regarded by recruiters. The 2021 Graduate Employment Survey showed that 96.4% of EdUHK BEd graduates were either employed or had chosen to further their studies within three months of graduation. Their average monthly starting salary reached HK$31,383. Furthermore, 97.3% of PGDE graduates were employed with an average starting monthly salary of HK$32,633 or had opted to pursue further studies.


• The new FE arrangements have been introduced and implemented since 2020/21 in response to the pandemic. Diversified modes of teaching in BP / FE, including simulated mode, virtual mode (synchronous and/or asynchronous) and authentic mode of classroom teaching, were adopted under normal circumstances.


• The University has collected feedback from leaders of the kindergarten and school sectors and has collaborated closely with the Education Bureau (EDB) to revamp and launch new Professional Development Programmes (PDPs) that stay relevant and up-to-date with the latest developments and demands of the school sector, such as PDPs on rebuilding children’s power of play, school improvement and leadership for principals, mathematical modelling in secondary school STEM education, teaching geography of China elements, home economics / technology and living, literacy learning in the Digital Age, and a new programme specifically designed for kindergarten middle leaders.


• As stipulated in the SP, 14 LVE projects were initiated with support from The Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education (CRSE). A range of educational areas with varying dimensions and subjects are included in the projects, which demonstrate the University’s enthusiasm to promote LVE. More than 200 schools and 4,000 students have been serviced with the help of a variety of programmes and funding. Around 120 students from EdUHK have been trained as Life Education Ambassadors, enabling them to pass on the principles of life and education to their students, and preparing them to include LVE in their future teaching careers. More than 210 training sessions and knowledge transfer (KT) activities have been organised to assist in the above-mentioned professional growth programmes.


• The University has been driving a series of STEM Education initiatives to support, develop and promote STEM Education among kindergartens and junior primary schools since mid-2020, covering (a) early childhood STEM Education; (b) STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Education with animation; (c) concept-based STEM Education and integration of Life Education in STEM Education; and (d) STEM Education through coding. These initiatives include a multimedia-aided learning package consisting of 10 cartoon episodes featuring the life stories of key Chinese and foreign scientists; a 30-episode “Animated Singalong Mathematics” video series designed to introduce important mathematics concepts to primary school students; a STEM learning framework emphasising cross-cutting concepts and the integration of Life Education in STEM Education; and support to local primary, secondary and special schools in their development of STEM education through the QEF Thematic Network – Tertiary (QTN-T) Scheme of the Education Bureau.

• Since the 2015/16 academic year, dual doctoral degree programmes have gradually been set up with universities in Germany, France, and Japan. The dual degree collaboration has been expanded to the master’s level starting from 2021/22. The number of doctoral-level research students increased from 108 to 128 in 2019/20 to 2021/22. The percentage of postgraduate research students who graduated with refereed publications rose from 38% to 47% from 2019/20 to 2020/21.


• The dual degree collaboration was expanded to the Master's level in 2020/21 with universities in Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea. The number of collaborative Master’s level programmes increased from 1 to 3 in 2020/21 to 2021/22. More collaborative degrees will be developed based on this successful model, such as with universities in Russia and Kazakhstan.


• We provide rigorous training for school principals and senior teachers in the GBA to enhance their overall quality in the region. Building on the successful experience of running on-campus Master of Education (MEd) classes in Shenzhen and Shanghai, we are discussing with local partners the establishment of a GBA base and the launch of joint programmes. Another project, “Supporting unit for special education needs”, supported by The Swire Group Charitable Trust will be extended to other parts of the GBA, such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou or Zhongshan, providing much-needed training and services in the SEN field.


• The University forged partnerships with two mainland Universities—Beijing Normal University (BNU) and South China Normal University (SCNU), to offer 3+1 collaborative programmes for their undergraduate students to study taught postgraduate programmes offered by the Faculty of Humanities (FHM). Such collaboration will help build closer ties with our partners in the Mainland.


