中央管理小組重要公告

Teaching arrangements for Summer Semester and Academic Year 2020-21  

I’m writing to inform you about our teaching arrangements for the Summer Semester and Academic Year 2020-21. Our core aim is to make a gradual and partial return to face-to-face (f2f) teaching. To do that, we will have to observe detailed health and safety protocols covering the entire campus, which will be announced well in advance. This email only addresses scheduling issues.

Parameters
The broad parameters we will observe for teaching are listed below. Where circumstances allow, there may be variation within individual programmes.

• Small-group classes (up to 25 students) will be scheduled as normal.
• Lectures will be scheduled in classrooms that can accommodate at least twice as many students as are in the class. Thus, a lecture with 60 students will be scheduled in a classroom that can accommodate at least 120 students.
• For TPG courses, our available teaching rooms will enable us to deliver f2f lectures for most classes of up to 90 students.
• For UG programme courses, our available teaching rooms will enable us to deliver f2f lectures for almost all classes of up to 90 students.
• For UG Common Core courses, our available teaching rooms will enable us to deliver f2f lectures for roughly half of our courses with 120 students.
• The Grand Hall will enable us to schedule a small number of large lectures (up to 300 students) for TPG and UG students.
• However, most courses with more than 90 students will deliver their lectures online.

Summer Semester
Building on these parameters, we will make a gradual return to f2f teaching for the Summer Semester. We will also offer a small number of online UG courses for students who would like to pick up some credits but will not be in HK.

Academic Year 2020-21
In 2020-21, we will continue with partial f2f teaching:

TPG programmes
Small-group classes of up to 25 students: f2f
Most lecture classes of up to 90 students: f2f
Other lecture classes: online (apart from a small number in the Grand Hall)

UG programmes
Small-group classes of up to 25 students: f2f
Almost all lecture classes of up to 90 students: f2f
Other lecture classes: online (apart from a small number in the Grand Hall)

UG: Common Core
Small-group classes of up to 25 students: f2f
Lecture classes of up to 120 students: roughly half f2f, roughly half online
Mega classes of up to 288 students: just a few f2f in the Grand Hall

All TPG and UG courses
For the first three weeks of S1, we will cater for the needs of TPG and UG students who are unable to come to campus because of visa, quarantine and other issues. Mostly this will be done by making course materials available both f2f and online for that period.

Technical support
As there will continue to be a significant element of online teaching in the months ahead, we are actively enhancing our technical support for both teachers and students.

With so many aspects of the future uncertain, we can’t be sure everything will unfold exactly as planned. As of now, though, this is how things look. Should there be any changes, we will inform you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please do drop me a line with any queries (ian.holliday@hku.hk).

Best wishes for the summer – Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
VP/T&L

(Posted on May 26, 2020)

OLEX examination system   

I’m writing again about the OLEX examination system. TeLi, ITS and the Examinations Office have held several training sessions this week. If your course will use OLEX for the examination, you are strongly encouraged to join one of our training sessions to familiarize yourself with system. The dates, times and registration links are listed below.

Training for Teachers, Invigilators and Administrative Support Staff (Invigilators are strongly encouraged to join one of the following sessions)
Session 2: May 7, 2020 (Thursday) 10:45-11:45
Session 3: May 8, 2020 (Friday) 16:45-17:45
Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=69633

Training for Students
Session 2: May 7, 2020 (Thursday), 16:45-17:45
Session 3: May 8, 2020 (Friday), 10:45-11:45
Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=69643

Students are reminded to read the message sent out by the Examinations Office on April 30, 2020. Teachers, invigilators and staff are reminded to read the message I sent out last week here. We’re aware of some social media concern about the use of Zoom and we’ve adopted several security protocols in our OLEX system to prevent leakage and intrusion. It is therefore important for everyone who will use OLEX to be familiar with the system.Best wishes for the summer – Ian

Best wishes, Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)

(Posted on May 6, 2020)

Online Examination Arrangement through OLEX

I’m writing to update you on our online examination arrangements through OLEX. All exams making use of the OLEX platform are required to follow guidelines prepared by the Examinations Office.

