Page 10 - FSTE A5 Handbook

General Education Practices in Hong Kong
Foreword

General Education (GE) is thriving in Hong Kong. Having been thoughtfully, pragmatically
and innovatively interwoven into the required curricular structures of both the UGC-funded
universities and the self-financing sectors of AD and HD programmes, GE is now a deeply
embedded dimension of the tertiary educational culture of the city. This is good for the
students, for institutions of higher learning, for employers, and for the social, cultural and
economic health of the city.
During the build up to, and implementation of, the major 3-3-4 Curricular Reform in which
universities transitioned from a 3- to a 4-year degree, GE was discussed in a range of workshops,
committee meetings, seminars, and conferences. Each university and community college was
invited to design its own GE curriculum with both local and international best practices in mind
and, since each institution has its own internal culture, the distinctiveness of the programmes
developed across the city is a fundamental strength of the GE aspect of the curricular reform.
But at this juncture, five years on, it has now become even more important to identify smooth
pathways for articulation of degree programmes and credit transfer for those students who
transfer from the sub-degree sector to the universities.

This book addresses this pressing set of questions. After exploring the background of the
emergence of GE, it then offers a comparative analysis of the GE requirements at the UGC-
funded institutions and in the community college sector, followed by chapters on credit transfer
practices and a discussion with students about their experiences of articulation. Finally, we
look at “The Way Forward,” making suggestions about improving the clarity of the process of
articulation and transfer agreements for all those working on these issues, including academic
leaders, administrators, academic advising, teaching staff, and, most importantly, the students
themselves.

Hong Kong is a global leader in re-inventing GE programmes for both the university and
the community college sector. But why, we have to ask ourselves, is this so important? It is
essential because learning consists of many dimensions, including the deepening of specialized
knowledge in the majors as well as the capacity to communicate — not only efficiently but also
with charisma — across different domains of learning and with peers across different sectors
of the economy. Students need to become active researchers and to see themselves as self-
initiating intellectual risk-takers from the moment they step onto our campuses.

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