• The overall average Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) score of the core courses of the Doctor of Education (EdD) and Research Postgraduate (RPg) programmes has achieved 3.60 on a 4-point scale from 2018/19 to 2020/21. Students have remained satisfied with the quality of our courses over the years, particularly in the organisation of the courses and the effectiveness of the courses in meeting their stated learning and teaching plans. Meanwhile, the enthusiasm of course leaders and the overall teaching quality have also earned recognition from students, having consistently achieved a score of over 3.60 (on a 4-point scale).

• Over the last decade, the University has admitted around 110 elite athletes to various programmes. We were also the first UGC-funded institution to sign a collaborative agreement with The Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) in 2014, followed by similar agreements with The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) in 2021 and The Hong Kong Jockey Club in 2022, which introduced admission routes for elite athletes and jockeys to enrol in relevant programmes at EdUHK. For the 2022/23 intake, the University has launched a new EdUHK Nomination Scheme for Elite Athletes (NSEA), offering another option for elite athletes to join our undergraduate programmes. A comprehensive support system coordinated by the Elite Athlete Development Officer is offered for student athletes. Also, an Academic Advisor is assigned to provide guidance on their study process. To accommodate their sports commitments, there are also special academic arrangements for their study loads, timetables and learning modes. In addition, a new Elite Athlete Friendly University Fund was established in 2021 to grant scholarships to EdUHK’s Olympians to support their studies. Moreover, the University is conducting a two-pronged approach for sportsman training. First, the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) will focus its efforts on providing education and sports training to elite HKSI athletes. The SAO will offer comprehensive training services to the rest of the student-athletes including sports skill training, professional counselling, and the promotion of teamwork among the athletes. In addition, the rise of active participation in sports activities will bring all students together in a spirit of belonging, dedication, and a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle. Apart from the above, the University also launched an Elite Athlete Career Development Internship Programme, with a variety of organisations providing career training and internships to diversify the career opportunities of athletes beyond sports coaching.


• To promote Chinese classical learning as well as study of the long and profound history of Chinese culture, the University has established a new Centre for Chinese Classical Education (CCCE) dedicated to promoting Chinese classical learning and traditional values and virtues, through a wide array of learning activities and joint research projects in Hong Kong and the GBA.


• We have played a proactive role in facilitating the integration of the city into the national development as well as generating new impetus for growth and opportunities to relevant sectors in the GBA, particularly for our young people. The University’s memberships of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau University Alliance and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau University Alliance for Postgraduate Education help us to foster academic exchange and cooperation with tertiary education institutions, research institutes, and government bodies in the GBA (e.g. South China Normal University, Guangzhou University, Sun-Yat-Sen University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology). The collaborative projects cover a wide range of topics including national education as cultural education, professional identity of female university teachers in the GBA, childhood speech sound disorders, development of the FinTech index, etc.


• The University has established leadership in teaching and learning, research and KT by forming strategic alliances and partnerships at regional and global levels. In May 2020, the World Bank engaged the University to build higher education teaching capacity in Cambodia following the completion of another World Bank project in Vietnam in 2017. Under the partnership, the University shares its expertise in curriculum design, assessment and pedagogy with the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Another fruitful partnership is with the UNESCO Chair and UNITWIN Network through which the University’s UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning has been established since 2019. One notable event is the “UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning: Forum on the Futures of Education” organised by the UNESCO Chair on 30 September 2022, with the support of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and UNESCO Headquarters. 25 experts from the UNESCO Offices and 18 universities across different parts of mainland China and Hong Kong were involved. The Forum received positive feedback and fulfilled its aim of raising awareness and promoting discussion of the themes contained in the UNESCO Report Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education with a focus on mainland China and the region.


• The University has organised different collaboration initiatives and activities with various local and international partners in regions / countries, such as Mainland China, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam, at faculty, programme and departmental levels. These include the International Conference on Gender, Language, and Education, the International Conference on Technology-Enhanced Language Learning and Teaching, the International Conference on Corpus-based Language Learning and Teaching, and The GBA “Respect for Teachers” Life Education Writing Competition, among others. Other University-level projects have also been conducted to broaden our engagement with local communities, local schools and international partners, such as the “Jockey Club from Words to Culture Programme: An Animated Way to Learn Chinese” and “Animated Chinese History for Curious Minds”.