Basic information:

• The Examinations Office guidelines are available at http://www.exam.hku.hk/.
• Teachers and invigilators please access ‘Forms and Links’.
• Students are asked to access ‘University Examinations and Examination Timetables’.
• Online proctoring will take place through Zoom, with students’ identities checked by invigilators.
• All colleagues are reminded to upgrade to Zoom 5.0 here.

We ask teachers and department administrators please to:

• Ensure the student lists in Moodle sub-courses are clean. All sit-in students and duplicated guest accounts need to be removed.
• Upload exam papers to OLEX at anytime from Monday, May 11 to 30 minutes before the start of the exam.
• Inform students and invigilators before the exam about any course-specific instructions (including whether use of calculators is allowed, whether students should type or write their answers, which the type of script file (doc or pdf) is acceptable, how the webcam should be set up during the exam, and so on). Identical instructions should also be included in the exam paper.
• Maintain close teacher-invigilator communication throughout the exam period, and especially for the first 30 minutes of the exam (when students are allowed to raise questions of clarification about the exam paper).

We ask invigilators please to:

• Login to Zoom at https://hku.zoom.us before Thursday April 30 if you have not used Zoom before.
• Launch the Zoom meeting and start the Panopto recording at least 30 minutes before the start of the exam and admit students from the waiting room. The student list for each exam can be obtained from OLEX.

We ask colleagues to make note of these additional points:

• Teachers and invigilators are asked NOT to host any other Zoom meeting during the exam timeslot to avoid any unwanted interference with the exam.
• Invigilators are not allowed to open the exam paper before the start of the exam.
• Students’ script files will be available for download six hours after the end of the exam.
• In case an invigilator is unable to invigilate an allocated exam session, the teacher should assume the invigilation duties or arrange for a delegate to do so. If no delegate is available, please send an urgent email to olexhelp@hku.hk to seek assistance in finding a backup invigilator.
• Administrators from the Examinations Office may enter any Zoom meeting at any time for any exam for inspection purposes.
• While the University will remind the students to register on OLEX, it would be good if teachers could reinforce the message by reaching out to their students. It would also be helpful if teachers and administrators could check before the examination to ensure that students have registered on OLEX.

To familiarize everyone with the OLEX system, TeLi, ITS and the Examinations Office will co-host three identical online training sessions for staff. Dates and registration details are as follows:-

Session 1: May 5, 2020 (Tuesday) 16:45-17:45
Session 2: May 7, 2020 (Thursday) 10:45-11:45
Session 3: May 8, 2020 (Friday) 16:45-17:45
Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=69633

A Teacher Drill Platform will be available for two weeks from Tuesday, May 5 at https://drill-epload.hku.hk/exam/. Teachers will be able to view their courses on OLEX from Monday, May 11. Invigilators will only be allowed access to courses they will invigilate, together with the relevant Zoom links. Demonstration videos for students and invigilators can also be found at https://hku.to/exam1920_training. Later this week we will email all students about the exam guidelines, online training sessions and other related matters.

For questions about exam arrangements, please contact the Examinations Office at exam@hku.hk. For technical questions about OLEX, please contact ITS at olexhelp@hku.hk. For questions about e-learning, please contact Dr Tyrone Kwok (tyrone.kwok@hku.hk) or Dr Leon Lei (culei@hku.hk) of TeLi. For other matters, please drop me a line (ian.holliday@hku.hk). Many thanks to all, as ever.

Best wishes, Ian
Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)

(Posted on April 29, 2020)

Work Arrangements Beginning May 4

Following the Government’s latest plans to return to normal operations in stages, the University intends to gradually transition to normal levels of services from Monday, May 4, 2020.

The University will provide the usual services on normal scale from May 4 in general. Where necessary and without affecting their services, departments may continue to exercise flexibility in work arrangements such as flexible working hours and staggered lunch breaks, with a view to maintaining appropriate social distance on campus and in public transport.

Campus facilities will gradually reopen, for which separate announcements will be made shortly.

The University will continue to implement infection control measures. Colleagues with fever or respiratory symptoms must not return to the campus. They should seek medical assistance as soon as possible. The University has already provided non-contact IR thermometers to departments that wish to perform indoor temperature checking.

