The Hong Kong Institute of Education
Response to the Report of the Second Round Teaching
and Learning Quality Process Reviews
The Institute welcomed the opportunities to review its quality assurance and improvement
policies and processes in the Second Round Teaching and Learning Quality Process Reviews
(TLQPRs) and found the review a very beneficial experience.
Taught Programmes
We were very pleased to receive the final report and especially to note that the Panel was
favourably impressed with the progress made by the Institute since its establishment. We are
encouraged by the positive comments on our Education Quality Work (EQW), including the
recognition
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that such work is well embedded, effective and consistent with the Institute’s
mission;
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that an atmosphere of collegiality is prevalent on campus;
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that there is a strong desire for continuous improvement;
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that students are articulate, confident, positive and reflective;
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that the Institute has an appropriate set of internal processes and structures for
programme validation;
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that there is a general shift from highly centralised control to more devolved
structures; and
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that there is a well-placed emphasis on field experience and supervision in students’
professional development.
We will continue to support and refine these practices and strengthen the self-renewal ethos
across all domains and levels.
We are grateful to the Panel for their comments on the further developments we have
identified in our Self-Evaluation Document. Our ongoing follow-up to TLQPR is closely
aligned with the Panel’s suggestions, while continuous efforts will be made to sustain our
culture of collaborative, continuous professional development. Below, we would like to make
an initial response to the Panel’s major comments and recommendations:
Collection, analysis and utilisation of data (1.1.2(a), 3.2.1 & 4.4)*
A range of data is increasingly used to enhance programme quality. For example, student
assessment profiles and related analyses are sent to departments annually to improve
assessment practices; graduate and employer feedback from longitudinal surveys and focus
groups is conveyed to the Teaching and Learning Quality Assurance Committee, programme
co-ordinators and students for the monitoring and ongoing development of the curriculum;
and student evaluation of teaching is centrally conducted to inform decisions about
programme and teaching effectiveness. The central management information system being
developed will facilitate the sharing and analysis of such data. Additional ways of gathering
*
The numbers in brackets after each sub-heading refer to paragraphs in the TLQPR Report.
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data on learning outcomes are currently being investigated and several will be implemented
in the near future. The learning outcomes data generated from such approaches will inform us
of the development of students’ professionalism and understanding of the complexities of
teaching and learning and also inform curriculum design.
Committee and academic governance structures, resource allocation and support unit
contributions (1.1.2(b), 3.2.2, 4.1 & 4.5)
A review by an external panel of the Institute’s academic governance, committee structure
and programmes is underway. The scope of the review covers the following:
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the academic committee structures at Institute and School levels;
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the programme management structure;
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the grouping of academic departments and centres;
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the roles and responsibilities of offices and centres providing academic support; and
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the overall structure and balance of the curriculum of the Institute’s BEd
programmes.
The review will identify means of further devolving decision-making to Schools and
departments, seek ways to improve the balance of the curriculum and ensure greater
integration, strengthen the monitoring of the student learning experience, and help put in
place mechanisms for the evaluation and development of support units in line with Institute
priorities. The Institute will continue to modify its resource allocation system to allow
support for and recognition of good performance.
Programme coherence (1.1.2(c) & 3.2.3)
An important objective of our Academic Validation and Monitoring Committee is to ensure
the coherence of our programmes. The committee conducts ongoing reviews of modules
across programmes for this purpose. One such ongoing review, for example, is aimed at
consolidating modules from different programmes into a common professional studies core.
In moving towards self-accreditation, the Institute is giving top priority to developing the best
possible internal quality assurance processes for programmes and teaching. The internal
academic governance review will contribute to this development.
Institutional mission and teaching quality (1.1.2(d) & 3.2.4)
As a single-purpose teacher education institution, the Institute sees high quality teaching and
learning as crucial to the achievement of its mission. As the key provider of teacher education
in Hong Kong, we are fully committed to supporting schools by educating quality teachers
and providing access to the professional and academic expertise of our staff. Meeting the
needs of local schools is the primary goal of our programmes. Our activities in teaching,
research and community service will be guided by this core value. The commitment to
teaching quality is further evidenced by the strong emphasis placed on this by the staff
appraisal scheme that is being developed.
Assessment of educational outcomes (3.2.1, 3.2.5 & 4.3)
The Panel has taken special note of our use of formative approaches in assessing student
learning. Indeed we have augmented such use to increase students’ opportunity to receive
feedback on their learning. However, we do not see this as being a threat to our assessment
reliability. Moderation procedures exist for all forms of final assessment. Continuous efforts
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will be made to ensure that these procedures are working and that high standards are
maintained. Moreover, we will actively consider the Panel’s suggestion that a Centre for the
Assessment of Educational Outcomes be set up at the HKIEd. Two of our centres are
working together on a proposal to pursue the kind of research and development described by
the Panel.
This response has reported a range of actions that are being taken in relation to the Panel’s
recommendations. In conclusion, we would like to highlight the following bases for the
ongoing development of the Institute’s EQW beyond these specific actions:
z the fourteen points of continuous development in EQW identified in our SelfEvaluation Document;
z the internal review referred to previously, which is focusing on the Institute’s academic
governance, committee structure and programmes; and
z the forthcoming Institutional Review, which will require further reflection on many of
the issues considered in the TLQPR exercise, including the Institute’s governance,
academic structure, and internal quality assurance processes.
Division of Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
The Division was very pleased to receive the final report and note the observations of the
Panel regarding our favourable standing in the eyes of the education community.
We are particularly gratified to know that the Panel finds our QA system to be closely aligned
with that of the Institute as a whole, and are very encouraged by the positive comments on
our EQW implementation including the following:
• our desire to recruit staff of similar quality to those recruited by the Institute;
• maintenance of a very close relationship with students;
• provision of enhancement or remedial classes for less able students;
• regular monitoring of student progress;
• our focused and managed growth strategy allowing for strategic planning and efficient
allocation of resources; and
• our success in securing one of the largest shares of commissioned education projects
in Hong Kong due to the quality of programmes offered.
We are grateful to the Panel for its recommendations for further development and will
endeavour to respond to them proactively.
The role of the Division (1.2 (a) & 5.3.1)
Through ongoing discussion in the CPE Management Committee, which is chaired by a Vice
President of the Institute, we are developing a strategy to ensure that our growth path is in
tandem with that of the Institute as a whole. Meanwhile we will continue to focus on
developing in-service teacher education programmes and supporting government-initiated
continuing education projects. We will capitalise on our close links with schools and the local
community in order to achieve these goals. A new marketing committee will also be formed
to explore new growth options.
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Evaluation of EQW blueprints (1.2 (b) & 5.3.2)
The Division will introduce periodic review of EQW templates established for its major
courses and adjust them as necessary to ensure that they respond to the dynamics of course
provision over time. This will be undertaken by the Quality Assurance Committees and added
to the terms of reference of the Advisory Committees established for each major course, as
advisory responsibilities to the Management Committee.
Integration into the mainstream (5.3.3)
We are actively reviewing our timetables and looking at transport links to provide our
students with better access to main campus facilities and activities, and to help them develop
a closer sense of identity with the Institute.
Rewarding teachers (5.3.6)
The CPE Management Committee will keep under regular review the Division’s career
structure and when resources allow will seek to increase the number of senior positions. As a
self-funded operation we are aware of the need for other and possibly more innovative means
of recognising the contributions of teachers and we will pursue these actively.
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