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Higher Education for the Knowledge Economy - Professor Lap-Chee Tsui
1. Higher Education for the
Knowledge Economy
Prof Lap-CheeTsui, Vice-Chancellor and President, HKU
OECD – IMHE General Conference
1
17 September 2012
2. Overview
Brief description of HKU
Highly qualified personnel for knowledge economy
Role of higher education
Developed vs developing countries
Challenges for HE
Globalization
Mismatch of expectations
Trend of HE
Internationalization
Private supplementary tutoring
HKU as an international university in China
Our educational aims
Curriculum reform
2
3. HKU
Founded in 1911
The HK College of Medicine (established 1887)
One of the oldest higher education institutions in Asia
3
4. A Brief Introduction
10 Faculties
Architecture
Arts
Business & Economics
Dentistry, Education
Engineering
Law
Medicine
Science
Social Sciences
15,000 undergraduates (from ~50 countries)
12,000 postgraduates (Research PG, Taught PG)
HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education
(SPACE, including Community College)
4
5. Highly qualified personnel for the
knowledge economy
• Role of higher education
• Developed vs developing
countries
5
6. Role of higher education
Development of talents and leaders
High quality students
Range of disciplines + breadth of curriculum
Employability
Advancement of scholarship
Research and discovery
Academic excellence
Knowledge sharing
Active engagement in knowledge
transfer/exchange + serving the community
6
7. Pyramid of human talents
Shape of the pyramid varies with needs of the
country
Top level decision
makers Universitie
s
Middle management
post-
High-skilled labor, secondary
office education
workers, …
7
8. Challenges for higher education
worldwide
• Globalization
• Mismatch of expectations
8
9. Challenges of Globalization (1)
Interconnectivity, intensity, simultaneity, multi-
dimensionality, accessibility and instantaneity,
rapid generation of new knowledge
The world is getting smaller, but the scale and
complexity of issues and problems are getting
bigger
New forms of activity are learnt as they are being
created
Confronted with more and more novel situations
and ill-defined problems
Fewer moral certainties and more moral
9 dilemmas
From HKU Curriculum Reform chaired by PVC T&L Amy
10. Challenges of Globalization (2)
The global environment
Massification of higher learning and need for
innovation
Globalization and greater demands for
programs with a strong international
component and for graduates with intercultural
skills
Financial crises
University rankings …
10
11. The rise of rankings
THE / QS / Shanghai Jiaotong
Different league tables have different methodologies
and performance indicators
But, changing methodologies / criteria / weighing /
goalposts
„Itemisation‟ of parts of the ranking
Impacts on institutions
Good – recruitment, funding, donation, …
Bad – ill-informed decisions, vicious competition, …
Nonetheless, rankings boast huge „market‟, which is
here to stay
One size fits all?
11
Modified from Michelle Li, HK SAR EDB
12. One size fits all?
Stefan Collini, The Guardian, UK wrote in The threat to
our universities:
… Universities are said to serve two purposes –
and two purposes only. The first is to
"equip" "young people" to get jobs in "the fast-
moving economy of tomorrow”,
and the other is to
contribute to "growth", to develop the "cutting-edge
products" needed in "today's competitive global
marketplace" (and preferably to discover the odd
miracle drug, too) …
12
13. How do we define quality for universities?
Quality = Large, comprehensive and elitist?
Small colleges → large comprehensive universities
Vocational / technical / teaching universities → research
universities
Three types of HEI according to pursuit and objectives
(Chen Yu-kun on undergraduate teaching evaluation in China,
2008)
(1) Top universities (to become world class universities)
Quality = “pursuit of excellence”
“Pursuit” = to be ranked as top 100 in the world”
(2) Vocational & technical colleges and universities
Quality = “client satisfaction” = high employment rates.
“Being trusted by employing sectors means high quality”
(3) Colleges & universities between (1) & (2) – majority 13
13
“Quality means the extent to which their objectives are fulfilled”