The University will continue to review the situation, and keep the University community posted. Please check with the COVID-19 INFO HUB on the University Main Page for services update.

Please continue to stay vigilant and make personal health your top priority.

Task Force on Infectious Diseases

(Posted on April 28, 2020)

香港大學成立抗疫援助基金

因應疫情對社會及經濟的影響，香港大學宣布將成立｢抗疫援助基金｣，協助有需要的學生及社會人士，初步目標籌集1,000萬港元。港大校長張翔教授、首席副校長及全部四位副校長將帶頭捐助百分之十的薪金，為期12個月，並鼓勵港大教職員和其他成員也參與支持。基金詳情將於稍後公佈。

校長辦公室 

(2020年04月18日發出)

Work Arrangements and Campus Facilities Beginning April 20

In​​​ light of the recent COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong, as well as the needs of staff and students for accessing campus services and facilities, the University intends to resume basic services and partially reopen campus facilities starting from Monday, April 20, 2020.

Apart from emergency and essential services, the University will provide basic services from April 20 in general.  Accordingly, it is anticipated that more colleagues would be arranged to return to on-campus work to support the resumption of these services.  Where necessary and without affecting their services, departments can continue to exercise flexibility in making "working from home" and/or roster arrangements provided that the job nature and the home environment of the staff can so allow.  Departments are also encouraged to adopt flexible working-hour arrangements and staggered lunch breaks where appropriate.

The University will continue to implement infection control measures.  Colleagues with fever or respiratory symptoms must not return to the campus.  They should seek medical assistance as soon as possible. The University has already provided non-contact IR thermometers to departments that wish to perform indoor temperature checking.

The Main Library and Chi Wah Learning Commons will be open with the necessary safety measures for restricted access by current staff and students.  The sports facilities under the Centre for Sports and Exercise will continue to be closed until further notice, and on-campus catering will operate on a reduced basis.

The University will continue to monitor and assess the situation, and keep the University community posted.  Please check with the COVID-19 INFO HUB on the University Main Page for services update.

Please continue to stay vigilant and make personal health your top priority.

Task Force on Infectious Diseases

(Posted on April 17, 2020)

Message Regarding RPgs and Research Laboratories

In view of the present coronavirus situation, the University wishes to emphasise the need to avoid crowded working environments. Faculties, Departments and research supervisors should make sure that research laboratories and RPg student offices are kept at a low density, if they are to remain open. If necessary, please ask RPg students to work from home, or if certain research activities cannot be interrupted, ask the researchers to stay at the labs at different times so that the premises are not crowded.

Clinical research activities in hospitals may be exempted from the low-density requirement if this is not feasible, but professional precautions should be taken.

Professor Alfonso Ngan
Acting Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)

(Posted on March 29, 2020)

All Face-to-face Teaching Delayed for Two Weeks

In light of the recent surge in the number of COVID-19 infection cases and following the HK government's advice, the University has decided that final year Undergraduate face-to-face teaching and any Taught Postgraduate face-to-face teaching will be delayed for two weeks, in order to minimise the chance of infection in the community.

The pandemic situation is changing rapidly and we are committed to ensuring that teaching and learning can be conducted as safely as possible. We very much appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Please stay vigilant and continue to make personal health your top priority.

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

(Posted on March 28, 2020)

Closure of the HKU Libraries and the Learning Commons

With the recent surge in the number of COVID-19 infection cases, the University will follow the Government's advice and introduce new social distancing measures to reduce crowd gatherings and minimise the chance of infection in the community. Starting from March 29, all HKU Libraries and the Learning Commons will be closed for two weeks. Online services will be maintained but there will not be face-to-face services provided during this period.  

The University will continue to monitor and assess the situation, and keep the University community posted.  We are actively reviewing other services provided on campus, for which separate announcements will be made. Please check with the COVID-19 INFO HUB on the University Main Page for services update.

Task Force on Infectious Diseases

(Posted on March 28, 2020)

Thoughts at the Lodge

The world is bracing for a new wave of COVID-19.  In this difficult time, and with online teaching continuing until the end of the semester at HKU, I’d like to reach out to ensure we stay connected.

