Academic Development Proposals

for the Triennium 2005-2008

Volume I

(Main Submission)

March 2004

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Volume I

Page

1.

Planning Basis…………………………………………………………...

1

2. Planning Parameters……………………………………………………..

2

3. Strategic Development of Areas of Strength for Meeting Manpower Demand………………………………………………………………….

3

4. Requests for Additional Places for Admission to the Senior Years of Undergraduate Programmes……………………………………………..

11

5. Inter-departmental and Inter-faculty Collaboration……………………..

13

6. Specific Changes to the Academic Profile……………………………....

15

7. Proposal for Additional Research Postgraduate Places………………….

19

Volume II Appendix A Enrolment Numbers for UGC-funded Programmes

Proposed for the Triennium 2005-2008

Appendix B Justifications of Requests for Additional Places for Admission to the Senior Years of Undergraduate Programmes

Appendix C Information on new Programmes/Specialisms

1

1. Planning Basis 1.1 The drawing up of the Academic Development Proposals (ADP) for the triennium

2005-2008 has been guided by the Role Statement of the PolyU as defined by the UGC in its communication of January 2004, the University’s Strategic Plan for 2001/2002-2006/2007, and the 2004 Policy Address of the SAR Chief Executive.

1.2 In accordance with our role as defined by the UGC, we will continue to offer

programmes which are professionally-oriented. High value-added education leading to the development of all-round students with professional competence will be emphasized. We will be focusing on applied research relevant to industrial, commercial and community needs, and strive to build up international competitiveness in our areas of research strength.

1.3 Notwithstanding the professional orientation of our academic programmes, we are committed, and have accorded a high priority in the Strategic Plan to develop all-round students, particularly in terms of their global outlook, critical and creative thinking, social and national responsibility, cultural appreciation, ability to pursue life-long learning, biliteracy and trilingualism, and entrepreneurship and leadership. As a major provider of professional education, we perceive the importance and responsibilities to enhance the intellectual as well as holistic developments of our students. We believe this would best be achieved through integration of the attributes into the formal curriculum.

1.4 We have therefore decided on a new approach for provision of language training to

suit the individual needs of students, and the strengthening of general education components through focused design and increased choices of subjects and the requirement for student participation in co-curricular activities. Graduating students’ language competence would be monitored through compulsory exit tests. As for other professional subjects in the curriculum, and to ensure that our programme objectives would be achieved, assessment based on learning outcomes and close alignment between assessment practices and intended learning outcomes would be emphasized.

1.5 Apart from the enhancement of all-round development of students, we will

endeavour to put greater emphasis on work-integrated education (WIE). Whilst sandwich/summer industrial or clinical placement has been an established feature of most of our programmes, WIE requirements would be formalized for all undergraduate programmes in the next triennium to further promote this learning approach. All WIE activities will be credit bearing, structured and measurable, and have a clear demonstration that they have achieved the relevant learning outcomes. All structured and measurable learning experience which takes place in an organisational context relevant to a student’s future employment, or to the development of generic skills that will be valuable in that employment, will be considered as satisfying the WIE requirement and, therefore, can be more widely dispersed than the current practice.

2

1.6 In support of Hong Kong’s moving to a knowledge-based economy, which requires professionals with a broader outlook and transferable skills, we aim to provide quality and broad-based professional education. This broad objective will be achieved through the revamping of curricula, development of common foundation studies of cognate programmes when restructuring these programmes into generic schemes, further expansion of the provision of major/minor options, and the introduction of more inter-disciplinary joint and double degree programmes (See Section 5 below). Inter-disciplinary studies would be developed through the deep collaboration of academic departments. Externally, we will explore the possibilities of inter-institutional collaborations, e.g. to support teacher education programmes by providing subject knowledge expertise.

1.7 Our ADP has also addressed the context of the socio-economic and industrial

changes in the territory and Hong Kong’s surrounding areas, and the strategic directions of the SAR Government as set out in the 2004 Policy Address of the Chief Executive. To support the economic repositioning of Hong Kong, there will be a strong demand for high quality human resource to meet the need of industries for advanced technology, innovation and high added-value. There will be a significant economic growth as a result of our closer ties with the Mainland following the implementation of CEPA i.e. the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Mainland and Hong Kong SAR. We see a lot of opportunities to support the key economic sectors for the development of Hong Kong into an international financial centre, a logistics hub, and the development of product services, tourism industries, innovative and high value-added technology industries, creative industries and health care industries.

1.8 In order to contribute to the economic development of the pillar industries listed in

1.7 above, we will continue to strengthen research in our niche areas. To fulfil our goal of functioning as an ‘Education Hub’, quality training in the niche areas at research postgraduate (RPg) level not only to students in Hong Kong but also those from the Mainland, which will in turn ensure a continued supply of quality academics and researchers to sustain the development and growth of the strategic areas, will be required. We have therefore put in a request for additional RPg places for four niche areas, namely Design, Fashion and Textiles, Health Sciences, and Hotel and Tourism Management, which are currently underprovided with RPg numbers (See Section 7 below).

