In today’s rapidly changing global landscape, the world confronts great challenges on the social, economic and environmental fronts. The University is responsible for nurturing educators and high-calibre talents with the essential skills and knowledge to resolve the difficulties brought by the rapid pace of globalisation and technological advancement. One of the key priority goals of the Strategic Plan is to empower our students with the positive values, emotional resilience, and other competencies and skills to embrace and navigate an uncertain future. Our graduates should also be well equipped with research skills and STEAM knowledge capability and hold the national and global perspectives essential to contribute to Hong Kong SAR’s development and to the national development plan.
Cultivating Students with Proper Values and Attitudes
The University is committed to nurturing a generation of compassionate and virtuous individuals, equipping them with a strong sense of ethical, empathetic, and social responsibility. To achieve this, Positive and Values Education has been seamlessly integrated into both formal and non-formal learning experiences, enabling our students to develop the necessary values and attitudes to overcome future challenges. Positive and Values Education is a core component of the Cross-Faculty Core Courses that form an essential part of the revamped undergraduate curriculum. Furthermore, the New Six Arts courses enable students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and history. The University is also committed to creating a society that embraces values education as a cornerstone of personal and societal development. Accordingly, we engage in various collaborative efforts with stakeholders to actively promote values education, such as hosting the Values Education Conference with the support of the EDB and the National Security Education Seminar in collaboration with the District Councils, both of which have garnered substantial levels of community support and participation. By instilling in our students a greater understanding and appreciation of values, we empower them to become influential leaders and catalysts for positive change in society.
Expanding Horizons through Programme Development
Under the guiding principle of the “Education-plus” approach advocated in the Strategic Plan for 2016–2025, the University successfully introduced nine new undergraduate programmes incorporated with cutting-edge disciplines such as AI and educational technology, heritage education and arts management, and sports science and coaching. Starting from 2025/26, the University is further expanding its academic offerings in emerging sectors and professions beyond education that are integral to the growth of Hong Kong SAR, the region and the world, such as digital Chinese culture and communication, educational psychology, personal finance, speech pathology and rehabilitation. To equip students with the latest knowledge and skills for the future, we have also thoroughly revamped all of our BEd programmes into double degree programmes by combining our professional teacher education degrees with relevant disciplines, thus enriching the knowledge base and providing multiple pathways for our students. These substantial programme developments align with the development direction of Hong Kong SAR in the National 14th Five-Year Plan, ensuring that our students receive a well-rounded education in fields critical to societal and global development.
Provision of Beyond-classroom Learning Opportunities and Enhancing Students’ Global Perspective for Holistic Student Development
The University will regularly review and enhance the curriculum to equip students with a comprehensive range of academic expertise, personal qualities and values that are crucial for navigating the rapidly changing society. The University is committed to offering diverse learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom and to cultivating a supportive environment that promotes holistic student development. The University has adopted a proactive approach to strategically expanding its student profiles by recruiting more non-local students, especially seeking to attract talented students from the Belt-and-Road countries with different cultural and educational backgrounds. This enables students to broaden their global perspective with an open mind to embrace the diversity.
To ensure that our students remain connected to the world in the Asian Century, the University has incorporated GBA elements into programme development, including the introduction of the Cross-Faculty Core Courses, which include visits to the GBA, in the undergraduate curriculum. Additionally, a three-week block practice in GBA schools has been put in place for education majors to provide students with hands-on experience. We have also established partnerships in the GBA region to provide students with internships, field experience (FE) and study tour opportunities. Field visits to AI and educational technology organisations and universities in the GBA have also been arranged. We will establish further collaborations in the GBA in the near future at the programme, faculty and university levels, including the setup of an affiliate research centre. Through these diverse immersion learning opportunities and accelerated collaborations in the GBA, students will acquire a deeper understanding of the region’s development in the areas of innovation, economic development, the arts and other creative industries, and youth entrepreneurship and education.
Support for Students’ Diverse Learning Needs
The University is committed to equal opportunity and building an inclusive campus. It has implemented various policies and initiatives designed to support the diverse learning needs of its students, including those with special educational needs (SEN) and non-Chinese speaking students. Through the Standing Sub-committee on Support for Special Needs Students, all responsible units work closely together to provide timely and appropriate special accommodation to SEN students, such as bespoke study plans, extension of study periods, extra support in FE/internships and special equipment to support their learning accessibility. SEN students are also supported by academic advisors, counsellors and peer mentors.
The University is also dedicated to catering individual students’ needs and facilitating non-local student integration. The University will continue to invest substantial resources and manpower to promote cultural inclusion and enhance the support to and learning experience of non-local students with the participation of various faculties and units. The deliverables include organising additional Cantonese or Putonghua classes, enhancing counselling support and facilitating increased integration activities with local students. Additional staff members will also be deployed to support an array of specially designed adaptation and integration programmes and mental health campaigns. These efforts will support non-local students’ adaptation to studying at EdUHK and to life in Hong Kong SAR, particularly during their early years at the University.
