Research & exchange

Prof. Ho Kin-chung, Dean of the School of Science & Technology, led his seventh arctic research expedition of 19, organized by the OUHK Institute for Research in Innovative Technology & Sustainability with the support of Youth Square and the Polar Museum Foundation, on 7 September 2015. The two-week trip conducted algal research, and monitored changes to water quality and glaciers, as well as radiation in the water and air. Science explorer Dr Rebecca Lee Lok-sze and Mrs Regina Leung, wife of the Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive, attended the launch ceremony.

The School later returned to the Arctic from 26 February to 4 March 2016 with a research journey to Beiji Village in Daxinganling, Heilongjiang. Samples of water, snow, mud, plankton and plants from Heilongjiang River were taken for experimental research and cultural exchange activities were also organized.

At a ceremony officiated by Secretary for Education Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim and other guests on 23 January 2016, the OUHK launched the first free open textbook series in Hong Kong, Open English. The Education Bureau has given approval for it to be included on the Recommended Textbook List, and it will be for use by Primary 1 to Secondary 6 classes in 2016-2017 school year. Supported by a donation of $17.5 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the ‘Open Textbooks for Hong Kong’ project was started in 2013 to offer an alternative to highly-priced textbooks. Open textbooks allow teachers to freely adapt the content to suit the learning abilities and needs of their students with just a simple acknowledgement under the Creative Commons license, making textbooks essentially cost- and copyright-free.

The project covers all levels from primary school to university. A set of Open English textbooks in both e-book and print format is in the pipeline. The e-books are downloadable from the Open Textbook System platform to desktop and handheld devices, while the PDF files can be printed privately or through a professional printing shop at cost. Apart from Open English, the platform also stores more than 100 open textbooks at tertiary level, and 20-plus textbooks for Yi Jin and other certificate and diploma-level programmes.

The OUHK received $18 million in the first round of funding under the Research Grants Council (RGC)’s Competitive Research Funding Scheme for self-financing institutions, which gave birth to two research bodies: the Institute for Research in Innovative Technology & Sustainability (IRITS) and the Research Institute for Digital Culture & Humanities (RiDCH).

In the second round of funding, it received $17 million from the RGC for 11 proposals. OUHK ranked second among the 12 applying institutions. Amongst the successful proposals, the Institutional Development Scheme (IDS) received $12 million to establish research institutes and recruit distinguished professors in three strategic areas: international business & governance, bilingual learning & teaching and open & innovative education.

The IRITS supports research on environmental science (wastewater treatment & algal biofuel, water quality & phytoplankton biodiversity and harmful algal blooms) and advanced network technologies (adaptive & secure cloud connectivity, optimization algorithms, location-based information systems and computer network tele-biotechnology). Officiating at the launch ceremony on 9 July 2015, Mr Nicholas Yang, Executive Council Member and Advisor to the Chief Executive on Innovation & Technology, commended the University’s research leadership for tangible benefits to Hong Kong. On behalf of the University, Dean of the School of Science & Technology Prof. Ho Kin-chung also signed a memorandum of understanding with over 20 partners to promote innovative technology and sustainability. The forum ‘Development of Innovative Technology and Environmental Industries in Hong Kong: Opportunities & Challenges’ was held after the launch event.

The Research Institute for Digital Culture & Humanities (RiDCH), launched on 17 December 2015, is Hong Kong’s first institute dedicated to knowledge in creative culture and humanities, to shed light on new ways of teaching in the field. President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong noted that RiDCH marked a milestone in the development of the University for contributing to research on contemporary culture. Director of Leisure & Cultural Services Ms Michelle Li Mei-sheung officiated, along with Director of the Academy of Visual Arts of the Hong Kong Baptist University Prof. John Aiken and Dean of the School of Arts & Social Sciences and Director of RiDCH Prof. Tam Kwok-kan. The ceremony was followed by a two-day conference with dual themes of ‘Animation Techniques and the Digital Arts’ and ‘Digitization of the Humanities: Technologizing Interconnections in Art, History & Literature’. Local and international experts and scholars shared insights into how digital technologies impact humanities, art, literature and culture.

Housed in the School of Arts & Social Sciences, the Tin Ka Ping Centre of Chinese Culture was officially launched on 29 October 2015. The Centre and the ‘Mainland China Visiting Scholars Exchange Programme’ have been enabled by a donation from the Tin Ka Ping Foundation matched by the Government, totalling HK$7 million. Under-Secretary for Home Affairs Ms Florence Hui Hiu-fai and Director of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation Mr Tin Wing-sin were guests of honour at the launch. Ms Hui commended the initiative to organize all stakeholders to promote Chinese culture. Mr Tin said the Foundation attaches high importance to education and was glad the OUHK’s mission of Education for All coincides with its own. Distinguished guests at the ceremony included Deputy Secretary of the Education Bureau Mrs Wong Yau Wai-ching, Deputy Director of the Leisure & Cultural Services Department Dr Louis Ng, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture Dr Wong King-keung and Chairman of the OUHK Council Dr Eddy C Fong. Prof. Chang Hsin-kang was invited to give a talk on the Silk Road following the ceremony.

