HKUST Alumni News 2015
7
The HKUST Edge
high school students taking
the course – indeed many are
among the top performers. This
is an interesting development for
HKUST, as our aim is to recruit
the best students from around
the world, so courses such as
this can be turned into a good
recruitment tool. Also, we can
predict how a student will do
in a course by looking at their
involvement in the study forum, for example – sowe can identify students
who are at risk of not achieving a good result.” And if, for example, a
large number of students are reviewing the same section of a particular
video it may be that the corresponding concept or topic is not being
adequately explained, and the presentation can be improved.
Among developments being considered by the University is the
use of MOOCs in student exchange-in and -out programs. Students
would take an online program during a semester at their home
university, and then attend the campus of the relevant university
for a few weeks during the summer to earn the academic credits.
Prof Pong notes that this overcomes problems of possible delayed
graduation, dif culties with family nances and – especially for
HKUST – limited student accommodation on campus.
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS
HKUST is working with Hong Kong secondary schools through the
Chemists Online program that introduces undergraduate-level chemistry
through online seminars and laboratory sessions. “It gives them a taste
of university education and helps them to make a more informed choice
when they apply for university admission. The rst time we offered the
program, we attracted over 6,000 students from 140 schools, and the
second time it expanded to over 7,000 from 170 schools.”
A pilot scheme was offered last summer for HKUST students to
earn credits for their degree study, provided that they completed six
weeks of face-to-face course work on campus on top of the MOOC
they took. The program will run again this summer, while opening it
up to secondary schools is under consideration, which would allow
students to earn credits even before entering university.
TheChemistsOnline programearnedHKUST theNatural Sciences
Award at the Wharton-QS Stars Awards 2014, the rst event of its kind
in the world; the University also came second in the Hybrid Learning
Category for the Hong Kong Virtual University program.
And, just in case you are wondering, alumni are not to be left
out of this educational revolution. “We are considering setting up
professional development programs,
so even if you graduated many
years ago, you can upgrade your
knowledge through a MOOC,” says
Prof Pong.
What is a MOOC?
A MOOC is much more than an online video of a lecture.
It is a structured, timetabled course that includes
activities such as quizzes and forum discussions, so
students learn from each other as well as the instructor.
Courses are free and anyone with an internet connection
can enroll; however, many MOOCs are now offering
veri ed certi cates for a small fee.
Coursera
edX
The system Visual Analysis of MOOC (VisMOOC), developed by a team led by
Prof Huamin Qu from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
received the Best Innovation (Innovative Technology) Silver Award at The Hong
Kong ICT Awards this year.
Prof Pong’s online course
“Introduction to Java Programming”
talks about how to manipulate 3D
images with Java.
Check out HKUST’S MOOCs:
online course materials. To date, HKUST has offered six MOOCs.
“Science, Technology and Society in China”, “A New History for a
New China”, and “The Science in Gastronomy” are on Coursera –
the last course has proved immensely popular, with over 100,000
registered learners in two offerings. On edX there is “Introduction to
Java Programming”, of which Prof Pong is the instructor, “English for
Doing Business in Asia” and “A System View of Communications: from
Signals to Packets”.
Prof Pong says that being involved with MOOCs brings bene ts
to the University. “Partners are top universities from around the world,
so it helps us keep abreast of recent pedagogical and technology
developments in teaching and learning.” The bene ts to students
around the world are obvious, but Prof Pong says that the courses
also act as a catalyst for the quest to improve teaching and learning
on campus. “We can bring it back to campus, by using MOOCs
for blended learning – which involves both online and face-to-face
learning – so as to involve students more actively. Before, traditional
classroom teaching was one-way delivery, but students can now
learn at their own pace.”
HKUST is using data collected on its own MOOCs to analyze
students’ learning patterns and improve delivery. Funding from the
University Grants Council will allow collaboration with other institutions,
under the leadership of HKUST, to develop a Hong Kong-based
MOOC and e-learning platform for the tertiary education sector.
ENHANCING STUDENTS’ LEARNING EXPERIENCE
“We can see if students in various parts of the world and with
various educational backgrounds learn differently and how this affects
their learning experience,” says Prof Pong. “For example on my own
course in computer programming, we were surprised to nd a lot of