2. Planning Parameters 2.1 The following are the primary planning parameters for the 2005-2008 ADP:

(i) Guidelines given by the UGC in the Start Letter including the emphasis on institution’s specific role, the maintenance of existing level of First-year-first-degree (FYFD) number, and specific manpower requirements

3

(ii) Strategic development of our areas of strength including Design, Fashion and Textiles, Logistics, Hotel and Tourism Management, Construction, Engineering, Health Sciences and Accountancy (See Section 3 below)

(iii) Emphasis on inter-disciplinary collaboration through introduction of more

double degree programmes, joint programmes and major/minor options (See Section 5 below)

(iv) Refocusing/restructuring of programmes to better match community demand

and for enhancement of cost-effectiveness

(v) Building on our experience in offering top-up degree programmes

(vi) Past performance of individual academic programmes

2.2 Based on the above considerations, the proposed student number allocations for our UGC-funded academic programmes at various levels are set out in Volume II, Appendix A. Regarding programmes under the Scheme structure, or programmes which share a common first year curriculum, there is a provision for student transfer between these programmes at the end of year one, and accordingly there will be some adjustments in student enrolment from year one to year two.

2.3 Furthermore, under our credit-based system, there is flexibility for students to

change their status from full-time to part-time (or vice versa), which is defined according to study load, and irrespective of the mode of study of the programme. The designation of academic programmes as full-time or part-time is therefore not provided since it is neither necessary nor meaningful.

3. Strategic Development of Areas of Strength for Meeting Manpower

Demand (Ref. Section 2.1(ii))

3.1 Design

The economic expansion of the Pearl River Delta region represents a huge opportunity for design applications in raising the value of products and the brand profiles of companies, and Hong Kong has become more reliant on higher value-added production and service industries. As the first and leading provider of professional design education in Hong Kong, we think we can play a pivotal role in refining design education and practice in response to these new demands. A high level Design Task Force with both local and overseas academics and practitioners had therefore been formed to review the long-term position and the future of design education in Hong Kong.

The Task Force recommended that at undergraduate level, an education balancing basic techniques, conceptual and communication skills, specialization to ensure employability, and an understanding of design in its business context, would be desirable. In the light of this recommendation, the curriculum of our BA(Hons) in

4

Design has been reviewed. To give a better focus to meet the industrial demand, the programme will be restructured to provide four specialisms, namely Environmental, Industrial/Product, Visual Communication, and Advertising, (i.e. phasing out three existing specialisms, viz. Interactive Systems, Culture and Theory, and Combined Studies, and adding a new specialism in Advertising).

Since we currently offer a specialism in Visual Communication Design within the undergraduate programme, which with slight modification can provide the necessary visual arts training at tertiary level to support the development of creative industries promoted by the Government, we would request for an additional 30 places for the senior years of the BA(Hons) programme in Design (Visual Communication). To meet the dramatic increase in demand for high level of education in Product Design, which has been identified by the SAR Chief Executive as a key area of economic growth, we request another 20 places for the senior years of the BA(Hons) in Design (Industrial/Product) to cater for HD/AD graduates. With a view to enhancing our contribution to design education, a broader spectrum of design programmes will be offered through the collaboration between our School of Design and other departments. Apart from the large intake to the existing BA(Hons) in Design, we propose to launch a new top-up Bachelor of Design (Honours) programme in Digital Communication and Entertainment with an annual intake of 40 FTEs in the next triennium in support of the Government policy to promote the application of new and advanced technologies, specifically in the area of digital entertainment. Digital entertainment products require technical, design, and a host of other interdisciplinary skills. The holistic approach of combining both design and technical skills in complementary roles, coupled with specialized knowledge in the digital entertainment domains, is a key distinguishing feature of this multi-disciplinary programme.

Our Design Task Force also recommended that our design education should focus firmly on the opportunities to combine design with technological and managerial disciplines. We therefore propose to mount a double degree programme leading to a BA(Hons) degree in Design and a BBA(Hons) degree in Marketing. In view of the role of design as a critical determinant in creating and adding value to products and in interfacing with other industries, another double degree programme leading to a BSc(Hons) degree in Surveying and a BA(Hons) degree in Design will be planned for implementation.

To meet the increasing demand for high-end expertise in product design and development, we propose to offer a new BSc(Hons) programme in Product Analysis and Engineering, to be hosted by two engineering departments with contributions from our School of Design, in addition to the existing specialism in Industrial Design offered under the BA(Hons) in Design.

5

3.2 Fashion and Textiles

Our Institute of Textiles and Clothing is a unique academic entity in Hong Kong, which is exclusively devoted to the fashion industry. We provide the industry with qualified personnel with a wide spectrum of knowledge and expertise. To rationalize the academic profile of our departments, fashion design has come under the aegis of our Institute of Textiles and Clothing with effect from 2003/2004. Alongside this change, the intake to the Scheme has increased from 125 to 145 FTEs as from the 2003/2004 academic year. Our existing BA(Hons) Scheme in Fashion & Textiles, which consists of four programmes, covers a wide range of subject disciplines including technology, design, marketing, merchandizing and retailing for fashion and textiles. In recognition of the benefits of work experience for this industry, we propose to introduce the option of sandwich placement for the Scheme with effect from the next triennium. To prepare students to become textile chemists for the textile industry, a double degree programme leading to BA(Hons) in Fashion Technology and BSc(Hons) in Chemical Technology will be offered.

The textile and apparel industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Hong Kong. As stated in the 2004 Policy Address of the SAR Chief Executive, CEPA has brought new opportunities for industrial development in Hong Kong. There is a strong demand for professionals at various levels. In addition to the undergraduate Scheme in Fashion and Textiles, we have been offering Higher Diploma and Higher Certificate programmes in this area for a long time. To provide our HD/HC graduates as well as graduates from the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education with opportunities to upgrade their qualifications to degree level, we would request for an additional 30 places for the senior years of this undergraduate Scheme.

