Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2003

Second Teaching and Learning Quality Process Review The Un i v e r s i ty Gr an ts Comm i t t ee (UGC) conducted the second r ound of the Teaching and Learning Qua l i ty Process Review (TLQPR) of The Chinese University i n September 2002. A report of the review was given to the University i n late 2003. I n the report, the UGC recognizes that progress has been made by the University since the first r o u nd of TLQPR, and that efforts have been made to address explicitly the recommendations of the first r o u nd review. Four developments i n particular are c ommended i n the report. They are the systematic ope r a t i on of the course and t each i ng e v a l u a t i on o n campus, w i t h a t t e n t i on b e i ng p a i d to t he r e s u l t s, especially i n respect of personnel decisions; the i mp l eme n t a t i on of the n ew medical curriculum, i n terms of both its f o rm and the processes via wh i ch it was developed; the establishment of the Centre for Learning Enhancement and Research (CLEAR); and the administration and delivery of research postgraduate education. The h i gh qua l i ty of the Un i ve r s i t y 's teaching and learning processes is we l l reflected by the performance of its graduates. According to the results published i n 2002 of a large-sample survey on the opinions of e m p l o y e rs o n t he ma j o r aspects of performance of H o ng Kong 's year 2000 graduates of UGC - f u n d ed i ns t i t u t i ons, conducted by the Government's Education and Ma n p ower Bureau i n 2001, C U HK g r a d u a t e s' p e r f o r m a n ce w a s r a t ed outstanding. The University is grateful to the UGC for its recommendations, w h i c h w i l l be followed up to ensure that its teaching and learning processes w i l l become even more mature and effective. Australian Expert Exchanges Views with CUHK Reference Group on Institutional Integration The University Grants Committee (UGC) has established an Institutional Integration Working Party (IIWP) to consider the issue of institutional integration and requested that a Reference Group be appointed i n CUHK and HKUST respectively to facilitate liaison w i th the IIWP. Prof. John Niland, convener of the IIWP, met w i t h the University's Reference Group o n I n s t i t u t i o n al I n t e g r a t i on o n 17 th Se p t emb er a nd 6 t h N o v e m b er 2003 respectively. The I IWP aims at collecting views for the compilation of an Options Do c ume nt w h i c h w i l l set o u t v a r i o us scenarios a nd issues f or f u r t h er consideration, i n c l u d i ng the key po t en t i al benefits and drawbacks of a merger between CUHK and HKUST. Prof. N i l and stressed at the first meeting that the I IWP had no preset position and wo u ld adopt an open- minded approach. He also invited the t wo institutions to examine and spell out the advantages and challenges of integration for themselves and for Hong Kong. A t the second meeting, Prof. Niland and the CUHK Reference Group further examined various modes of institutional integration ranging from reinforcing existing cooperation i n teaching and research and sharing of resources, to developing deeper collaboration i n the form of joint degree programmes and centrally managed library services, and, at the other end, a full merger. The benefits and difficulties of various modes of institutional integration were also discussed. Prof. N i l a nd said that the I IWP w o u l d produce a draft report for discussion at the UGC's meeting i n January 2004 w i t h a view to finalizing the report for submission to the Government i n February 2004. Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2003 72