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The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
The Quality Assurance Council (QAC) released the audit report on Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in the second audit cycle today (February 15).
The audit report on HKBU presents the findings on the quality of the student learning experience at HKBU. The Chairman of the QAC, Mr Lincoln Leong, said, "The QAC is pleased that the Audit Panel concludes that HKBU's teaching and learning approaches reflect a high level of maturity, and the University would be accepted as a worthy peer not only of local and regional universities, but also of many of the world's universities."
The findings confirm that HKBU has continued to develop its ethos around the concept of whole person development. The University also provides a solid range of learning enhancement opportunities for students, and a significant level of pastoral care to its student population. HKBU has also been committed to addressing the concerns of the QAC raised during the first cycle of quality audits in 2009.
The QAC is pleased with the quality of educational provision at HKBU. Its efforts in a range of areas are commended as positive features in the audit report, and these include the careful review of the annual programme quality assurance reports, the wide range of activities to support staff in the development of their pedagogical practice, and the monitoring of the impact of the learning environment on students' achievement and whole person development.
In the light of the findings of the audit report, HKBU has given an Institutional Response which is attached to the report. The University has agreed to submit a progress report within 18 months on its follow-up actions.
Background of the quality audit on HKBU
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The quality audit on HKBU was undertaken by an Audit Panel appointed by the QAC. The Audit Panel was chaired by Emeritus Professor Sandra Vianne McLean AM and comprised Emeritus Professor Peter Bush, Professor Stephen Chan and Professor Christian Wagner. The Panel reviewed the Institutional Submission, which was prepared by HKBU following a period of self-review, and visited HKBU from May 19 to 21, 2015, to meet with staff and students from across the University. It also met with a number of external stakeholders such as local employers and graduates of HKBU.
HKBU welcomes the audit report, which acknowledges the University's efforts and accomplishments in enhancing students' learning experience and global engagements. The full report (including HKBU's Institutional Response) can be found at www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/qac/publication/report/report.htm .
Background of the QAC and its quality audits
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The QAC was established in April 2007 as a semi-autonomous non-statutory body under the aegis of the University Grants Committee (UGC). The UGC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the quality of the UGC-funded institutions and their activities. In view of the institutional expansion of university activities and a growing public interest in quality issues, the QAC was established to assist the UGC in providing third-party oversight of the quality of the institutions' educational provision. The QAC aims to assist the UGC in assuring the quality of all first degree level programmes and above, however funded, offered in UGC-funded institutions. The QAC fulfils this task primarily by undertaking periodic quality audits of the institutions.
Auditing is an external quality assurance process that involves independent peer review by senior academics in the higher education sector. Its principal aims are to confirm that existing arrangements for quality assurance are fit for purpose, that the quality of provision is comparable to international best practices, that institutions are committed to continuously improving the quality of their academic programmes and that students are well taught and well supported to ensure that they are able to achieve the expected academic standards.
The first round of the QAC quality audits of the UGC-funded institutions was conducted from 2008 to 2011. The second round of the audits is being conducted in 2015 and 2016.
Ends/Monday, February 15, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:00
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