3.3 Logistics

Our University has a long history of providing training for logistics professionals in Hong Kong in all aspects of logistics ranging from shipping, purchasing and supply, production control, e-logistics, supply chain management, transportation to logistics engineering. We currently offer two unique undergraduate programmes in Global Supply Chain Management and in International Shipping and Transport Logistics respectively. These two programmes are both management-focused and the latter is the only programme being offered in Hong Kong for the maritime industry.

To diversify and strengthen our provision of education in the area of logistics, we propose to offer a new BSc(Hons) in Logistics Engineering and Management to be housed, together with the above-mentioned programmes, under an umbrella structure which facilitates further changes in swift response to the changing community demand. This new programme will enable students to gain the essential knowledge in both logistics engineering and management at undergraduate level,

6

thus broadening the exposure and outlook of students in the two major domains of logistics (unlike most other logistics programmes currently offered in Hong Kong, which focus solely either on a business or engineering perspective). To serve the logistics sector better, the topics will be expanded to include aviation traffic and geo-informatics, for example. This Logistics Engineering and Management programme will be the only logistics programme of its kind in Hong Kong jointly run by an engineering department and a business department, integrating expertise from the Department of Logistics and a number of Engineering Departments, and which emphasizes inter-disciplinary synergies. With the introduction of this new programme, our University will offer a comprehensive portfolio of programmes in the logistics area. All three programmes under the Logistics Scheme will share a common first year curriculum with other programmes under the Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) Scheme.

Despite our efforts to reshape our programmes, the demand from industry may not be adequately met as the annual intake of 120 to the Scheme only represents a very small portion of manpower required by the industry. In support of the Government’s policy to develop Hong Kong into a logistics hub, we see the need to request for an additional 60 places for the senior years of our Logistics Scheme. Admitting our HD graduates or Associate Degree holders in relevant disciplines on advanced standing with these additional senior year numbers would be an efficient way to produce more manpower for the industry.

3.4 Hotel and Tourism Management

Our School of Hotel and Tourism Management adopts a unique approach to hotel and tourism education. We are the only university in the region to offer students an integrated education in the three areas of tourism, hotel management and food service management. In support of the Government’s policy to develop tourism as one of the strategic industries for Hong Kong, we propose to increase the annual intake to the BA(Hons) in Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management programme from 70 to 90. As the demand for education and training in all spectrums of hospitality and tourism management (e.g. hotel, food service, tourism, gaming, theme parks, conventions, leisure services, cruises, etc.) will continue to grow, we will develop a strong undergraduate programme in hospitality and tourism management, which will allow students to choose to concentrate/specialize in the cognate areas of hotel, food service, tourism and other related areas such as leisure services management. Recognising the benefits of work experience for this industry, we will strengthen our work-integrated education component, including the sandwich placement in Hong Kong or overseas.

Our BA(Hons) in Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management has consistently been in high demand. As the Government has recognized, we will be faced with a serious shortage of trained manpower to meet the needs of the 58 million visitor arrivals projected for the year 2020. In consideration of the growing demand for degree places, and to provide opportunities for our HD graduates and Associate Degree holders in hotel/tourism/leisure services to top-up their qualifications, we request

7

the provision of an additional 40 places for the senior years of the BA(Hons) programme in Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management.

3.5 Construction

Among all universities in Hong Kong, PolyU has the most comprehensive portfolio of programmes in the construction disciplines housed under our Faculty of Construction and Land Use. The programmes embrace all aspects of construction (except architectural design), and ranging from surveying, planning, design, construction, real estate, construction management, building maintenance, refurbishment, to demolition. The Faculty has devoted great efforts to develop cross-fertilization and synergy among disciplines for broadening of students’ exposure. In order to bridge the gap in the provision of architectural design programmes, we propose to offer a double degree programme leading to BSc(Hons) in Surveying and BA(Hons) in Design.

Based on the reports of the Census and Statistics Department and the Vocational Training Council, we anticipate that there will be a sustained growth of demand for property management services in the foreseeable future. To capitalize on the strong foundation built for other programmes within the BSc(Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate, which provides for broad-based and inter-disciplinary education required for the whole professional spectrum of the built environment, we propose to offer a new BSc(Hons) in Property Management within the said Scheme. The programme will highlight interaction and inter-dependence with other professional disciplines of the built environment. Students will benefit from attending common classes with surveying and building students of the other existing programmes under the Scheme, and will learn from a wider perspective of the profession of property management. To enhance the professional knowledge from a humanities perspective, a double degree option leading to a degree in Property Management and a degree in Social Policy Administration will be available to students of this programme.

To rationalise our academic programme offerings for a sharper focus, we will restructure the existing BSc(Hons) programmes in Building Surveying, Construction Economics & Management and Real Estate into a single programme entitled BSc(Hons) in Surveying. The proposed changes will enable students from a common first year programme to progressively select options that allow them to pursue one of the three main themes. This will enable them to both understand the needs of their related professionals whilst securing the basic knowledge for the focus of their immediate careers. The rationale for the proposed changes reflects the changing needs of the construction industry in Hong Kong, which currently and in the future will need students with less specific and more generic skills. The existing BEng(Hons) in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering and BEng(Hons) in Civil and Structural Engineering, likewise, will be merged into a single programme in Civil Engineering.

