The year brought recognition and reinforcement
for our teaching and programs with commendations by the UGC's
Teaching and Learning Quality Process Reviews (TLQPR) Panel.
The Panel's report, released in November, noted four positive
developments in taught programs:
| - |
establishment of the Center
for Enhanced Learning and Teaching (CELT) and its impact,
especially on web-based teaching methods |
| - |
development and use of the Personal
Response System, enabling student feedback |
| - |
the comprehensive, efficiently organized
Teaching Assistant system, its associated training, and
the value placed on it by those involved |
| - |
the setting-up of Student-Staff Liaison
Committees and appropriate responsiveness to student feedback |
As a research-intensive University, postgraduate
education is another area in which HKUST excels. The Panel
noted that a sound system for quality assurance was being
developed and identified a range of positives, including clear
information and communication for students and a well-structured
route for research students to develop as academics. In continuing
education, the report said the University's credit-bearing
business and engineering programs had succeeded in attracting
quality students who were very satisfied with their experiences.
The University's 2nd Biennial Teaching and
Learning Symposium took place in May, with the theme 'Teaching
Innovations: Continuous Learning and Improvement' The keynote
speaker was Prof Jim Boyle from the University of Strathclyde,
Scotland. Four HKUST lecturers and their teaching teams were
honored with Excellence in Teaching Innovation Awards for
their sustained efforts to improve the quality of their students'
learning through innovative practices or technologies.
To ensure our students are appropriately
equipped with relevant knowledge and skills, we regularly
launch new programs to keep up with developments in the working
environment. In this regard, the year saw the introduction
of a Dual Degree in Technology and Management to enable students
to earn both a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Business
Administration.
At the postgraduate level, a Master of Science
in IC Design Engineering was launched in Hong Kong and Shenzhen
while Master's programs in Engineering Enterprise Management
and Intelligent Building Technology and Management started
in Hong Kong. All three allow professionals and graduates
to deepen their knowledge in emerging sectors.
The effective diffusion of knowledge that
takes place at HKUST can be seen in our graduates and their
subsequent success. At the 11th Congregation in November,
a total of 2,632 students had their academic achievements
recognized, with 1,789 receiving Bachelor's degrees, 762 Master's
and 81 doctoral graduates. A university survey found that
99% of the Class of 2003 had secured jobs, started businesses
or begun further studies by December 2003. |
