GENERAL INFORMATION
OCTOBER 2009 TUTOR RECRUITMENT
(A) GENERAL INFORMATION
1.
Introduction
The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) was first established as the Open Learning Institute
(OLI) of Hong Kong in 1989 in recognition of the need for greater provision of local tertiary
education places. It acquired university status in 1997. The OUHK is a dedicated provider of
higher education mainly through distance learning. It is open to everyone aged 17 or above,
regardless of their academic background.
The OUHK academic units - School of Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Shau Kee School of Business
and Administration, School of Education and Languages, School of Science and Technology, and Li
Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education - offer a range of programmes from
certificate, diploma and higher diploma, associate degree through degree and honours degree, to
post-graduate studies.
The OUHK‟s main campus is located at 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon. In 2000,
the Island Learning Centre, located at 4/F., Shun Tak Centre, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong was opened
for use.
2.
3.
The OUHK’s primary objectives are:
a.
to provide a range of courses and programmes at sub-degree, degree and post-graduate
degree levels;
b.
to enable students to enrol in courses at their own pace and study in their own chosen
locations;
c.
to provide study facilities and face-to-face tuition to support those students;
d.
to deliver courses by multi-media means to students with widely differing learning
preferences and needs;
e.
to ensure that exit performance standards of degree programmes and OUHK degrees are
equivalent to those of other universities in Hong Kong and elsewhere;
f.
to strive to meet the perceived needs of Hong Kong society by offering a suitable range of
courses that students want to take and can afford, and
g.
to provide opportunities for staff development in order to maintain the OUHK‟s mission to
provide an appropriate education for its students.
Tutor’s Roles & Duties
There is often confusion about what distance education involves. „Correspondence teaching‟ has
become associated with courses in which the sole source of teaching is the course material and work
submitted by students is marked only for assessment purposes. In distance education it is
recognised, however, that course material alone cannot meet all the needs of individual students.
In fact, there is a need to supplement it by providing each student with some form of individual
tuition.
1
At the OUHK this is accomplished through the formation of tutorial groups and allocation of a tutor
to each group of students. The tutor offers each of his/her students personal help through face-toface sessions, the telephone, Internet or other means of communication, and by written comments
on submitted work. With the tutor‟s advice and guidance, a student should be able to overcome
personal difficulties both with the course content and with his/her methods of learning as an
independent student.
It is essential for anyone considering working as a tutor for the OUHK to appreciate the special
nature of the work. Even those experienced in teaching similar course content at a conventional,
face-to-face institution find that they need to develop different communication skills in order to
become a successful tutor in distance education. A tutor at OUHK must be willing therefore to
listen to and consider advice from the University's staff on how best to carry out his/her duties.
a.
Face-to-face Sessions
The face-to-face sessions may take several forms: regular tutorials, day schools, surgeries or
laboratory sessions.
i)
Tutorials: Tutorials are scheduled meetings between a group of students and the
tutor assigned to them. The tutorials are linked to specific units in course materials
and their purpose is to assist students with problems specific to those units. Tutors
can choose either to discuss areas of interest with all students or invite students to
bring up problems for discussion and help. The tutorials are normally between 2-3
hours long.
ii)
Day schools: Day schools are lecture-type meetings and smaller tutorial-type
meetings which are concerned with the general development of the course content.
Day schools are normally half-day or full-day meetings that can be scheduled at
anytime during the course and usually take place at weekends.
iii) Surgeries: Surgeries are scheduled regularly throughout the semester and are open to
all students of a particular course. During a surgery, the students have the
opportunity to benefit from one-to-one „consultation‟ with a tutor. They are often
held on weekdays and are attended by 1 or 2 tutors.
iv)
b.
Laboratory sessions: Laboratory sessions are considered as practical work which
requires students to come into the laboratories at specified centres to carry out
experiments and submit experiment reports. These sessions normally take place at
weekends and may last for 2-3 hours or a day.
Telephone, Internet or Other Means of Communication
A tutor is expected to initiate contacts and be accessible to students by telephone, Internet
or other means of communication as specified for the course. Tutors are expected to
allocate at least 4 hours per week for such contacts.
A tutor is required to adhere to the University‟s policy on using email as the primary means
of written communications.