8

Land surveying is one of the important aspects of the construction disciplines. The rapid development of computer technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software have revolutionized spatial data handling and management. The use of GIS has now been widely promoted and applied by a wide spectrum of disciplines such as real estate, facility management, planning, public administration, transport logistics and archaeology. In view of the anticipated rise in the demand for Geo-IT manpower, we see the need to redevelop our existing BSc(Hons) in Surveying and Geo-informatics to allow students to specialise in either Land Surveying or Geo-Information Technology. The restructured BSc(Hons) in Geomatics with specialisms in these two areas is therefore proposed. To maximize the synergy with computer science, a double degree programme leading to the BSc(Hons) in Geomatics (Geo-IT) and BSc(Hons) in Computing will also be offered.

To support the development of the construction industry, the demand for graduates in the environmental and occupational safety and health area is evident, in particular as a result of the recent policy of the Government to redefine the role of Registered Safety Officers to include environmental protection and extend the Pay for Safety Scheme to environmental performance. We therefore request 30 additional places for mounting a new top-up BSc(Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health.

Most of our HD graduates are in the engineering or construction disciplines. In the past, we admitted a small number of HD graduates to our undergraduate programmes on advanced standing, which apparently had failed to meet the strong demand from this group of candidates, due to the limitation of student quota. To strengthen our provision of manpower for the construction industry to support the Government’s infrastructure projects, we request another 100 additional places for the senior years of the various existing construction programmes.

3.6 Engineering

Our Faculty of Engineering will continue to provide high-level and professionally accredited engineering programmes. We will develop engineering programmes of an inter-disciplinary nature which not only cross academic boundaries between various engineering departments but can also link with business, humanities and information sciences, and which aim at producing broad-based engineering graduates. These programmes combine engineering with the new knowledge-based and service-based sectors. The proposed BSc(Hons) in Logistics Engineering and Management, which is the outcome of collaboration between an engineering department and a department under the Faculty of Business is a good example. Another multi-disciplinary programme is the new BSc(Hons) in Product Analysis and Engineering, which is jointly developed by our Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering, with contributions from a number of Departments including our School of Design.

9

To better reflect the changing needs in the profession and to achieve better efficiency, cognate programmes have been restructured to come under the umbrella of a scheme structure. An example is the BSc(Hons) Scheme in Computing which consists of three programmes including the existing BSc(Hons) in Computing and BSc(Hons) in Information Technology and the new BSc(Hons) in Enterprise Information Systems.

To further inter-disciplinary collaboration across the Faculty, we propose to offer a double degree programme leading to an engineering degree and a degree in a business discipline. Students of any engineering degree programme may opt for the double degree path and pursue an additional degree in one of the business disciplines, viz. Accountancy, Accounting and Finance, Financial Services, Marketing or Management, with an additional self-financing year of study.

It is essential that future professional engineers possess sufficiently broad-based knowledge in engineering as a whole. The common first year of engineering programmes was introduced in 2001/2002 to meet such a need. Currently, over 80% of the curriculum is common to all students of the four engineering programmes. We will further enhance our common first year curriculum by reorganizing it into a genuinely broad-based foundation year on engineering fundamentals, with a totally common curriculum.

In the engineering disciplines, PolyU is one of the best schools in Hong Kong. The engineering education that PolyU provides is characterised by the combination of breadth and depth. Our engineering programmes are much preferred by HD graduates. Same as for the construction disciplines, we could in the past only take in a very small number of HD holders to our engineering programmes, due to the limited student quota. To enhance the study opportunities of this group of applicants, we request an additional 60 places for the senior years of our Engineering undergraduate programmes. To meet the projected manpower requirements for the Information Technology (IT) domain, we request another 40 additional places for the senior years of our Bachelor’s degree programmes in the area of IT.

3.7 Health Sciences

We currently offer a broad range of academic programmes in health sciences, and there is much synergy among our programmes in health sciences developed over the last 25 years. To facilitate better inter-disciplinary development, the existing BSc(Hons) in Health Technology (to be retitled BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Engineering), and BSc(Hons) in Medical Laboratory Science will be restructured to come under a generic Scheme in Health Science and Technology. Through the Scheme structure, which facilitates sharing and strengthening of the common foundation and enhancement of professional subjects, undergraduate training in allied healthcare programmes to meet the changing manpower/professional/community needs would be optimized. Curricular synergy between programmes would be provided. This proposed Scheme aims to meet the future manpower needs in the relevant healthcare professions, through providing a generic entry scheme and

10

common foundation subjects/learning activities. Students can specialize in different professions gauging different healthcare needs. This Scheme has the potential to be expanded to cater for other healthcare-related programmes within the Faculty. To maximize the synergy with the academic offerings of our Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, a double degree programme leading to the BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Engineering and BSc(Hons) in Applied Biology with Biotechnology will be offered.

Regarding our Nursing programmes under the same Faculty, we propose to increase the intake from 145 to 175 in response to specific manpower requirements of the Government. Since we are unable to absorb any further increase in intake to the BSc(Hons) in Nursing within the existing FYFD allocation, we would request for an additional 30 places for the senior years of this degree programme, to ensure a larger output of graduates for the nursing profession.

3.8 Accountancy

Our School of Accounting and Finance is the largest provider of professional accounting education to the Hong Kong business community, and with the longest history. The School has a clearly defined mission to produce professionally qualified accounting and finance graduates for the accounting profession and the financial services industry in Hong Kong. The School offers a large number of professional programmes accredited by local and international professional institutes.

With effect from the next triennium, we propose to restructure the seven existing programmes of the Faculty of Business into an integrated Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Scheme. The BBA Scheme with a broader-based business and non-business core will be able to meet the increasing demand of the employers across different functional areas. We will produce graduates not only for highly specialized posts, but for general business and management positions as well. The Scheme provides a wide range of choices of major and minor programmes. With broadened exposure across disciplines, our graduates can better equip themselves to meet the changing demand of the professions.