Courtesy of Amy Tsui, HKU PVC T&L
14. What is expected of higher education?
Research, education and service to community
Different expectations from
Tax payers
Governments
Parents
Students
Employers
However, there is increasing emphasis on the
importance of whole person education
14
15. Work attitude 4.72
Emotional stability 4.64
Ask the Employers …
Ability to grow and learn on one‟s own
Analytical reasoning
4.54
4.43
Interpersonal skills 4.42
According to HKU‟s employer survey on about 40
English Writing 4.35
Cantonese speaking 4.35
attributes that university graduates ought to have
Presentation skills 4.30
today
English Reading 4.29
Planning skills 4.26
English Listening 4.26
Practical course-work 4.26
Lateral thinking 4.24
The informal curriculum 4.23
Guidance on whole person development 4.21
English Speaking 4.19
Application to real life problems 4.17
Group course-work 4.15
Depth of knowledge in <discipline> 4.10
Applied course-work 4.10
Discipline-specific knowledge 4.08
Chinese Reading 4.07
Technical and practical skills in <discipline> 4.07
Chinese Writing 4.06
Working experience / internship 4.05
Guidance on Career 4.05
15 Breadth of knowledge around the general area of <discipline> 4.02
16. The goals of education
Values
Competencies
Knowledge
16
17. Trend of higher education worldwide
• Internationalization
• Impact of private supplementary
tutoring
17
18. Internationalization
Internationalization of universities
Research collaboration
Teaching and learning
International student body
Enrich learning environment; cultural diversity adds to
understanding; tolerance of difference
Students going abroad
Learning experience; global perspectives; cultural understanding
Curriculum
Staff and student exchanges
Knowledge Exchange
Cooperation with other universities to advance human
knowledge and higher learning
Global socioeconomic development would be the ultimate gain
for human kind
18
Sharing of knowledge, information, good practice, …
19. 19
Courtesy of John
Source: New trends in international student mobility . Hendrik van der Pol, Director, UIS Spinks, HKUSr Advisor to
20. By percentage of population
(0.6%)
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
20
Courtesy of John Spinks, HKUSr Advisor to
21. 21
Source: New trends in international student mobility. Hendrik vanof John Spinks,
Courtesy der Pol, Director, UIS HKUSr Advisor to
22. Changes in student mobility
1998 2008
Proportion of mobile 32.0% 18.7%
students going to the U.S.
Proportion of U.S. students 6% 11%
coming to Asia
22
Courtesy of John Spinks, HKUSr Advisor to
23. International Student Mobility
Subcontinent
USA
Japan Germany
ASEAN EAST Canada France
China
COUNTRIES Korea ASIA UK
Malaysia Australia
New Zealand
The traditional educational destinations, USA, UK etc.
Adapted from: International Student Mobility and Asian Higher Education Framework for Global Network
Miki SUGIMURA, Ph.D. Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Sophia University, Japan
23
Courtesy of John Spinks, HKUSr Advisor to
24. International Student Mobility
Europe (Bologna)
Subcontinent
USA
Japan Germany
ASEAN EAST Canada France
China
COUNTRIES Korea ASIA UK
Malaysia Australia
New Zealand
The new Global Regionalism (Don Olcott), EU
Adapted from: International Student Mobility and Asian Higher Education Framework for Global Network
Miki SUGIMURA, Ph.D. Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Sophia University, Japan
24
Courtesy of John Spinks, HKUSr Advisor to
25. International Student Mobility
Europe (Bologna)
Subcontinent
USA
Japan Germany
ASEAN EAST Canada France
China
COUNTRIES Korea ASIA UK
Malaysia Australia
New Zealand
The new Global Regionalism (Don Olcott), Asia
Malaysians UK dropped from 18K (1997) to 11K (2006); Egypt were 5.5K (2006)
25 Adapted from: International Student Mobility and Asian Higher Education Framework for Global Network
Miki SUGIMURA, Ph.D. Department of Education, Faculty of John Spinks, HKUSr Advisor
Courtesy of Humanities, Sophia University, Japan to
26. External Obstacles to Internationalization (of
student bodies) - 2nd & 3rd most important
Wld Recognition of qualification / 15%
Language barrier
programme 13%
AF Visa restrictions on our students 11%
Recognition of qualification / 10%
programme
AP Recognition of qualification / 16%
Language barrier 13%
programme
EU Recognition of qualification / 17%
Language barrier 15%
programme
LAC Recognition of qualification / 17%
Language barrier
programme 14%
ME Visa restrictions on our students 19%
Recognition of qualification / 12%
programme
NA Visa restrictions on foreign students 14%
Internationalization not national priority 14%
Sample size N=745
Source: Ross Hudson (2010). Internationalization of Higher Education the 3rdIAU Global
26
Survey Report . Courtesy of Amy Tsui, HKU PVC T&L
28. Shadow Education (Mark Bray, HKU Education)
Additional to the provision of mainstream schooling
As the size and shape of the mainstream
changes, so does that of the shadow
May be one-to-one, in small groups, large
classes, or huge lecture theatres; and now includes
internet tutoring
Long been vigorous in East Asia and parts of South
Asia
Lower numbers but also deep roots in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia
Emerging in Africa and Arab States
Also in Western Europe, North & South
28
America, Australia
29. Scale of private tutoring
Azerbaijan: 92% of senior secondary
China: 29% lower secondary
Egypt: 52% rural primary; 64% urban primary
France: 25% lower secondary, 33% upper secondary
Hong Kong: 45% primary, 72% upper secondary
India: West Bengal, 57% primary; Kerala, 72%
secondary
Japan: 16% Primary 1; 65% Secondary 3
Korea: 88% elementary, 72% middle, 60% high
Sri Lanka: 92% Grade 10; 98% Grade 12
UAE: 65% of Emirati students in Grade 12
29
Courtesy of Mark Bray, HKU Education
30. Costs
France: US$2.8 billion
India: US$6.4 billion
Japan: US$12 billion
Korea: US$17.3 billion; equivalent to 80% of
government expenditure on primary and
secondary education
Greece: US$2.1 billion; equivalent to 20% of
government expenditure on primary and
secondary education
Egypt: 1.6% of GDP
30
Courtesy of Mark Bray, HKU Education
31. Implications Bad
Good Distorts the teaching and
learning processes
Helps student Create peer pressure and
learning and pass anxiety, both among students
examinations and among parents
Provides incomes and Mainstream teachers
employment for reducing effort in
professional tutor classroom, especially when
providing tutoring to their own
Contribution to pupils
knowledge economy Affects admissions policies
Hard to tell high grades from high
achievements
Narrowly examination driven vs
selection of well-rounded
31 individuals
Modified from Mark Bray, HKU Education
32. It is coming your way
32
Courtesy of Mark Bray, HKU Education
33. HKU as an international university
in China
• Our Education aims
• Curriculum reform
33
34. Challenges to HE in Hong Kong
Concerns of the community and employers with quality of
university graduates
Increasing demand for graduates with generic
capabilities and global outlook
Constraints imposed by government funding approach on
curriculum structure
Less mature university entrants; need for guidance in
academic pursuit and personal development
Pragmatic and utilitarian orientation of
parents, students, and the community as a whole
Students more vocationally oriented and less
academically oriented
Ethics and moral and civic values have assumed less
importance in the undergraduate curriculum
Admission largely based on examination results and
students‟ reliance on private tutoring
34
From HKU Curriculum Reform chaired by PVC T&L Amy
35. HKU rearticulated Educational Aims
To enable students to develop capabilities in:
the pursuit of academic/professional
excellence, critical intellectual inquiry and life-long
learning
tackling novel situations and ill-defined problems
enacting personal and professional ethics, self-
reflection and greater understanding of others
intercultural understanding and global citizenship
communication and collaboration
leadership and advocacy for the improvement of the
human condition
35
From HKU Curriculum Reform chaired by PVC T&L Amy
36. Seven Distinctive Features
of the New Curriculum
Developme Flexible
nt of moral Curriculum
and civic structure
values
Engagement Inter-
with local and disciplinary
global enquiry and
communities collaboration
Multiple Inquiry in
modes of multiple
learning and contexts
assessment
Experiential
learning
36
37. Common Core Curriculum
Centre piece of our curriculum reform
To help students to see interconnectedness and the
interdependent nature of human existence through
exploring some common human experiences
Four Areas of Inquiry
Scientific and Technological Literacy
The Humanities
China: Culture, State and Society
Global Issues
(6 courses to be taken in Years 1 and 2, at least one from
each area, making up 15% of the whole curriculum)
37
38. Experiential Learning
Learning in authentic work environment
Novel situations
Problems are not well-defined
Need to consider many contextual factors and the
interconnection between them
No perfect solution – live with dilemmas
Synergy between theory and practice
Degree-related internships
Research mentorships
Personal mentorships
Study tours
Summer schools
General education
38
39. Service learning
HKU students have been working in the Thai-Burma
border refugee camps each vacation for several
years
“Social innovation” and “Global Citizenship” as
graduation requirements
.
39
40. Knowledge exchange in Myanmar
Working with NGOs and donors to provide scholarships
for Burmese students each year
Partnership with universities (library book
donations, visiting students to HKU, HKU students
teaching in Yangon, places in M.S.W. & M.Ed.
Programmes, Ph.D. places for faculty)
Partnership with education ministry (workshops on IT in
education, teacher education)
Partnerships with donors for funding
Working with other Consul-Generals and
MoE‟s, e.g., Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Mongolia …
40
41. Concluding remarks
Role of higher education for knowledge economy
Highly qualified personnel for different needs
Challenge of globalization
Mismatch of expectations from stakeholders
Internationalization a trend of HE
Private supplementary tutoring something to watch
out
HKU as an international university in China
Our educational aims
Curriculum reform
41