Re-imagining Undergraduate Education
Amy B M Tsui
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice President
The University of Hong Kong
Outline
• International Higher Education Landscape
• 334 Education Reform: Nurturing 21st
century graduates at HKU
– Goal-setting: aims of UG education
– Operationalization and Implementation
– Challenges
• Personal Reflections
Information Age
Knowledge Economy
UK: 1997 (Dearing Report); 2003
(The Future of HE); Scotland
2002-2004 (3 Phases of Higher
Education Review); 2007 (Burgess
Report); 2011 (HE White Paper)
US: 1998 (Boyer
Report), 2002
(Review of Boyer);
2005 (LEAP); 2008
(national report on
HE)
China: 1993, 211 project (21st century;
100 universities) ; 1998, 985 project
(May 1998 – 9 universities) → 34 in
2009 ; 2009, formal establishment of
C9 – Chinese Ivy League ; 2010,
(Medium and Long Term Educational
Reform blueprint 2020)
Europe: 1998 (Bologna
Process); 2010 (EHEA);
2010 (Impact of BP)
Reviews of Higher Education
Worldwide
HK: 1996 (Review
of HE); 2002
(Sutherland
Report); 2010
Australia: 1998 (West
Review), 2003 (Backing Aust’s
Future); 2008 (Bradley Report)
Curriculum Structure: standardization
& portability of credits; flexibility for
student choice, career change;
recognition of prior experience
Curriculum content: broadening; early
specialization questioned
Emphasis on generic skills and lifelong learning
International HE Reform
Initiatives : refocusing on
UG Education
Breaking down barriers: vocational vs
university training; university vs
community
International experience: global
outlook
Knowledge Economy  Conceptual Economy
“The growth of the conceptual
component of output has brought
with it accelerating demands for
workers who are equipped not
simply with technical know-how,
but with the ability to create,
analyze, and transform information
and to interact effectively with
others.”
Alan Greenspan, 1997,
speech at U. of Connecticut
Conceptual Age
“The future belongs to a very
different kind of person with
a very different kind of
mind—creators and
empathizers, pattern
recognizers, and meaning
makers.”
Daniel Pink, 2005, A Whole New Mind: Why
Right Brainers will Rule the Future
(Riverhead Books); translated into 34
languages.
Innovation: crossing boundaries
“…technology alone is not enough. It is technology
married with liberal arts, married with humanities, that
yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”
(Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple Computer and Pixar Animation)
• It is no longer sufficient to
teach skills or even meta-skills
(e.g. learning how to learn).
Thomas, Douglas & Brown,
John Seely (2011),
Lexington, Ky: CreateSpace
• Skills are important but so are
mind sets and dispositions. …
passion, imagination, and “arc
of life” learning: activities in
our daily lives which keep us
learning, growing and
exploring.
334 Education Reform (2009 - ) in Hong Kong
Secondary education (2009 - )
5 (100%) +2 (40%) → 3 +3 (100%)
New senior secondary curriculum:
S4-S6
New exam system:
HKALE (NRA) → HKDSE (SRA)
Undergraduate education (2012 - )
3 → 4 years
New Senior Secondary Curriculum (S4-6)
2 or 3 Elective
Subjects
Other Learning
Experiences
Chinese Language
English Language
Mathematics
Liberal Studies
Chosen from:
20 elective subjects
Applied Learning courses
Other Languages
Moral and Civic Education
Community Service
Aesthetic Development
Physical Development
Career-related Experiences
Literacy + numeracy
Critical thinking
Broad knowledge base
and diverse interests
Positive values and
attitudes, and wholeperson development
4 Core Subjects
Source: EDB (2005) New Academic Structure for Senor Secondary Education and
Higher Education – Action Plan for the Future. HK Govt. Printers
Professors’ Responses to 4-year UG Curriculum Reform
I want to give
students
remedial math
so that they
can follow our
syllabus.
I want my
students to
specialize
more !
I want my
students to
have a more
solid grounding
in Chemistry!
Professors’ Responses to 4-year UG Curriculum Reform
I want my
students to
treat
patients as
human
beings !
I want my
students to stop
asking me what is
the right answer !
I want
thinking
architects !
Employers’ Responses
I want
graduates
who can
work outside
their comfort
zone !
I want
graduates
who can tell
me an
interesting
novel they
have read !
I want
graduates who
can identify
what the
problem is, not
just solve
problems !
Undergraduate Curriculum Reform at HKU
Goal-Setting: Educational Aims
Six Educational Aims for UG Education:
• Academic excellence and critical intellectual inquiry
• tackling novel situations and ill-defined problems
• personal and professional ethics
• intercultural understanding and global citizenship
• communication and collaboration
• leadership and advocacy for the improvement of the
human condition
Operationalization and Implementation
Questions from teachers
• These aims are motherhood and apple pie. How do we achieve them?