A BBA (Hons) programme with double majors in Accounting and Finance is proposed to be offered within the BBA Scheme. The aim is to broaden the curriculum to exploit the synergy of the two major disciplines of accounting and finance. The programme will not only prepare students to become professional accountants, but will also provide students with knowledge and skills in finance.

11

4. Requests for Additional Places for Admission to the Senior Years of

Undergraduate Programmes 4.1 As highlighted in Section 3, we see our responsibility to produce more graduates, in

our niche areas, in order to meet the perceived manpower and student demand of Hong Kong. We therefore request a total of 580 additional places for admission of students to the senior years of our undergraduate programmes. Below is a summary of these programmes (all are existing/restructured programmes except 4.1.1(vii) and (xi)):

4.1.1 Of the 580 additional places, 390 will be for the following programmes to meet the

growth in manpower demand as projected by the UGC:

(i) BA(Hons) in Design (Industrial/Product) (20 FTEs) (ii) BA(Hons) in Design (Visual Communication) (30 FTEs) (iii) BA(Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles (30 FTEs) (iv) BA(Hons) in Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management (40 FTEs) (v) BBA/BSc(Hons) Scheme in Logistics (60 FTEs) (vi) Bachelor’s degree programmes in the area of Information Technology (i.e.

BSc(Hons) in Information Technology and BEng(Hons) in Electronic and Information Engineering) (40 FTEs)

(vii) Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Digital Communication and Entertainment (as a new top-up degree programme) (40 FTEs)

(viii) BEng(Hons) in Building Services Engineering (20 FTEs) (ix) BEng(Hons) in Civil Engineering (30 FTEs) (x) BSc(Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate (30 FTEs) (xi) BSc(Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health (as a new

top-up degree programme) (30 FTEs) (xii) BSc(Hons) in Geomatics (Geo-IT) (20 FTEs)

4.1.2 Another 140 additional places will be for the following programmes in our other areas of strength. In view of the large number of HD graduates in these disciplines accumulated over the years and the fact that most of the self-financed Associate Degree graduates are in the business field, the student demand for articulation programmes in these areas will also be substantial. (i) BA(Hons) in Language Studies for the Professions (30 FTEs) (ii) BBA(Hons) Scheme (BBA(Hons) in Management and BBA(Hons) in

Marketing) (50 FTEs) (iii) Bachelor’s degree programmes in other areas of Engineering (i.e. Electrical

Engineering, Electronic and Information Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Enterprise Engineering and E-Business, and Mechanical Engineering) (60 FTEs)

12

4.1.3 We understand that the UGC plans to increase the number of FYFD places in

Nursing by 150, starting from the next triennium. We propose to contribute to this need, but can only accommodate part of the requirements within the existing allocation of FYFD numbers. In view of the projected demand for nursing graduates and the large number of HD holders in this discipline, we would request for 30 additional senior year places for the BSc(Hons) in Nursing.

4.1.4 According to the UGC Start Letter, the undergraduate places in social work will be

maintained at the current level (i.e. 252 FTEs). With the phasing out of our existing part-time BA(Hons) in Social Work as proposed, there will apparently be a shortfall of about 20 FTEs. We therefore request an additional 20 places for the senior years of the full-time BA(Hons) in Social Work to ensure that the manpower requirements for the profession will be adequately met.

4.2 Our University is in a good position to make the best use of the senior year numbers, as explained below:

(i) From the academic perspective, our programmes, being application-oriented

and with a heavy professional focus and practical training component, can provide a better articulation to enable AD/HD students to seek employment after completing the degree programme. As most of our undergraduate programmes currently admit students on advanced standing, our undergraduate programme curricula can flexibly be designed to cater for admission of students from different backgrounds. We have accumulated valuable experience in designing top-up programmes that allow students to upgrade their qualifications. Our academic staff also have extensive experience in teaching students with different academic backgrounds. Our experience also shows that students admitted based on HD entry are on a par with our A-Level intakes in terms of their academic performance.

(ii) From the financial perspective, PolyU has a good track record of operating at

a relatively low unit cost (the average of PolyU’s unit cost for Ug students was $196,000, as against an average of $234,000 for all UGC-funded institutions in the recent 5 years); our campus infrastructure and other facilities are also compact and can readily be altered to cater for any changing needs.

(iii) From a practical perspective, with the removal of a portion of our existing HD

programmes from the publicly-funded category, we have some “excess” physical and space resources, which will be available immediately to accommodate any additional degree places.

13

4.3 In the 2003/2004 academic year, there are about 6,500 students enrolled on full-

time self-financed accredited Associate Degree programmes offered in Hong Kong. About one-fourth of them are PolyU students. Taking into account the large number of our past HD graduates, our output of graduates holding appropriate qualifications for admission to articulation programmes is much greater. In view of this and taking into account our experience in running top-up degree programmes, we request favorable consideration of our proposed senior year numbers. Detailed justifications of our request for senior year numbers for individual programmes are given in Volume II, Appendix B.

5. Inter-departmental and Inter-faculty Collaboration 5.1 To fully make use of our credit-based system, and substantially enhance the

flexibility and multi-disciplinary nature of our study programmes, the University had introduced major/minor options to students of full-time undergraduate programmes, plus a few joint programmes and one double degree programme (the fourth year being self-financed) during the triennium 2001-2004. These developments were the outcomes of collaboration between departments.