Since February, my colleagues and I have been visiting residential halls, laboratories, and faculties whilst meeting students, academic staff, hall wardens and administrative heads.  We have also been communicating with off-site students online to keep in touch with the needs of the university community.  These efforts are vital as we try new ways to facilitate students’ learning.   

Standing tall for over a century, HKU has never had to rely almost solely on online teaching, the quality of which has become our top priority.  I have realized that this has been a mammoth change that has conjured up old ghosts such as ‘established practices’ and the limitations of our systems.  Together with my colleagues, I have taken the challenge up with a great deal of seriousness.

I am grateful for your candid feedback and determination to rise to ever-changing challenges whilst we tackle long-standing problems like limited WiFi bandwidth in student halls. With a website set up to continuously collect student feedback, I am pleased that we have now enhanced online teaching, ensuring meaningful exchange and interaction.  

In these trying times, we have faced many exceptionally challenging and complex issues, and sometimes with competing demands from our community.  We have dispelled misunderstandings on the topical issue of self-isolation arrangements, which are not determined by place of origin but the last country the students have visited.  We have also addressed frustrations with what some may have considered to be a delayed suspension of face-to-face classes – a significant decision made only after meticulous considerations and balancing of health risks against academic tradition.  Our dedication to serve every member of the community comes with a price, but we have chosen to put humanity first.  

To that end, our rapport will enable us to work as a team towards HKU’s next level of excellence.  Our students, professors and staff have been giving generously, pouring out their knowledge, advice, time and care.  These invaluable collective efforts also work to help the wider community cope with the epidemic.  Looking beyond the crisis, I believe the current heat will only make HKU and Hong Kong stronger. 

HKU has long been prized for its culture of openness and constructive debate. I am moved to see that much of the detailed feedback we have received reflects only our community’s eagerness to question the default and improve.  Regardless of race, nationality and ideology, the world is united in the fight against COVID-19, and ultimately, we shall heal together.  There is no room for prejudice or stigmatization, only an opportunity to rise above differences – to give, collaborate, lend support and constantly innovate for solutions.  The Senior Management Team and I thank you for your patience and trust as we navigate turbulent waters.  

As I walk around the campus these days, I would inevitably run into masked cleaners, guards and back-office colleagues quietly going about their duties.  I feel a surge of gratitude as I offer them my special thanks: it is their daily support behind the scenes that bolsters us to do our work on the front line.  

Nobody expected or wanted this pandemic.  In our current state of discordance, however, I find the century-long HKU spirit of resilience ringing louder than ever before.  Our constant quest for improvement and curiosity to explore continue to transform and elevate the university.  No storm lasts forever.  As we ride out this one together, we shall emerge stronger in confronting the unknown.  

Xiang Zhang
President and Vice-Chancellor

(Posted on March 23, 2020)

New Government Policy on Arrivals to HK and Update on Campus-related COVID-19 Case

An official at the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has described Hong Kong as facing a “second wave” of Covid-19 infections, since many of the newly recorded cases seem to have been individuals infected while outside Hong Kong. 

Starting from March 19, all inbound arrivals to Hong Kong, except those from Macau and Taiwan, will be required to undergo compulsory quarantine.  Staff and students concerned must stay at the designated places (quarantine centre, home or other accommodation) for a 14-day compulsory quarantine. 

If you are living with someone who is under quarantine, please inform your Department Head or supervisor, be vigilant at all times and practice the highest level of hygiene and infection control measures, such as maintaining a social distance, avoiding sharing personal items and having meals separately.  If you have any symptoms, you should not come back to work and should seek medical attention immediately.   

Please also see https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/Points_to_note_for_household_members.pdf

There is also more reference information available from the CHP at https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/chi/inbound-travel.html

We would also like to update you about the three HKU colleagues who were required to go into quarantine on March 13. Two of them have tested negative for COVID-19, while the third one, awaiting test results, was never on campus when there might have been a chance of transmission. 

The University will continue monitoring the situation and provide further details as appropriate.  Updates and related information can be found on the COVID-19 Info Hub, in particular its FAQ. 