• How can they be realized in the curriculum?
• How do we teach them?
• How can we assess values and dispositions?
Response
• What do we need to do to generate university-wide discussion?
• What are the key ideas and concepts in this reform process ?
• Do we have a common language to explore them?
• How do we know whether things are working?
A Conceptual Framework for New Curriculum
Educational
Aims
Conception of
the Curriculum
Content
Goal & Principles of
Curriculum Design
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK
Pedagogy
Assessment
Theory of Learning
Conception of Knowledge
Global & Local Environments
University Community
Common Conception of Curriculum
Classroom Learning
(Formal curriculum)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Systematic
Organized
Explicit
Decontextualized
Assessed
Teacher driven
Extra-/Co-curricular
activities (Informal
curriculum)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Non-systematic
Incidental
Tacit
Contextualized and situated
Not assessed
Student driven
Reconceptualization of Curriculum
Classroom
Learning
Curriculum
= Total
learning
experience
Extra /
Co-curricular
Learning
Learning Environment :
Learning Commons - Synergy between physical, virtual
and social environments
Learning Commons: Collaborative learning
Learning Commons: Collaborative learning
Learning Commons : Chilling out after class
Learning Environment : Collaborative classrooms
Learning Environment: Flexible classrooms
Library
Library: discussion corners
Learning environment
: Curriculum
structure
Enabling
Curriculum
Structure
Curriculum
structure: Curriculum
enabling & flexible
Learning
Environment:
Structure
Minor
Major
Physics (Science)
Astronomy (Science)
Music (Arts)
Philosophy (Arts)
Computer Science (Engineering)
Information Management (Education)
Finance (Business and Econ)
Economics (Business and Econ)
Global Studies (Social Sciences)
Psychology (Social Sciences)
Compulsory
Electives
Electives 1
Common Core
Electives 2
English
Electives 3
Chinese
Curriculum
structure: Curriculum
enabling & flexible
Learning
Environment:
Structure
Minor
Major
Physics (Science)
Astronomy (Science)
Music (Arts)
Philosophy (Arts)
Computer Science (Engineering)
Information Management (Education)
Finance (Business and Econ)
Economics (Business and Econ)
Global Studies (Social Sciences)
Psychology (Social Sciences)
Compulsory
Electives
Electives 1
Common Core
Electives 2
English
Electives 3
Chinese
Curriculum
structure: Curriculum
enabling & flexible
Learning
Environment:
Structure
Minor
Major
Physics (Science)
Astronomy (Science)
Music (Arts)
Philosophy (Arts)
Computer Science (Engineering)
Information Management (Education)
Finance (Business and Econ)
Economics (Business and Econ)
Global Studies (Social Sciences)
Psychology (Social Sciences)
Compulsory
Electives
Electives 1
Common Core
Electives 2
English
Electives 3
Chinese
Curriculum
structure: Curriculum
enabling & flexible
Learning
Environment:
Structure
Minor
Major
Physics (Science)
Astronomy (Science)
Music (Arts)
Philosophy (Arts)
Computer Science (Engineering)
Information Management (Education)
Finance (Business and Econ)
Economics (Business and Econ)
Global Studies (Social Sciences)
Psychology (Social Sciences)
Compulsory
Electives
Electives 1
Common Core
Electives 2
English
Electives 3
Chinese
Learning Journey: Academic advising
Goals:
•
Transitioning to university education
•
Setting academic and personal goals
•
Selecting courses and programmes
•
Maximizing learning opportunities
Approach: Advising Redundancy
• Academic advisor for each student (mandatory)
• Peer advisor (optional)
• Residential advisor (all residential halls)
Induction into University Learning
• To ask questions instead of looking for right or wrong
answers
• To see things from different perspectives
• To see things as connected
The student who can begin early in
life to think of things as
connected … has begun the life of
learning.” (Mark van Doren, 1943, Liberal
Education, p. 115)
Mark van Doren (1894-1972) American poet, writer, critic; winner of Politzer prize for
poetry (1940)
Common Core Curriculum: Framework
Addresses
• issues of deeply profound significance to
humankind
• core intellectual skills that all
undergraduates should acquire
• core values that they should uphold
HKU Common Core 核心課程
Scientific &
Technological Literacy
Humanities
Global Issues
China: Culture, State
and Society
“Only connect….” E.M. Forster (1910), Howards End.
Theme 1 Science, technology and society – Key issues
i.
Can science and scientific discoveries be value-free? How are
scientific findings shaped by beliefs and value systems?
ii.
Can science be error-free? What are the possibilities and
consequences of the misuse of science?
iii. What are the benefits of technological innovations and what kind
of unwelcome and unanticipated side effects could they bring?
iv. What are the moral and ethical dilemmas created by scientific
discoveries and new technologies? …. How can we formulate our
position and plan appropriate action as we face these dilemmas?