5.2 In view of the increasing importance of inter-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary

studies for the broadening of students’ outlook in our provision of professional education, inter-disciplinary studies have been much emphasized in the formulation of our 2005-2008 ADP, which we realize cannot be achieved without enhanced collaboration of departments. Mechanisms and incentives, in terms of FTE allocation, have therefore been devised internally to facilitate deeper inter-departmental and inter-faculty collaborations. To build on the past success, the University plans to introduce more double degree programmes, more major/minor programmes and more joint degree programmes in the next triennium.

5.3 Double degree programmes/options 5.3.1 All double degree programmes are the collaborative efforts of two departments, and

in almost all cases, the participating departments of each programme come from different faculties. Collaboration is not only confined to departmental level. One of the double degree programme proposals is a Faculty initiative (Ref. Section 5.3.4(i)), which fully maximises the expertise of both Faculties to provide cross-discipline studies to students.

5.3.2 Double degree programmes (3 years UGC-funded and 1 year self-financed) will be

designed to integrate two disciplines with a common foundation. Through the double degree programmes, students will have the opportunities to undertake studies in two disciplines. It is aimed that students graduating with double degrees will have broader and stronger capabilities to practise in the two professions.

14

5.3.3 To provide more choices to students, double degree programmes will be developed

based on the existing UGC-funded full-time single discipline degree programmes, and offered as one of the paths available to students enrolled on the single discipline degree programmes. In addition to the provision of the option for double degrees, the single discipline degree programmes concerned will be redeveloped to provide the major/minor option. Students will graduate with either a single discipline degree, double degrees, or a degree with a major and a minor.

5.3.4 In view of the perceived advantages to the commercial or industrial markets in

providing manpower with multi-skills or broader outlook, double degree programmes proposed to be offered will be in a wide range of disciplines and we envisage synergies in the following combinations:

(i) BEng(Hons) in one of the following engineering disciplines and BBA(Hons)

in one of the following business disciplines:

Engineering Business • Electrical Engineering • Accountancy • Electronic and Information

Engineering • Accounting and Finance • Financial Services

• Industrial and Systems Engineering • Marketing • Mechanical Engineering • Management

(ii) BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Engineering (within the BSc(Hons) Scheme in

Health Science and Technology) and BSc(Hons) in Applied Biology with Biotechnology

(iii) BSc(Hons) in Chemical Technology and BA(Hons) in Fashion Technology (within the BA(Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles)

(iv) BSc(Hons) in Engineering Physics and BEng(Hons) in Electronic and Information Engineering

(v) BSc(Hons) in Geomatics (Geo-IT) and BSc(Hons) in Computing (vi) BSc(Hons) in Surveying and BA(Hons) in Design (Environmental) (vii) BA(Hons) in Design and BBA(Hons) in Marketing (viii) BA(Hons) in Social Policy and Administration and BSc(Hons) in Property

Management (within the BSc(Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate) 5.3.5 In accordance with the spirits of the guidelines given by the UGC, students in their

fourth year of studies will be self-financed and charged a higher rate of tuition than their UGC-funded counterparts. The proposed model whereby double degree programmes are built on the single degree programmes will help enhance the cost-effectiveness of the operation of both the single degree and double degree programmes, and help ensure the viability of the fourth self-financing year. The student intake to the double degree option for each programme will be restricted to a very small number.

15

5.4 Major/minor options As of the 2003/2004 academic year, 7 major programmes have been introduced and

minor options are offered in 19 disciplines. With the implementation of the double degree model described above, the major/minor option will be further extended to students of 12 other programmes. This represents one big step forward in our inter-disciplinary development and cross-departmental collaborations.

5.5 Joint programmes As mentioned in Section 3 above, we propose to offer a BBA/BSc(Hons) in

Logistics Scheme. This Scheme involves the major contributions of the Department of Logistics and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, in particular for the BSc(Hons) programme in Logistics Engineering and Management, and the support of some other departments under different Faculties. This will be the only Scheme covering the most comprehensive range of logistics programmes in Hong Kong. Without the collaboration of different departments/faculties, a Scheme of such a multi-disciplinary nature cannot be delivered.

Another new Scheme which marks an important milestone of our inter-disciplinary development is the new BSc(Hons) Scheme in Integrated Product Development, which is proposed not only to support the Government’s policy to promote the innovative and high-value added industries, but also to venture into a new area for collaboration. This Scheme consists of the existing BSc(Hons) in Internet and Multimedia Technologies and a new BSc(Hons) programme in Product Analysis and Engineering. The latter is jointly developed by our Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering with contributions from the School of Design, the Industrial Centre, the Faculty of Business and the Department of Applied Physics. Whilst this Scheme is more engineering-biased, the Scheme structure provides opportunities for further enhancement and is being opened up to include more perspectives of studies in ‘Product Development’.