• To further expand our international network for future development and collaborations, the FHM has launched the “EdUHK Chinese History Education Scheme” to recruit international / national scholars from reputable institutions as visiting professors starting from 2022/23 for a two-year pilot.

• The 2022-25 triennium has ushered in a new era for the University with the launch of an array of complementary programmes which are helping our “Education-plus” approach to flourish. In the coming years, we will strengthen these emerging disciplines to extend the knowledge and skills of graduates from both a disciplinary and an educational perspective to impact the community beyond the education sector. To prepare for the increasing number of SY and new FYFD complementary programmes in the 2022-2025 triennium, support measures for students will be enhanced to cover academic advising, career support, language enhancement, entrepreneurial skills and internship experience, etc.


• With close collaboration with the EDB and the school sector, we will continue to revamp our teacher education curriculum and introduce new PDPs to stay updated and relevant to the professional standards and requirements of the sector. Emphasis will be placed on further enhancing the elements of the GBA, STEAM Education, LVE, and Basic Law and NSE.


• EdUHK is a forerunner and a leader as an elite athlete-friendly university in offering holistic and caring support to elite athletes for the purpose of pursuing a sustainable and dual career path. In addition to the enhanced routes for admission of elite athletes, we provide a comprehensive support system for our student-athletes, including academic advising, flexible class arrangements, scholarships, the Elite Athlete Career Development Internship Programme, etc. With the support of the University Grants Committee (UGC) in 2022-25, we will be well positioned to recruit more elite athletes and to optimise the existing support to student-athletes such that they can continue their commitment to sports competitions and training while pursuing a quality education at EdUHK.


• With our academic expertise in educational technology and strong support offered by our Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology, EdUHK is already a pioneer in adopting emerging technologies in education. In face of the “new normal” of COVID-19, we will offer more advanced training, sharing platforms, useful resources, and smart learning environments for EdUHK’s academic staff and students, as well as teachers in the wider school sector to improve their teaching effectiveness in a technology-enhanced environment. In addition, more focus will be placed on facilitating students’ psychological adjustment in the coming years. SAO will continue to promote students’ psychological wellness and mental well-being through diversified activities and campaigns with the involvement of various professionals. Extra effort will be made in training students as peer mental wellness mentors in early identification and supporting their fellow students with mental health needs.


• As students are stakeholders of the University, engaging students in enhancing their learning experiences is an important initiative. There are different strategies as advised by the Vice President (Research and Development) to be implemented to achieve this goal. A new mechanism will be adopted to involve students in the University’s quality assurance activities. Students will be recruited as members of various university-level committees from faculties and departments based on their academic merit, discipline-specific knowledge, and social responsibility commitment. The University will also conduct a thorough overhaul of the Students’ Union to improve students’ participation and hence its position as a student association of the University.


• The University will promote evidence-based pedagogical decisions using data and behaviours contributed by a group of data scientists and IT colleagues, thereby enabling academic / teaching staff to have prompt and deeper understanding of students’ learning progression and to continuously improve their teaching and student learning.


• Given the growing importance of the GBA development, the University may have to enhance the GBA initiatives in the SP, by providing a road map for its development. More immediate initiatives will be to establish a Representative Office in Shenzhen to support joint research projects for national funding; to consolidate a long-term plan on developing postgraduate education for students in the Mainland including the Master’s programmes and joint programmes; and to explore further opportunities for collaboration in the GBA for the overall operation and delivery of EdUHK programmes in the long run. Meanwhile, we are expanding our recruiter network and bolstering our resources and support for students to explore the job market in Mainland China, especially in the GBA.


• To further strengthen our networks, Faculties / Departments are to continue their efforts to consolidate existing collaborating relationships with local, national, regional and international institutions. Extra efforts are to be put into establishing strategic partners with world renowned overseas universities and research centres to achieve our targets for internationalisation. Faculties / Departments may build-in relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) when establishing their SPs, especially in setting regional and international collaboration for research and non-local learning elements.


• More flats in the Jockey Club Student Quarters (JCSQ) have been converted to RPg designated residences to promote intellectual and intercultural exchange. Besides creating a learning community, the respective hall wardens and senior tutors are to provide more personalised guidance and support for enhancing RPg students’ personal and professional development.