We wish to remind colleagues and students returning to Hong Kong to fill out the University’s e-health screening form as soon as possible:

• e-Health screening form for staff
• e-Health screening form for students

For the protection of the community and your own individual health, please continue to stay vigilant, exercise good hand hygiene and seek medical attention if you feel unwell.

Thank you for your attention.

Task Force on Infectious Diseases

(Posted on March 18, 2020)

From Task Force on Travel Restrictions

As we all know, the number of COVID-19 infection cases, the regions affected by the virus, and the countries on the Government’s list for mandatory quarantine continue to grow. Apart from heightened exposure to health risks, especially in places where surveillance measures might not be sufficient, the rapid developments of travel restrictions imposed by different countries and regions could result in visitors to these places being stranded abroad.

In view of all these, the University wishes to discourage its members to travel before the virus situation improves. With immediate effect and until further notice, the University will, in general, not entertain applications for leave or grants for business trips.

For private trips, colleagues choosing to visit countries and regions on the Government’s list for mandatory quarantine will be required to apply for annual or unpaid leave to cover the period of mandatory quarantine when they return.  As a health precautionary measure, the University may also require colleagues returning from places currently not included in the Government’s list for mandatory quarantine to undergo health screening and clearance before they return to the campus.

Please visit the University’s COVID-19 Info Hub from time to time for updates on the COVID-19 situation and related arrangements of the University.  In particular, staff returning to Hong Kong are advised to visit the webpage with e-health screening form.  Those who have travelled to places with active community transmission of COVID-19 as listed by the Government are required to fill out the form upon their arrival back to Hong Kong.

Please stay vigilant and continue to make personal health your top priority.

Task Force on Infectious Diseases

(Posted on March 14, 2020)

From Vice-President (Research) on RPG programmes

In the current COVID-19 situation, the University is delivering most of the teaching online for UG and TPG programmes until the end of the semester. The following is the advice to Research Postgraduate (RPg) students and their supervisors:

Research laboratories in the University should remain open as far as possible, and RPg students are encouraged to return to normal research work for their studies. In case of difficulties of returning, students should discuss their work and study plans with their supervisors.

RPg supervisors and Department Heads are also requested to ensure a low-density working environment for their RPg students. Those with medical symptoms should not return to work, and those returning to work should wear surgical masks. The University is working at its best to source face masks. When enough masks are obtained by the University for RPg students, details on the arrangement for distribution will be announced.

(Posted on March 6, 2020)

From Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) on Teaching Schedule

Until the end of the teaching period on May 16, all teaching and learning will be delivered online. There are just a few exceptions, including:

(1) Non-clinical laboratory, studio and practical skills components of courses for final-year students that have to be taught through face-to-face classes in order for students to graduate on time. We will arrange for these students to come on campus for low-density laboratory, studio and practical skills teaching sessions beginning no earlier than March 30. Their other classes will remain online. When required to come on campus, these students will be provided with face masks. Faculties will inform final-year students taking these courses of detailed arrangements at the start of next week.

(2) Clinical programmes in the Faculty of Dentistry and the Faculty of Medicine. These two Faculties will reach out separately to students enrolled in these programmes.

Assessment
Assessment components and weightings will conform to the arrangements already announced by course coordinators. However, for all courses taught online there will be no proctored, in-hall exams during the assessment period from May 18 to June 6. Instead, all ‘final exam’ components will be moved online. We’re asking teachers to rethink the tasks that will constitute the ‘final exam’ to ensure they’re suitable for online assessment.

Assessment choices
As in Semester 1, we’re offering all UG and TPG students three assessment choices:
- Continue with letter grading, where applicable (contributing to GPA)
- Change to pass/fail grading (not contributing to GPA)
- Opt out of the course entirely through a late drop option
Students will be able to make these choices through a link on SIS from March 23 to April 30. Full details will be announced within the next two weeks.

Pass/fail
We strongly advise all students to think carefully when opting for pass/fail grading. Courses that are simply passed will be recorded as P on the transcript, with no GPA. For UG students in particular, this could have important knock-on effects. Internally, we rely on SGPA data for elective opportunities, such as academic exchange and other funded programmes. Externally, employers and universities around the world examine transcripts in some detail when taking decisions about jobs and postgraduate study. Students without solid SGPA data from 2019-20 may therefore place themselves at a disadvantage.

