Page 88 - FSTE A5 Handbook

Chapter Six
The Way Forward

GE as Fundamental Academic Training

The study revealed a common problem experienced among students in higher education.
Many choose a course for reasons other than intellectual or personal development. They
see every course as a separate and independent entity and do not realize that a course has
both instructional and nurturing effects. The former gives them the knowledge while the
latter facilitates their whole person development. Knowledge can be obtained through a
piecemeal approach, but personal development is continuous. Therefore, when considering
an application for course exemption or credit transfer, one should review not only the course
in question but also whether the exemption would break or continue the process of student’s
personal development. It would be most desirable if all institutions make this explicit by
developing a GE programme that articulates this dual purpose for their own students. The
programme should form an integral part of the student’s fundamental academic training and
GE should be coherent and not be delivered like a “smorgasbord” of courses.
Fostering Outcome-based Approach to Credit Transfer

Outcome-based education (OBE), a performance-based approach at the cutting edge of
curriculum development, offers a powerful and appealing way of developing, implementing and
evaluating curriculum. The emphasis is on the product – what sort of graduate will be produced
– rather than on the educational process. In outcome-based education, the educational
outcomes are clearly and unambiguously specified. These determine the curriculum content
and its organisation, the learning and teaching methods, the courses, the assessment process,
the educational environment and even the curriculum timetable. Hence, when considering
credit transfer for graduates from the sub-degree sector, we could just compare the nature,
level and contents of the learning outcomes of both sub-degree and degree programmes that
are in question and decide without examining each course.
This, we believe, is the foundation of block transfer. We assume that the learning outcomes
of a sub-degree programme constitute half of the learning outcomes of a full-fledged degree
programme. In other words, sub-degree studies serve as a stepping stone qualification for
degree studies. OBE has now been in place in Hong Kong for over a decade. There are specific
outcomes related to GE in every programme offered by higher educational institutions, be it
sub-degree or degree. They are quite visible, with most focusing on all-round development of
a person. A similar approach could, therefore, be adopted in approving credit transfer of GE
courses. Indeed, we would even recommend the same for transfer of credits earned through
other academic activities, such as overseas exchange programme, community services,
leadership training etc. After all, it is, finally, only learning that counts, not the form of activities.
We should not, in other words, be too pedantic when we consider credit transfer for GE in OBE.

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