Feeding the World
"I want students to think about where the
food they eat comes from and the human
and environmental costs of providing food.
They find out very quickly that the key
issue is not biotechnology, it's much more
to do with economics and politics. Social
science departments may teach some of
this, but they tend to skate over the
technological issues. But if it were taught
purely as a food science course, students
wouldn't learn about the bigger issues."
Dr Harold Corke, Assoc Professor in the School of
Biological Sciences, teaches “Feeding the World”
Common Core : Faculty Participation
Social Sciences
Architecture
8.8%
23.6%
Arts
26.4%
Science
Business & Economics
14.0%
Medicine 8.2%
Law 2.1%
5.7%
0.3% Dentistry
5.5%
5.5%
Engineering Education
2012-2013: 151 courses on offer
Common Core : Profile of teachers
Teaching Consultant/ Fellow
9 (7%)
Chair Professor &
full Professor
21 (17%)
Assistant Professor
41 (34%)
Associate Professor
50 (42%)
Experiential Learning: from peripheral to central
Investigation of issues in real-life contexts
Dialectics of Knowing and Doing
Zhu Xi, 朱熹 philosopher, Song
Dynasty, 1130-1200)
“When you know something
but don’t act on it, your
knowledge of it is still
superficial. After you’ve
personally experienced it,
your knowledge of it will be
much clearer and its
significance will be different
from what it used to be.”
Dialectics of Learning and Doing
• “Give the pupils something to do, not something
to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to
demand thinking; learning naturally results.”
John Dewey (1895-1952)
• Learning as social participation: learning is not
just a cognitive process, it is fundamentally social
and experiential(Jean Lave, 1988; Lave and
Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998).
45
Experiential Learning:
Embodiment of knowledge, skills, disposition and values
Characteristics of real-life working environments:
•
Situations are often unfamiliar
•
Problems are not well-defined
•
Contextual factors are crucial
•
No perfect solution – learning to live with dilemmas
Skills and disposition cultivated:
•
Adaptability; thinking on one’s feet
•
Empathy; passion
•
Resourcefulness; imagination; creativity
•
Communication, collaboration, negotiation
•
Decision-making: making informed decisions driven by core
values
Engineering Faculty:
Sichuan Post-earthquake Kindergarten Reconstruction
(2008-2011)
Sichuan Kindergarten Construction Completed
Main Entrance of Sichuan Kindergarten
Engineering Faculty
Construction Projects in Guangxi, PRC
Mingde Lou
– a primary school
Gewu Lou
– a dormitory
Qinmo Village Project 2006-2010
(Architecture Faculty )
A school in
Qinmo Village
in need of a
face-lift
A New
School
blending
with the
terraced rice
fields
Community participation
is encouraged by having
the villagers and children
paint the individual bricks
for the façade of the
classrooms
The school provides a
new community space
for the village.
Rural Urban Framework:
Luk Zuk Village Redevelopment Project 2011-12
(Faculty of Architecture)
Business Consulting Practicum:
Making a business plan for a social enterprise
(Faculty of Business & Economics)
Same-cohort comparison of HKUSLEQ scores
(3-year curriculum)
4
3.5
3
2.5
07-10 08-11 09-12
Intercultural
understanding
07-10 08-11 09-12
07-10 08-11 09-12
Global Citizenship
Advocacy for the
improvement of the
human condition
2007 – First Yr N = 1087; Final Yr N = 1324 / 2008 – First Yr N = 1241; Final Yr N = 1513 / 2009 – First Yr N = 1389; Final Yr N = 1581
Reflections on Leading and Managing Curriculum Reform
Shared “Vision”
• Seeing the big picture
• Seeing the need for change : evidence-based
Goal-setting: What do we want to achieve?
• Building “consensus”  Building a common discourse and a
shared repertoire (ideas and concepts)
Operationalization and implementation
• Innovation: New ideas is only part of the equation, execution is
just as important.
• Participation and ownership: willingness to live with imperfection
• Resource support
Sustaining change
Challenge: Sustaining Change
•
Incorporated into everyday practice
– as part of quality assurance and enhancement
mechanisms
– as part of performance indicators, with resource
implications
•
Infra-structures to support and sustain change
•
Monitoring and disseminating progress
•
Celebrating and sharing good practices
•
Strategic allocation / re-allocation of resource support
Qualities of a Leader
Jerry Sternin
– Save the Children Project in Vietnam (1990-1996)
• Don’t presume you have the answer.
• Initiate open discussions and interrogation.
• Look for “positive deviants” – they see solutions where others
don’t.
• Use innovative behaviours to shape new thinking, not the
other way round.
“Act your way into new ways of
thinking”, not “think your way into
news ways of acting.” (Pascale,
Sternin and Sternin, 2010)