Some OUHK courses are delivered via the Internet using the online course delivery
system – the OLE (Online Learning Environment). Most of the courses on the OLE are
created using a web-based integrated educational environment called WebCT while others
are created using other courseware. Tutors of these courses are expected to use their
computer equipment to provide online communication with the students. They need to
contact students and respond to students‟ queries using email and/ or Discussion Board and
Chat Room.
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Contacts by tutors will vary greatly from, for example, checking that a student will hand in
an assignment on time or trying to explain a piece of theory. The amount of contact will
vary from student to student and a tutor will need to establish with his/her group exactly
how and when contact is made. Certainly a tutor must expect such contact to be an
important element in his/her day-to-day relationship with students.
c.
Assignment Grading
The major part of a tutor‟s work will be grading assignments, the marks for which form a
substantial percentage of the final grade for the course. However, it must be appreciated
by the tutor that the assignments are also to be used as an important teaching tool. Any
criticism of a student‟s work must be carefully phrased to avoid destroying the student‟s
confidence and enthusiasm for his/her studies. Tutors will need to familiarise themselves
fully with all of the components of the course in order to provide total guidance through
their written comments which try to help students overcome any problems or
misunderstandings they face with the course content. While comprehensive marking
schemes are provided to tutors, the provision of written comments is something that a tutor
must consider carefully as it will be specific to each student. Making useful teaching
comments on a script will be the most difficult part of a tutor‟s work. For courses that are
delivered using the online environment, tutors are expected to mark and give comments on
the assignments via Internet.
Each tutor‟s work especially on assignments will be monitored by the course coordinator
and the external examiner to ensure that both the assessment and the written comments are
of the required standard. Tutors will be given feedback on various aspects of their
teaching.
d.
Other Duties
In addition to the teaching of course content there are other important contributions to be
made by the tutor. Independent learners can often feel isolated from an institution which
communicates via print or electronic materials. Therefore, an OUHK tutor provides the
'human face' of the institution to its students, and reassures them about problems in areas
not directly related to course content, e.g. study methods. In this and the other types of
work, the tutor will be able to call on the University‟s full-time staff to assist with or, where
necessary, take over a student's problem.
A further role of the tutor is in helping with the development of the course. For example,
where courses are imported, there is always a danger that the content is culturally
inappropriate. In such cases, the OUHK reviews courses with this in mind and provides
additional material as necessary, and the tutor should feel free to contribute to this process
on the basis of his/her local experience.
More generally, tutors are seen as a major source of advice on how course content and
presentation can be improved. Tutors are expected to work with the course coordinator to
identify any problems with the course and to find solutions. It is hoped that tutors will feel
part of the academic team and as such contribute to the short and long-term planning of
programmes.
While most of the OUHK courses are offered in the distance learning mode, some courses
are offered in the face-to-face taught mode. Normally, a tutor will conduct face-to-face
teaching with a group of students for 2-3 hours on a weekly basis. The total teaching
hours are usually around 45 hours per semester. In addition, the tutor will be required to
mark assignments and provide guidance and support to students through the telephone,
Internet or other communication channels.
3
A tutor may be assigned to take up special duties, e.g. teaching practice supervision. In some
courses offered by the School of Education and Languages, a tutor may be appointed to take up the
role of a „Teaching Practice Supervisor‟ who will be required to carry out “practicum visits” to
assess students‟ teaching performance through classroom observation, and to provide guidance on
their teaching. The teaching practice supervisor will also be required to conduct day schools on the
relevant courses.
4.
Academic Calendar
One-semester courses run from October 2009 until March 2010, while two-semester courses run
from October 2009 to September 2010. Because of the spread of assignments and tutorials over
the presentation, tutors are therefore expected to be available during all of this period.
5.
Hours of Work
A tutor‟s weekly loading varies according to the length, level and characteristics of each course, the
assignment schedule and, in particular, the number of students and tutorial groups assigned to
him/her. A tutor‟s personal factors would have impact on his/ her weekly workload as well. In
general, a tutor‟s weekly loading will not exceed 17 hours throughout a course presentation.
6.
Remuneration
An attractive remuneration package will be offered.
7.
Tutor Training & Development
It is the University‟s policy to provide necessary training opportunities to tutors for effective
performance of their jobs. A Tutor Orientation and Training Course has been developed for new
tutors. It comprises self-study course materials and about five face-to-face sessions. The first
session is tentatively scheduled on 19 September 2009. Full attendance at tutor training sessions is
mandatory and a Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon successful completion of a
Computer Marked Assignment.
