Page 65 - FSTE A5 Handbook

In terms of study load, the number of students who need to take an average of 15 credits,
18 credits and more than 18 credits per semester were 100 (44%), 64 (28%) and 65 (28%)
respectively. The average study load per semester for full time study is 15-18 credits in UGC-
funded universities. One possible explanation for those who have more than 18 credits per
semester may be related to the need to fulfil professional registration requirements.

However, in the same survey, it is reported that students still needed to take some “make-
up courses”. About 16% of were required to take 1-3 GE make-up courses and 14 % of the
respondents need to do 1-3 non-GE make up courses. More than 75% of them did not need to
take any make-up course at all. Table 2 below shows more details.

Table 2: Frequency of GE and non-GE make up courses that some senior year students are
required to take (N=272)

No. of GE "Make-up" Courses No. of non-GE "Make-up" courses
0 non-GE "make-up"
0 GE "make-up" courses 206 (64%) 208 (77%)
courses
1 to 3 GE "make-up" 44 (16%) 1 to 3 non-GE "make-up" 39 (14%)
courses courses
4 to 6 GE "make-up" 16 (6%) 4 to 6 non-GE "make-up" 8 (3%)
courses courses
7 or above GE "make-up" 6 (2%) 7 or above non-GE 17 (6%)
courses "make-up" courses

Current Mechanisms for Recognizing Prior Learning Experience

There are mechanisms for recognising the credit points that students have taken prior to
taking their current academic programmes in local universities. The recognition of credit
points can be done by either credit transfer or credit exemption. By credit transfer, we mean
that the students’ credit points were accepted and counted towards the graduation credit
requirement and students do not need to take any other courses in addition to the approved
courses. On the other hand, in the case of credit exemption, students have to take another
course of the same credit points so as to reach the graduation required credits. Thus, they
need a course replacement. The practice of GE course exemption is uncommon. The discussion
concerned in this chapter is therefore about credit transfer, not credit exemption.

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