HKUST Presents Common Core Course Excellence Award

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) held the Second Common Core Course Excellence Award Presentation Ceremony today, officiated by President Prof Tony F Chan. HKUST established the Common Core Course Excellence Award last year to recognize outstanding courses and to enhance balanced and holistic education.

This year's Excellence Award went to "Technology and Innovation: Social and Business Perspectives" taught by Assistant Professor Yongsuk Kim, Adjunct Professor Jeevan Jaisingh, Visiting Professor Sejoon Hong and Mr Himson Wu from the Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management. With its well-planned pedagogy, the course enables students to grasp the abstract concept of innovation and apply it in the real world through different kinds of in-class exercises such as case studies and simulated experience, followed by reflection and experience-sharing via class discussion.

President Chan congratulated the winning instructional team. He said, "I am glad to see some of the University's best faculty members have been contributing and developing the common core courses and they are being honored." He stressed that the University is committed to enhancing common core courses in view of the four-year undergraduate reform to foster holistic education and student development. The Common Core Course Excellence Award not only promotes good practice among common core courses, but also enhances students' overall education experience.

Prof King-lau Chow, Academic Director (Undergraduate Core Education), added that common core courses aimed at broadening students' horizons beyond their major discipline of study, and building a broad and balanced foundation. The University would continue to review and enhance its courses to ensure inspirative and innovative programs were provided to students.

Prof Michael Wong, Chairman of the University's Committee on Undergraduate Core Education, observed that since the setting-up of the award, faculty had put in increasing efforts to enrich course content, design course activities, and involve more manpower in instruction teams. More and more faculty and students identified with the objectives of the common core curriculum in broadening, inspiring and empowering.

HKUST's Common Core Program, with more than 280 courses, covers a huge range of areas including social analysis, science and technology, humanities, quantitative reasoning, English communication, Chinese communication, arts, as well as healthy lifestyle. It comprises 36 credits out of a total of 120 to 126 credits of the four-year degree program.

The selection process for this Award is rigorous and is based on: the design of the course syllabus, assessment plan, course delivery, pedagogy and teaching innovation, and being overall an exemplar of a good common core course.

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Ella Au Yeung
Tel: 2358 6306
Email: ellaauyeung@ust.hk