QAC Finds EdUHK Upholding Rigorous Academic Standards and Enhancing Quality in Learning and Teaching
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 (27 February). The report recognises that the University’s operations and activities are clearly aligned with its mission and Strategic Plan 2016-2025, providing distinctive multi-disciplinary learning experiences to students. It also acknowledges the University’s clear framework for programme development and approval, monitoring and review, as well as its structured and effective approach for the review and enhancement of learning and teaching. The Audit Panel further recognises EdUHK’s comprehensive framework to facilitate assessment of student learning, the effective academic governance system which supports students’ academic, personal and professional growth, and the wide-ranging use of data to review and enhance the academic programmes and student experience.
Notably, the Audit Report identifies five Features of Good Practice of EdUHK:
- the interlinked, systematic and effective use of benchmarking in quality assurance and enhancement through institutional, departmental and programme benchmarking;
- the University’s responsiveness to adapting its portfolio to address evolving societal needs by developing multi-disciplinarity and incorporating timely topics, such as National Security Education, an experiential learning course on entrepreneurship and innovation as well as Greater Bay Area activities in field experience, within the curriculum;
- the strategic and effective utilisation of data in the enhancement of teaching and learning and research postgraduate supervision, while over 92% of academic staff have incorporated their research outputs to enhance teaching;
- the Future Classrooms project promotes the use of new technology in classroom teaching in the University and local schools, and embraces innovative pedagogical models and emerging technologies to enhance teaching and learning experience; the Panel also learnt that EdUHK has plans to expand the Future Classrooms project in a new academic building which is under construction, making the facilities more readily available to students; and
- the University’s tangible commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in student learning assessment; the Audit Panel noted effective reviews of procedures related to Academic Honesty and the use of AI in 2020 and 2023, with evidence that the impact of these reviews was embedded and understood among staff and students.
Welcoming the QAC’s Audit Report, Dr David Wong Yau-kar, the Council Chairman of EdUHK, said, “I am particularly pleased to note QAC’s recognition of our multidisciplinary approach to education, and affirming the five features of good practice identified from the audit. This is most encouraging and reassuring to the University community.”
EdUHK President, Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, said, “EdUHK is expected to unveil its next Strategic Plan in April. Building on the strengths highlighted in the report, we are committed to realising our vision of ‘Education Futures, Diverse Talents’, driving academic excellence and the holistic development of our students and staff, and nurturing outstanding and caring educators and professionals.”
The Quality Audit of EdUHK was conducted between May and June 2024 by an Audit Panel chaired by Professor Timothy Clark, the Provost of the Singapore Management University, 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; to assure that educational experience offered in UGC-funded universities are sustained and improved, and is at an internationally competitive level; and to encourage universities to excel in this area of activity. This audit process is applicable to the eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong. The full report can be accessed at: https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/qac/about/term/publications/report.html .
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