In addition, all new tutors are also required to attend an online course on Online Training for Tutors
to be held from 12 October 2009 to 11 November 2009 to equip them with the necessary online
delivery skills. Other training opportunities, e.g. Professional Development Seminars, will also be
arranged for tutors to enhance their knowledge and skills in open and distance education.
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(B)
SUB-DEGREE, DEGREE AND POST-GRADUATE DEGREE COURSES OFFERED
BY SCHOOLS
Summary list of courses to be offered in October 2009 Presentation
School of Arts and Social Sciences
A090
English Speaking and Listening Skills
A101
University English Writing Skills
A122
Presentation Skills
A200
Analysing English Grammar
A335
Culture and Translation
AC163C
中國人文學科基礎課程 (二): 思想與信仰
AC171C
應用文
AC172C
語文通論
AC200C
普通話 II
AC240C
中文傳意：理論與實踐
AC251C
翻譯導論
AC254C
傳譯基礎
AC264C
歷代散文
AC270C
中國文學與文化導論
AC273C
詩詞選
AC291C
邏輯與方法論
AC293C
中國古代哲學思想
AC352C
實用翻譯 2 (公共行政及傳播媒介)
AC360C
新聞、編輯及廣告
AC381C
史學方法
AC383C
中國近代史 (1840-1949)
AC392C
明末以來中國思想史
AW213C
香港歷史 (1842-1997)
CS202C
當代中國文化
CS301
Critical Issues in Contemporary China
CS304C
中國當代史
D315
Crime, Order and Social Control
DD303
Cognitive Psychology
DSE212
Exploring Psychology
EC203
Hong Kong Economy
EC231C
微觀經濟學導論
EC232
Introduction to Macroeconomics
EC312
Intermediate Macroeconomics
EC313
Introductory Econometrics
EC315
International Trade
ED209
Child Development
PA301
Public Sector Management in Hong Kong
PS203
Psychology for Law Enforcement
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PS204
Security Practice and Management
PS303
Law Enforcement and Policing in Chinese Societies
PS304
Research Methods in Law Enforcement and Security Studies
SS101
Social Sciences: A Foundation Course
SS112C
社會科學基礎課程：經濟學與政治學
SS201C
政治學導論
SS202
Hong Kong Society
SS211
Government and Politics of Hong Kong
SS313C
社會研究原理
SS317C
社會心理學
Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration
B103
Business Communication I
B121
Business Computing with Internet Applications
B123C
中文微型電腦應用
B171
Business Statistics
B171C
商業統計學
B191C
商業關係與溝通 (一)
B211
Introduction to Accounting I
B211C
會計學導論 (一)
B240
Principles and Practices of Management
B240C
管理原理與實務
B250
Introduction to Marketing
B250C
市場學導論
B262C
商業法 (一)
B263
Business Law II
B264C
中國商業法 (一)
B280
Introduction to Financial Management
B290
Organizational Behaviour
B290C
組織行為學
B313
Management and Cost Accounting
B318C
資訊系統管理
B319
Advanced Business Computing
B321
Advances in Information Technology: Systems Administration
B331
Company Accounting I
B334
Company Law II
B342
Training and Development
B342C
培訓及發展
B351C
中國金融專題
B352C
中國市場學
B354C
中國企業策略
B355C
華人企業專題
6
B366
Marketing Communications
B368
Business Issues and Ethics
B371
Logistics
B371C
物流管理
B378C
中國會計
B381
Commercial Banking
B386
Financial Decision Making
B386C
財務決策
B387
International Financial Management
B390
International Business Management
B390C
國際商業管理學
B399
Management Policy and Strategy
B399C
管理政策與策略
B407
Advanced Financial Reporting and Analysis I
B410
Corporate Administration and Secretarial Practice
B415
Taxation II
B417
Auditing II
B421
Information Systems Audits, Security and Control
B440
Strategic Human Resource Management
B469
International Marketing and Strategy
B480
Management of Financial Institutions
B813W
Business Concepts and Practices for Legal Professionals I
B814CW
商業概念與實務在法律專業的應用 (二)
B819
Concepts and Practices of Contemporary Business Administration
B819C
當代工商管理概念與實務
B820
Strategy
B823C
經濟理論與實務
B824
Managing Human Resources
B831C
策略管理
B833C
企業財務
B834C
人力資源管理
B834CW
人力資源管理
B837
Human Resource Management in China