Late drop
Students returning to the University beyond the normative study period solely to make up late dropped credits from 2019-20 will not be asked to pay a composition fee. Normally, this policy will apply only in 2020-21. However, in cases where a student is unable to make up the dropped credits in 2020-21 because the requisite course is not on offer or, in special cases where personal circumstances stand in the way, an extension to 2021-22 may be permitted.

Zoom
We’ve upgraded our Zoom licence for the next 12 months. Previously, HKU Zoom accounts each had 500MB storage for cloud recordings. Now there’s no storage limit, though any recording uploaded by a teacher to the Zoom cloud will be removed after six months. Before this happens, ITS will send a notification to remind the account holder to download the relevant file to a PC or laptop.

Storing files
For storing files, teachers may make use of the HKU Video Streaming Server, which offers 150GB to each account holder. Teachers can apply for an account via CF43. A user guide can be found here.

Teaching rooms
A reminder, more for future semesters than the current one: the University has 159 centrally-managed classrooms, and all are fully equipped with Panopto and Zoom facilities.

(Posted on March 5, 2020)

From Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) on Online Learning Q&As

In the past couple of days I’ve had opportunities to discuss online learning with the Associate Deans (T&L) and, when visiting with the President, with colleagues in the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences. In recent weeks I’ve also had many email conversations with colleagues and students. I figure it makes sense to circulate some of the lessons learned in the form of another FAQ list.

Can the assessment weightings for a course be changed?
This issue has already been discussed within Faculties. The answer is yes, but the window for making such changes will soon close. Normally by this point in the semester we would require full class consent (all students). However, until 4:00pm on February 21 we’re in the extended add/drop period, so as yet there’s no fixed class for each course. This means we can make changes more easily. All colleagues need to do is revise the assessment weightings as they see fit, inform all students registered for the class, update the relevant course information on SIS, and send a record of the change to Faculty Board for endorsement. Students who feel disadvantaged by the change will be able to drop the course. While this is not an ideal option, it is still a choice. Note that this must be done before February 21. Thereafter, full class consent will be necessary.

Should the assessment weightings for a course be changed?
If a course taught this semester relies heavily on a proctored final exam, it would be a good idea, where possible, to reduce the weighting for that component and boost the weighting for other assessed tasks. At this stage in the unfolding coronavirus situation, we remain committed to holding in-person exams in examination halls at the end of the semester. However, if the disruption becomes more severe, we may have to revise our assessment arrangements. Were that to happen, it would be good not to be too reliant on final exams, which we know generate issues that are difficult to manage.

Should teachers require students to switch on their camera and microphone for interactive classes?
I discussed this issue at length with the Associate Deans. We agreed that at the level of University policy we should not require this because it could be intrusive in the home environment in which many students study (even though Zoom has a function enabling the background to be blurred or replaced). At the same time, we recognized that teachers may have strong reasons to encourage students to adopt this practice. A colleague in Arts also made the point that in some courses it may be necessary to ask students to do this because of the nature of the learning materials and tasks.

How can students be encouraged to participate in interactive classes held online?
Many teachers report very positive experiences with online interaction. In particular, use of the chat box function in Zoom can trigger participation from students who ordinarily are quite recessive. Others face challenges and problems, however. One way to encourage interaction would be to introduce an assessment component devoted to participation. Even a 10-15% allocation could make a difference. There are also Zoom functions, such as the ‘attendance tracker’, that enable teachers to monitor student participation and intervene with a question or private message.

How can students be encouraged to view online lectures?
One suggestion made by a colleague in Social Sciences is to ask students to complete a weekly assignment consisting of a brief account of the lecture and a short list of questions related to the material covered in it.

How are students currently located in the Mainland connecting with HKU?
For our online exam (OLEX) platform at the end of the first semester, we secure a leased line from Alibaba. This enables students located in the Mainland to connect with HKU as if they were in Hong Kong. The line is not monitored because it uses a point-to-point https protocol, where the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’. All traffic between the two points is encrypted. For online T&L in this semester, we have again secured a leased line from Alibaba.

