Quality Assurance

The instructors and course offering units have the principal responsibility for the quality of common core courses particularly for their design, delivery and assessment. They develop new common core course, and recommend changes to approved ones when deemed necessary. These are submitted to the Schools for consideration and endorsement before submitting to the relevant Course Review Panel (CRP), which makes recommendations to CUCE for approval. Schools are responsible for ensuring that the Common Core requirements and processes are met and implemented by their course offering units. The Schools establish arrangements to monitor departmental processes for assuring the quality of common core course delivery and for maintaining the academic standard of these courses.

CRPs are established by CUCE for reviewing new course proposals, course change applications and delivery of Common Core courses for their respective Common Core area. The review aims to ensure that the course design and content meet the common core courses proposal general criteria and area intended learning outcomes (AILOs). The CRP makes recommendations to CUCE on courses that could serve the ILOs of the Common Core area in concern, and advises on the delivery of common core course ILOs and their mapping with the area ILOs.

CUCE advises and makes recommendations to the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies on Common Core policies and regulations, and to monitor and review procedures, quality and performance relating to the university core curriculum in the undergraduate degree programs. CUCE also oversees and recommends implementation of the University Common Core Program during the transition period from the existing 36-credit distributional framework to the new 30-credit scaffolding framework.

CUCE Terms of Reference and Membership List

The CUS advises and makes recommendations to the Senate on policies and regulations, and to monitor and review procedures, quality and performance relating to undergraduate studies of HKUST and HKUST (Guangzhou) in light of the "Unified HKUST, Complementary Campuses" umbrella. The CUS also considers and approves common core courses approved by CUCE as undergraduate courses; and receives annual report from CUCE on the progress of the Common Core Program. 

The CTLQ advises and makes recommendations to the Senate on policies, regulations and guidelines relating to quality assurance of teaching, learning and assessment by taking into account the University's overall interest, to promote the quality of teaching and learning and to monitor the operation of related quality assurance processes of HKUST and HKUST (Guangzhou) in light of the "Unified HKUST, Complementary Campuses" umbrella. Being part of the university education, the Common Core Program submits annual reports to the CTLQ on its QA and improvement work through the Undergraduate Core Education Team.

The ABCCP comprises external experts from the academic sector and the community, and provides support and counsel to CUCE on issues central to the Program, including its academic content, strategy for future development and quality related issues. The Advisory Board members are appointed by the Provost.

The external review aims to ensure that the Common Core Program attains a high academic standard when compared to similar top-ranked programs locally and internationally. An ERP will be set up to perform a holistic review of the Program focusing on the design, content, pedagogy and assessment of common core courses, as well as other teaching and learning related issues as reflected from the performance of students.

The UCE Team is administratively structured under the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS), and is headed by the Academic Director. The UCE Team supports and coordinates the quality assurance activities of the Common Core Program, and provides administrative and executive support to CUCE in the areas of course administration, quality assurance and promotion of University Core education.