6. Specific Changes to the Academic Profile

6.1 Programmes scheduled to be phased out in accordance with the UGC letters dated 9

May 2003 Before or as from 2005/2006 (i) PT Pg Scheme in Applied Science (ii) PT Pg Scheme in Business and Management (iii) PT Pg Scheme in Construction (iv) PT Pg Scheme in Engineering (v) PT Pg Programme in Applied Social Sciences (vi) PT MA in Chinese Linguistics (vii) PT MA/PgD in Design

16

(viii) PT MA in English Language Teaching (ix) PT MSc in Information Systems (x) PT HD in Accountancy (xi) FT HD in Biomedical Science

As from 2006/2007 (xii) FT MEng in Building Services Engineering (xiii) FT MEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering (xiv) FT MEng in Civil and Structural Engineering (xv) FT MEng in Electrical Engineering (xvi) FT MEng in Electronic and Information Engineering (xvii) FT MEng in Industrial and Systems Engineering (xviii) FT MEng in Mechanical Engineering (xix) FT HD in Bilingual Communication (xx) FT HD in Computer Aided Engineering Design (xxi) FT HD in English for Business Communication (xxii) FT HD in Information Systems (xxiii) FT HD in Internet Technology and E-Commerce (xxiv) FT HD in Mathematics, Statistics and Computing (xxv) FT HD in Multimedia and Multilingual Computing (xxvi) FT/PT HD in Social Policy and Administration (within HD Scheme in

Applied Social Sciences) (xxvii) PT HD in Statistics and Computing for Business

As from 2007/2008

(xxviii)PT Pg Scheme in Health Care (xxix) PT MA/PgD in Fashion and Textiles

6.2 Programmes proposed to be phased out as from 2005/2006 in accordance with the UGC letter dated 21 January 2004

(i) FT BA(Hons) in English Language Teaching (ii) PT BA(Hons) in Social Work (within BA(Hons) Scheme in Applied Social

Sciences) (iii) PT BEng(Hons) in Civil and Structural Engineering (iv) PT BEng(Hons) in Electrical Engineering (v) PT BEng(Hons) in Electronic and Information Engineering (vi) PT BEng(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (vii) PT BEng(Hons) in Product Engineering with Marketing (viii) PT BSc(Hons) in Textiles (ix) PT HD in Pre-primary Education (within HD Scheme in Applied Social

Sciences)

17

6.3 Restructuring of existing programmes to come under a generic scheme

(i) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Honours Scheme consisting of

the following programmes:

• BBA(Hons) in Accountancy • BBA(Hons) in Accounting and Finance (new) • BBA(Hons) in Financial Services • BBA(Hons) in Management • BBA(Hons) in Marketing

(ii) BBA /BSc(Hons) Scheme in Logistics consisting of the following

programmes:

• BBA(Hons) in Global Supply Chain Management • BBA(Hons) in International Shipping and Transport Logistics • BSc(Hons) in Logistics Engineering and Management (new)

(iii) BSc(Hons) Scheme in Computing consisting of the following programmes:

• BSc(Hons) in Computing • BSc(Hons) in Enterprise Information Systems (new) • BSc(Hons) in Information Technology

(iv) BSc(Hons) Scheme in Health Science and Technology consisting of the

following programmes: • BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Engineering (retitled) • BSc(Hons) in Medical Laboratory Science

(v) BSc(Hons) Scheme in Integrated Product Development consisting of the following programmes:

• BSc(Hons) in Internet and Multimedia Technologies • BSc(Hons) in Product Analysis and Engineering (new)

6.4 Introduction of new award/specialisms under existing scheme/programmes

(i) BSc(Hons) in Property Management (within BSc(Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate)

(ii) Specialism in Advertising within BA(Hons) in Design (iii) Specialisms in Land Surveying and Geo-Information Technology within

BSc(Hons) in Geomatics

18

6.5 Introduction of new top-up degree programmes

(i) Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Digital Communication and Entertainment (ii) BSc(Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health

Outline proposals for the new programmes/specialisms listed in Sections 6.3 - 6.5 are given in Volume II, Appendix C.

6.6 Reduction of intake to HD in Social Work

We are surprised to learn that public subsidy for the HD in Social Work programme would be phased out in the long run. The HD in Social Work has been in operation since 2000/2001 (with its predecessor, the Diploma in Social Work being in operation since 1977) and is recognized by the Social Workers Registration Board as a qualification for professional registration. Graduates of HD in Social Work are also qualified as full members of the Hong Kong Social Workers Association. Graduates of the programme have little difficulty in seeking jobs after graduation. Employers’ feedback on the performance of HD graduates has been consistently positive. Though the employment rate of graduates in the welfare sector has been slightly affected by the economic downturn in recent years, the majority of our graduates are still able to find employment in various human service-related professions.

In fact, the “two-tier system” consisting of both the degree and sub-degree graduates has been in operation in the welfare sector since the 1970s and there is no indication in the profession that the status of the HD in Social Work as a qualifying credential is being challenged. The phasing out of public subsidy will deprive many potential students with commitment to social work from acquiring the professional training to become qualified social workers. The recommendation of the Administration to phase out the Higher Diploma programme is considered to be short-sighted and unwise, and will have detrimental effects on the long-term development of the profession.

Nevertheless, in accordance with the guidelines of the UGC, we propose that the number of FTE intake for the HD programme be reduced from 2007/2008 as follows:

2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 Full-time Intake FTE 80 80 60 Part-time Intake FTE 17.5 17.5 17.5 Total Intake FTE 97.5 97.5 77.5

19

7. Proposal for Additional Research Postgraduate Places 7.1 Our planned distribution of the 381 FTEs of RPg places notionally allocated within

PolyU for the triennium 2005-2008 is shown in Volume II, Table B(IV). 7.2 In addition, knowing that the UGC has yet to finalize the allocation of RPg places,

we wish to take this opportunity to put forward a request for a modest increase in the number of RPg students for those areas for which PolyU is the sole local provider at degree level or above. Incidentally, PolyU is the sole or one of a few providers of education and research in these same areas in either southern China or in the whole of China. This will ensure an adequate provision of high-quality manpower needed to support the continued development and growth of these areas in Hong Kong and our nation.