At an IRITS seminar on 22 May 2015, President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong raised the challenge: Can Hong Kong develop innovation, science and technology for economic growth? In the 1980s, science and technology was under-developed, he said, as Hong Kong was more oriented to property and business development — consequently lagging behind the other three Asian Tiger economies. Prof. Wong urged the Government to provide long-term strategic support to develop innovation, science and technology through increased funding via the University Grants Committee and Research Grants Council for academic and applied research. That could transform research results into production to boost economic development. The current teaching and research capabilities of Hong Kong tertiary institutions are well acknowledged by corporations and the Government. Therefore, government support, leveraging the available institutional platforms and talent, including collaboration with industry and mainland partners, can drive economic growth.

Use of digital tools for interactive teaching and learning is vital to the education process this century. That was Vice President Prof. Lee Wing-on’s message at his talk on 24 April 2015 to prepare students to become 21st century citizens. A world-renowned expert in education, Prof. Lee compared the education systems of Hong Kong and Singapore with those of the US, Europe and Australia. Interactive education enhances learning effectiveness. Such innovation is being promoted by many countries. Prof. Lee also explained Singapore’s tripartite strategy which integrates policy, research and practice.

In 2014, a three-year project was started to set up a common electronic platform for library resources to be shared among five self-financing higher education institutions so as to enhance the teaching and learning support for the institutes. The project is funded by a $50-million grant from the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS) under the Government’s Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund and expected to complete by the end of 2016 with OUHK as the Principal Grantee. It has been implemented on schedule.

By the end of 2015, an online information searching and discovery platform was set up to enable one-stop access to the library and eBook collection of the five self-financing institutes including the Open University of Hong Kong, Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Tung Wah College by the learning communities of the five institutes. A total of 19,900 eBook titles have been purchased or on order.

The platform will be enhanced to enable easy interlibrary lending in 2016. More eBooks will be purchased under the project.

At the Hong Kong Environment Forum of 3 June 2015 hosted by Dean of the School of Science & Technology Prof. Ho Kin-chung and co-organized with the Tien Dao Worldwide Christian Media Association, scholars and experts discussed the impact of environmental problems on physical and mental health at the OUHK. Addressing the forum were environmental expert Dr Wan Shek-lun, General Manager of Global Environmental Health and Safety, Johnson Electric Group, Mr Lam Wan-choi, psychiatrist Dr Ronald Chen Yuk-lun, Sai Kung District Councillor Ms Christine Fong and President of the World Taoism Master Association Dato’ D’Raja Wan Kuok-peng. Everyday issues like odour from landfills and cooking fumes from restaurants were also discussed.

‘Making Learning Mobile and Ubiquitous’ was the theme of the second International Conference on Open & Flexible Education (ICOFE) on 16–17 July 2015, attended by more than 130 experts and practitioners from over 15 countries, including China, Japan, India, Australia, and the US. In addition to four keynote speeches, workshops were organized to enhance practical knowledge and skills of participants. Over 60 papers were accepted by the Conference Programme Committee and presented. Best Paper and Excellent Paper Awards were given for outstanding research. In addition, a Best Practices of Flexible Learning Award recognized highly innovative, practical, and effective teaching practices.

Co-organized by the OUHK, the Caritas Institute of Higher Education and the School of Professional & Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong, the second International Conference on Technology in Education (ICTE) addressed the theme of ‘Technology-mediated Proactive Learning’ on 2–4 July 2015. Keynote speeches were delivered by Director of the OUHK’s University Research Centre Dr Li Kam-cheong and two other distinguished scholars from the US and China.

Local and regional experts took part in the combined ‘Sixth International Conference on the Prevention & Management of Harmful Algal Blooms in the South China Sea’ and ‘Second International Conference on Beneficial Uses of Algal Biomass’ on 21–23 November 2015. Experts discussed ways to prevent harmful algal blooms and algal applications in the environmental, pharmaceutical, food and fuel industries. The conference was organized by the IRITS and sponsored by the Croucher Foundation, the Sino-British Fellowship Trust and the Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation.

The Law and Translation Public Seminar series, co-organized by the OUHK and the Hong Kong Institute of Legal Translation, was held on 10 October 2015. At the event, Senior Counsel Dr Anthony Francis Neoh explained ‘Cultural and Linguistic Differences between the English and Chinese Legal Traditions’ while Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission Dr York Chow Yat-ngok presented ‘Law of Equal Opportunities and Its Language Characteristics’. Dr Emily Poon, Associate Professor of the OUHK’s School of Arts & Social Sciences and Chairperson of the Institute, gave a speech on ‘Translation of Court News’.

‘New Frontiers in ODL’ was the theme of the 29th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) hosted by Open University Malaysia from 30 November to 2 December 2015. This conference is the leading platform for stakeholders of open and distance learning to network and engage in academic discourse. Current President of the AAOU and President of the OUHK, Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong, chaired the Annual Meetings of the AAOU Executive Committee and the General Body. Director of the University Research Centre Dr Li Kam-cheong delivered a keynote speech.

‘Growing Capacities for Sustainable Distance e-Learning Provision’ was the theme of the 26th International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) World Conference hosted by the University of South Africa at Sun City on 14–16 October 2015. Director of the University Research Centre Dr Li Kam-cheong attended the conference and represented the President at the parallel Presidents’ Summit. Dr Li was also one of the speakers at the High-Level Policy Forum on 17 October. The conference attracted 900 participants from 67 countries.

Five faculty members of the Division of Nursing & Health Studies addressed the Hong Kong Society for the Aged in its ‘Quality Care in the Community’ programme from July to December 2015. They gave a series of talks to brief the elderly and caregivers on basic healthcare best practices, and common chronic age-related illnesses.