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Dear colleagues, students and alumni,

Quality Audit Report of Sub-degree Operations of The Chinese University of Hong Kong 

The Quality Assurance Council (QAC), established in 2007, is a semi-autonomous non-statutory body under the aegis of the University Grants Committee (UGC) for assuring the quality of educational experience in UGC-funded institutions through undertaking quality audits of teaching and learning in all UGC-funded institutions.  The quality audit on sub-degree operations by QAC started in 2016 and CUHK is the first institution subjected to the audit.  The Report has just been released today, and I am most delighted to inform you that we are highly commended by the UGC as having “developed a well-established and functional quality framework for its Sub-degree, Professional and Continuing Education Programmes (SPCEPs) in alignment with its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF)” and that our School of Continuing and Professional Studies (CUSCS) “has been instrumental in setting standards and promoting the enhancement of the student learning experience”.

The scope of audit includes programmes at HKQF Levels 1 to 4, or equivalent, however funded, leading to a qualification wholly or partly awarded by the institution concerned.  The commendations by QAC to CUHK are summarized as follows, and represent strong endorsement of our academic faculties and CUSCS, including teachers, staff and stakeholders at all levels:

• Clear specification of a sub-degree strategy
• Rationalization of its SPCEP portfolio
• Consistent use of re-approval processes using external expertise
• Quality of the relationships between CUHK and external stakeholders
• Value and appreciation that CUHK places on teachers’ contributions to the delivery of sub-degree programmes
• Wide adoption of self-evaluation in SPCEPs and the high level of adoption of class visits that encourage self-reflection and peer learning among teachers
• Provision of various forms of professional development opportunities as well as the close collaboration between the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) and CUSCS
• Practice of timely return of work to students and the general use of feedback
• High level of support provided by staff and the positive engagement of students
• CUHK’s deployment of data, in particular, its responsiveness to student feedback from the Course and Teaching Evaluation (CTE) and Sub-degree Student Experience Questionnaire (SSEQ) results

In pursuit of long-term and sustainable development of the SPCEP sector, CUHK has identified priority areas and initiatives which are consistent with the recommendations of the QAC.  These include uniform adoption of the principles of outcomes-based approach (OBA) for sub-degree provision, standardization of policy and procedure of academic disciplines, and consolidation of a framework for the collection and strategic use of data.  

The QAC audits have provided us with valuable opportunities to self-reflect on existing practices and embark on strategic initiatives to move forward.  CUHK would like to express our gratitude to the QAC and the Audit Panel for the in-depth review, commendations and critical insights offered in the Report which are extremely useful for our continuous enhancement of quality teaching and learning.

Taking this opportunity, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to our colleagues, students and alumni, as well as all other stakeholders, for their hard work and contributions to the successful completion of this quality audit. 

Rocky S. Tuan
Vice-Chancellor and President
21 June 2018