7.3 The niche areas identified as unique to PolyU, which include Design, Fashion and

Textiles, and Health Sciences, are currently underprovided with RPg numbers (and not fully utilizing their research capabilities) as a result of the small number of RPg places allocated to PolyU. These areas are, however, all extremely important to the future development of Hong Kong. The small number of RPg places does not provide these areas with a critical mass of students to pursue research programmes that are wide in scope and large in scale, and that can produce research findings with a significant impact on the areas concerned and on society at large. We believe that this will jeopardize Hong Kong’s aspirations to develop into a knowledge-based economy, and, in the case of Design and Fashion, impede the enhancement of these so-called pillar industries. Furthermore, the training of RPg students is important in that it provides industries with the kind of manpower that will allow them to cope with a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive business environment.

7.4 Hotel and Tourism is another niche area for which we request additional RPg

numbers. PolyU can proudly claim to be the best education provider of this field in Asia. Ranked among the top 15 universities programmes in the world in the field of tourism, the reputation and strength of PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management is recognized internationally. This niche area has also been identified by the Government for substantial future development and growth. The School has the responsibility of producing the required manpower at the RPg level needed to support the anticipated development and growth in the Hotel and Tourism Industry, one of the pillar industries in Hong Kong, and to ensure the continued supply of academics and researchers in this subject for Hong Kong, the region, and the nation.

7.5 We therefore propose that the University be allocated an additional quota of 110

FTEs of RPg places in the triennium 2005-2008. These additional 110 places represent a doubling of our planned provision for the four afore-mentioned niche areas for the coming triennium. With these extra RPg places, we will be able to play a fuller role in the economic development of Hong Kong and the region, given PolyU’s emphasis on applied research. Considering that applied research is as important as basic research to the future development of Hong Kong, and has a

20

more direct impact on economic development, and considering PolyU’s good track record in applied research, the present level of allocation of RPg places will inhibit the growth of applied research at the University, thus curtailing our contribution to the economic development of Hong Kong.

7.6 PolyU’s academics certainly have the capability to make the best use of this

additional allocation, if approved by the UGC. In 2003/2004, we received an allocation of only 381 FTEs of RPg places from the UGC. Given a research-active staff population of 630, this small allocation has translated into a level of RPg supervision of a mere 0.6 students per member of academic staff. Even with a modest addition of 110 places, the level of supervision will only rise to 0.78 students per academic staff member, which is still below the international norm and well within our capability.

7.7 Given that the University has only been allocated 381 FTEs of RPg places, with a

supervision level of merely 0.6 students per member of academic staff, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for us to channel a substantial portion of the scarce RPg places from those subject categories already established as our areas of strength into the four afore-mentioned niche areas. The research strength of the former subject categories is well demonstrated by their international competitiveness. It is essential that these areas of strength be preserved because they have been built up and have achieved excellence through years of investment and hard work. The allocation of RPg places to these subject categories has been based on their outstanding performance. Taking RPg places away from them would not only be unfair, but also significantly undermine the ability of strong researchers in these established fields to train high-quality RPg students. This will have a very negative impact on the University, impairing its ability to contribute to training high-level manpower to support the economic development of Hong Kong.

7.8 Apart from this issue of specific concern to PolyU, we also have to comply with the

rather rigid policy (applicable to all institutions) on the over-enrolment of RPg students, which stipulates that:

(a) institutions are allowed to enrol RPg students up to 20% of their respective

assigned quotas without restrictions, provided that no additional funds are required; and

(b) beyond the 20% cap, institutions may enrol additional students only if the

additional direct costs incurred are met from non-UGC/RGC funds, including higher tuition fees.

7.9 PolyU has been successful in the past three years in winning a significant number of

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERGs), which are potential sources of funding for additional RPg students. However, we have been severely constrained by the above UGC policy, in that RPg students were permitted to be recruited for only 76 (i.e., 20% of the 381 RPg places – the approved RPg allocation in 2003/2004) of the 330 on-going CERG projects in 2003/2004 (i.e., projects for

21

which the expected completion date is after 30 June 2004). On the other hand, the RGC does expect the Principal Investigators of CERG projects to train RPg students. It is rather frustrating to note that the RGC assessment panels have frequently criticized the Principal Investigators for having fallen short of the RGC’s expectations that they provide training for RPg students via their CERG projects. In fact, PolyU has been advising its academic staff to refrain from over-admitting CERG-funded RPg students in order to comply with the above-mentioned UGC policy. We therefore propose that the UGC consider relaxing the policy, so that the 20% cap would not be applied to RPg students supported by CERG projects with effect from the year 2004/2005. It is noteworthy that this proposal requires no additional funding from the UGC.

7.10 The University reiterates the importance of training RPg students. Not only will

this help to strengthen research at universities, it also contributes to the building up and enrichment of the human capital needed to meet Hong Kong’s future manpower requirements. We believe that this will be more rewarding than simply employing research assistants, which is only an expedient way of getting the research work done in time. In addition, RPg students are certainly more motivated and committed to research than research assistants, and engaging more RPg students will help raise the standard of research in the long run.

7.11 Teaching and research are becoming increasingly inter-related. In seeking to

increase the number of our RPg students we are mindful not only of the desire to assist the growth and development of our research profile but to benefit the students of our taught programmes. Additional research provision will assist academic staff to forge productive links between teaching and research thereby ensuring that students are not only informed of the latest research findings but understand the importance of research within the 'knowledge economy'.