Page 33 - FSTE A5 Handbook

Apart from the differences in language training, the sequence for students in taking GE courses
within their degree programmes also varies across the eight UGC-funded universities. Usually,
distribution requirements are assigned to students throughout the degree study period based
on individual school/study programme structure, whereas the compulsory GE requirements
such as a freshman seminar, language courses and foundation courses usually take place in
the first year of studies.
Despite these diversities, the GE programmes of the eight UGC-funded institutions have
common areas of focus in their aims and objectives and intended learning outcomes. This
result is listed in the following section: Commonalities in the Distributional Model. While
their GE programmes are usually comprised of both core and distribution requirements,
approximately 30% of these requirements are related to language and communication. For
the distribution requirements, arts and humanities, science and technology and society and
culture seem to be some of the common distribution areas of these GE programmes. Notably,
two universities have included college/school-specific requirements in their GE programmes.
These programmes are particularly designed for students with similar concentrations
under the same teaching unit. The purpose is to facilitate these students to acquire some
generic skills as expected from their areas of enquiry, for example, arts, social sciences and
business administration. In one of the universities, the exact curriculum design of each of its
eight College GE Programmes is determined by the respective College, in accordance with
the College’s mission, vision, desired learning outcomes; and is under the influence of the
College’s history and unique characteristics. The Colleges are not discipline-based units and
their students come from all of the academic programmes offered by the University.
Administration of the General Education Requirements

To administer the GE requirements, universities have allocated resources and assigned
designated units to be responsible for the fulfillment of specifically GE requirements under
the broader undergraduate graduation requirements. The following section will provide a
brief account of all the eight UGC-funded institutions.
City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
In CityU, GE is known as “Gateway Education”. Their GE courses are administered under the
Office of Education Development and Gateway Education (EDGE), a supporting unit liaising
with other academic departments and assisting them in providing GE courses by providing
guidelines on course proposal submission and course reviews. Since it is a supporting unit
in CityU, it does not propose and “own” any GE courses directly. The university has also set
up a separate Gateway Education Programme Committee (GEPC) for reviewing and making
recommendations for the GE programme.

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