Dear Fellow Students,
Updates to Students from the College Management
Warm welcome to the first issue of the College Updates in the new academic year 2020/21. For new readers, you may wish to know that the College Updates is a channel of the College Management to enhance communication with fellow students on College operation and updates on development.
College Operation
With the COVID-19 pandemic being less threatening after the summer break, all academic departments, offices and units of the College resumed with full strength working on campus for the new academic year starting from September 2020. Along the line of normal operation, the campus stays open on weekday evenings and Saturday morning for evening classes and activities.
Teaching and Learning
You probably have read the guidelines and advice from the Registrar on attending class in-person and off-campus while the pandemic still prevails. We would like to highlight that notwithstanding the on-going challenges to class operation, the College is committed to practising quality teaching and learning. Given the experience in the last academic year, we find it necessary to minimize both teachers’ and students’ need to adapt to different class set-up and the hiccups of technical problems regardless of the mode of teaching being used. As such, improvement measures have been made. With the support of the ITSO and equipment readily set up in each lecture room, all classes could be conducted on campus with on-line delivery made available concurrently to flexibly suit students’ preference for either presence in classroom or joining via Zoom. Lecture timetable as set out is expected to be duly followed to avoid unnecessary clash. As the above mode of teaching may give rise to some unexpected hiccups, you are encouraged to give your feedback to the Registrar, Dr Terry Ng, concerning areas of improvement.
Student Support
In unsettling times when “distancing” is the new norm, we fully understand student’s grave need for support service. Don’t hesitate to seek guidance and advice from your Mentor. For freshmen, chat with your Peer Tutor who is your companion to help you adapt to this new environment. The Counsellor is also ready for your consultation if you need professional advice, including on-line service if the situation does not allow meeting in-person.
Programme Development
The College has been making good progress in programme development in the last quarter. Despite the unexpected typhoon causing one-day postponement of the exercise, accreditation of the Bachelor of Christian Ministry Programme was smoothly conducted in August 2020 via Zoom conferencing with the HKCAAVQ. The Programme is planned for launch in September 2021, subject to fulfilment of some pre-conditions.
All necessary preparation work of the new higher diploma programme in Social Work is also proceeding on schedule with the programme accreditation arranged for March 2021. Meanwhile, continuous efforts will be made to solicit the support of the Education Bureau to our proposed offer of the Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education Programme.
Campus Development
The College has set out in its Strategic Plan to rebuild the existing campus as one of the major targets in coming years. After almost a year’s preparation, the College made its first step of submitting the draft application to the Planning Department and is working on ironing out various issues with authorities concerned. Despite the uncertainties and lengthy process of seeking approval, the College believes that enhancing the learning environment is one of the top priorities and will make its best efforts to accomplish the pursuit.
Preparedness
Needless to say, if the situation remains safe and permissible, on-campus mode of running class and activities is our first and preferred choice which enables more effective interaction and communication. Nonetheless, you might have to adapt to the unavoidable ebbs and flow of the pandemic situation. The crucial thing is to stay positive and get yourself prepared to adopt new routines. We will keep fine-tuning our support measures and offer you timely advice and guidance as and when necessary.
Looking forward to meeting all of you on campus in the near future.
College Management