How can teachers stay in touch with their students during this period of online T&L?
Moodle remains the best way to keep in touch with students. In addition to any uploaded materials, please do post weekly consultation hours for students to schedule individual conversations with you (using, say, WhatsApp or Zoom). Many students have questions, but they no longer have the option of catching hold of a teacher after a lecture or calling by during office hours. This is also a way to keep the academic advising function going.

How can colleagues share good practice and lessons learned from online T&L?
Some Faculties have created online platforms for teachers to post good and bad experiences of online learning. This is also something we could consider doing for HKU as a whole, linked to Faculty pages. In many Faculties informal groups of colleagues are coming together to share experience and provide mutual support. This is clearly a very welcome development.

How can upload speeds on Zoom be enhanced?
We recognize that Zoom is an outstanding T&L platform and we’re keen to ensure it’s fully available to colleagues. At present we’re exploring options for enhancing Zoom functionality at HKU. In the meantime, however, for obvious reasons upload speeds are better at the ends of the day. It’s also possible to download, say, a recorded lecture from Zoom to a desktop computer or laptop and then upload for students to view through Microsoft OneDrive. Details are available here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362473-Local-Recording?mobile_site=true.

How can teachers learn more about online T&L?
We offer support to teachers through:
- TELI training sessions scheduled by some Faculties, and hopefully ultimately by all Faculties since the feedback is uniformly excellent;
- Updates on TELI website: https://tl.hku.hk/2020/02/online-teaching-and-learning-for-staff-updated-february-7-2020/ ;
- TELI gadgets and tools: https://teli.hku.hk/e-learning-resources/ ;
- TELI e-learning quick start guide;
- TELI e-learning demonstration videos;
- TELI individual consultation sessions with Leon Lei (9162 3384) and Tyrone Kwok (5964 8396), who can both be reached via WhatsApp;
- CETL website: https://www.cetl.hku.hk/;
- CETL designated Faculty liaison persons: visit https://www.cetl.hku.hk/, then click “Support for online teaching and learning” (the first iconic picture on the left-to-right scrolling banner). 

As before, many thanks to all and please drop me a line with queries.

Best wishes, Ian

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)

(Posted on February 19, 2020)

From Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) on Learning Arrangement

Hong Kong is going through a very challenging time due to the recent outbreak of Coronavirus in Mainland China. The University has been closely monitoring and reviewing the virus situation in Hong Kong. Having continuously received advice from medical experts, we now come to the view that we will need more time before allowing all campus teaching to resume.

Undergraduate programmes

We have decided that campus teaching for undergraduate programmes will be suspended for two weeks from Monday, February 17, 2020, and will resume on Monday, March 2, 2020 (except for a few special programmes for which detailed arrangements will be announced separately in due course).

As previously announced, we will conduct online teaching and learning for two weeks from February 3 to February 17. This is to ensure that students make a start on their second semester learning. Building on the week of face-to-face classes conducted in the week before Chinese New Year, these two weeks will generate an opportunity for teachers and students to lay down the foundations of their courses.

The University will then move into recess for two weeks from February 17 to March 2. In this period, students may undertake self-study based on the three weeks of teaching already undertaken in the semester. However, no formal teaching and learning activities will be scheduled.

We are currently exploring options for ensuring that proper and adequate teaching is provided in the remainder of the semester. Our core aim is to deliver for students the face-to-face experience that has always defined education at HKU.

We are considering many ways of restructuring the semester to generate additional time for campus teaching. We may conduct regular teaching activities during the March reading week (March 9-14). We may extend the semester to end on a later date. We may schedule classes in the evenings and on weekends. This of course has to be decided by consideration of many factors and dynamic change of virus situations.

Postgraduate Programmes

The Faculties or the programmes concerned will announce the teaching arrangements for taught postgraduate programmes in due course.

Research postgraduates should discuss their study plans with their supervisors.

Like many in the society, we are dealing with tremendous human health challenges. The situation is changing rapidly and we hope to work with you to provide best possible delivery for our safety, teaching and learning. We very much appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Please stay vigilant and continue to make personal health your top priority.

Professor Ian Holliday
Vice-President & Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)

(Posted on January 30, 2020)