B841C
市場管理實務
B842C
高級資訊系統及電子商業策略
B843CW
中國民法原理與實踐
B843W
Principles and Practices of Chinese Civil Law
B845CW
中國企業法
B845W
Chinese Laws on Enterprises
B848CW
國際商業法與中國
B848W
International Business Law and China
B849CW
中國憲法原理與實踐
B849W
Principles and Practices of Chinese Constitutional Law
7
B850
Investment and Portfolio Management
B853CW
中國行政法原理與實踐
B855CW
商業法比較研究 (一)
B855W
Comparative Study of Business Law I
B861
Accounting for Corporations
B862
Finance for Corporations
B863
Financial Reporting Environment
B866
Audit Theory and Practice
B867
Managerial Control Systems
B868
Corporate Law
B870
Electronic Commerce for Managers
B871
Internet Technology
B874
Advanced Electronic Commerce Applications
B890
International Management Strategy
B891
International Marketing Strategy
B892
Advanced Information Systems and Electronic Commerce Strategy
B893C
亞太區管理策略研究
B897
Corporate Administration and Secretaryship
B898
Issues in Corporate Governance
B950
Business Research
B950C
商業研究
B980
Directed Studies in Business
B980C
商業專題研究
L802C
中國民法
L803C
中國商法
L811C
國際經濟及貿易法
L814C
法理學
L815C
中國知識產權法
School of Education and Languages
E160C
兒童研究
E162C
幼兒教育：家長的參與
E210C
課程理論、設計與評估
E220C
教育與社會
E261C
幼兒教育課程規劃
E263C
兒童的個別差異
E264C
幼兒的早期學習經驗
E311C
教育行政
E332
Primary School Teaching: English
E339C
小學教學：普通話
E341CF
普通話為中文科的教學語言：理論與實踐
E801
Educational Research in Action
8
E805C
教育領導與管理
E810
English Studies for Language Teaching
E811C
教學中文學科研究
E813C
家庭、學校、社會與兒童發展
E817
Learning, Curriculum and Assessment
E854C
學習者、學習與學校課程
E872C
教學專業課題研究
E880
Learning and Teaching Liberal Studies
EIT150
Microcomputing for Learning
EL071W
Basic Chinese 1
EL072W
Basic Chinese 2
EL100
English for Effective Communication I
EL130C
中國語文運用 (一)
EL150C
普通話基礎課程
EL210
English for Effective Communication II: Listening and Speaking
EL230C
中國語文運用（二）
EL320
English Grammar in Context
EP841C
專業技巧：小學教學
EPP841
Skills in Teaching Primary School English
ES362C
中學教學：中文
ES363
Teaching English in Secondary Schools
ES862C
專業技巧：中國語文教學
ES863
Professional Skills: Teaching English
School of Science and Technology
CT211
Fundamentals of Communications Technology
CT311
Wireless Communications
EN251
Organic and Physical Chemistry
EN320
Environmental Impact Assessment
EN335
Environmental Control, Monitoring and Modeling
EN341
Environmental Legislation and Management
M121
A Foundation in Pure Mathematics
M280
Statistical Methods for Decision Analysis
M336
Groups and Geometry
M359
Relational Databases: Theory & Practice
MDST242
Statistics in Society
MT258
Computer Programming and Problem Solving
MT260
Computer Architecture and Operating Systems
MT263
Discrete Structures
MT311
Java Application Development and Programming Languages
MT356
Software Engineering and Project Management
MT365
Graphs, Networks and Design
9
MT368
Networks and Distributed Systems
MT411
Advanced Topics in Computing: Digital Multimedia & Java Mobile Games
MT450
Applied Computing Project
MT811
Java Programming for Web Applications, Enterprise Computing and Mobile Devices
MT888
Multimedia Technology
NU104C
精神健康
NU202C
行為科學（護士科目）
NU213C
專科護理學
NU214C
治療性精神護理學 (二)
NU310
Professional Nursing Practice
S122
A Foundation Course in Biology and Earth Science
S205
The Core of Life
S271
Discovering Physics
S301
Conservation and Biodiversity
T213
Materials: Engineering and Science
T225
Analogue Circuits
T323
Information Theory and Digital Communications
T334
Signal Processing and Multimedia Technology
T396
Artificial Intelligence for Technology
U101
Introduction to Information and Communications Technology
U216
Environment: Change, Contest and Responses
U234
Web Site Design
U238
Quality and Reliability
10