1. Teaching a GE Course
Q1: What is the difference between "course design" and "course outline"?
Course design is the master framework of a course which has to be submitted by teaching department through the online system GE Course Proposal & Inventory System (GECPI) when a course is introduced. Course outline is the detailed syllabus provided by course teacher to his/her own session.
Course delivery and course outline should adhere to the original course design drawn up by teaching department and approved by the Standing Committee on General Education (SCGE). Teaching departments can retrieve the approved course design from GECPI.
Q2: How can I recommend books which will be used as my GE course readings for library acquistion?
Teachers are welcome to make recommendations for library acquisitions with the GE Book Fund. Recommendations should be made on the library acquisition form and returned to OUGE This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.l or by post (8/F Hui Yeung Shing Building).
2. GE Course Proposal & Inventory
Q3: What is the procedure for proposing a new General Education (GE) course or a course revision?
Invitation for proposals is sent to teaching departments every October. Proposals (course design) need to be made on GECPI, and be endorsed by the proposing department board before being submitted to the Office of University General Education (OUGE). All the proposals received before the deadline (to be announced every year) will be reviewed by the SCGE Standing Committee (SCGESC) and forwarded to the SCGE for approval. The department should also seek parallel endorsement from its faculty board.
Q4: Should proposals for introduction/revision of College GE courses be submitted to OUGE or respective Colleges?
Proposals for introduction/revision of College GE courses should be submitted directly to the respective College GE Office for endorsement of the College Committees on GE.
3. Course Archive & Review
Q5: How do I know what course materials to be returned for a particular UGE course?
After receiving the course outline, the assigned OUGE colleague will inform you by email all the course materials to be returned. Reminders will also be sent before submission deadlines.
Q6: After selecting sample answer scripts, how should the originals be handled?
Only photocopies of answer scripts will be kept in UGE Archive. Course teachers can keep or dispose the originals as they wish.
For more information, please refer to the section of UGE Archive, Course and Programme Review
Q7: How is the review exercise conducted?
When courses are scheduled for review, teaching departments will be informed in writing in advance and invited to a self-assessment of alignment with the GE intended learning outcomes before the review.
The SCGESC will review courses based on the archived course materials, including course description, course outline, intended learning outcomes, reading list, assessment scheme, guidelines for students, Course & Teaching Evaluation findings and samples of student work.
The Committee will then forward recommendations to the SCGE for approval. The approved recommendations and comments will be conveyed to the teaching departments concerned for further improvements after the review exercise. The teaching departments will be asked to return proposals/plan for revision or improvement to the SCGESC/SCGE.
Q8: Can departments appeal against the resolution of the SCGE?
Departments can formulate its appeal if appropriate, with relevant arguments and new evidence if any, to the Chairperson of the SCGE within one month after receiving notification of the resolution of the SCGE. The SCGESC will reconsider the course and deliberate a recommendation to the SCGE for final approval.
Q9: What follow-up actions can departments take if courses are recommended for revision/withdrawal?
Departments should submit revised course design and implementation plan for consideration by the SCGESC/SCGE. Subject to approval by the SCGE, the revised course could be offered in the following academic year. Department may also overhaul withdrawn course according to the GE goals and desired characteristic and submit the new course design to the SCGESC/SCGE for consideration and approval.
Visit: Teaching & Learning > Staff Area > GE Course Proposal & Inventory for the details of submitting revised course design.
4. Assessment Policy
Q10: How should teachers handle plagiarism or cheating cases in GE courses?
Plagiarized student work in GE courses shall be reported to the Director of University General Education for onward submission to the Disciplinary Committee. If the teacher judge that there is a plagiarism case after reading the student's VeriGuide report, the teacher shall inform the student of his/her decision and give the student concerned access to the relevant portion of the report before the case is taken to any committee concerned. The matter shall not be handled by the teacher alone, since this will lead to inconsistent treatment.
For more information, visit the website: Honesty in Academic Work: A Guide for Students and Teachers (Plagiarism)
