In recent years, Outcome-Based Learning (OBL) has gained increasing prominence in many parts of the world and, since 2008, has been formally promoted among all higher education institutions in Hong Kong by the University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong. A key concept of OBL is that teaching should be driven by outcomes that are desirable for students, and that greater clarity in relation to what is to be achieved simply involves adjusting teaching and assessment. This article reports on a project on Outcome-Based Learning in the English Department at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), and an OBL adaptation framework that has been developed. First, the development of a set of Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (PILOs) for the Bachelor of Education (English Language) Programme at HKIEd will be introduced. Second, the design of Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) in the programme will be discussed. Third, the alignment of teaching and assessment strategies with learning outcomes will be illustrated through a sample course. It is hoped that this study will inspire some reflection on how effective teaching and learning among students in higher education institutions can be achieved through an outcome-based learning approach.
[Copyright of Research in Higher Education Journal is the property of Academic and Business Research Institute.]

While creativity is now an important skill to be acquired by Hong Kong school pupils, little empirical research has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of creativity in the Hong Kong context. Absence is also a knowledge-based critical review of the related problems and issues confronting Hong Kong teachers. Remedying those problems and addressing the issues are necessary to the enhancement of effective teaching and learning of creativity. This paper reviews four fundamental problems and issues, which can be categorized basing on their nature and essence – disciplinary, theoretical, cultural, and managerial – and then presents knowledge-based suggestions and theory-driven solutions, as well as research, professional, and the policy implications.
[Copyright of Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education & Development is the property of Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Despite the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) government's determination to implement the 'mother tongue education' policy amid strong social resistance one year after the handover, English remains a prestigious language in society. The need for Putonghua (Mandarin/Standard Chinese) is also increasing following ever-expanding trade and other activities with mainland China. The societal demand for both English and Putonghua in postcolonial Hong Kong is important for understanding the SAR government's language-in-education policy called 'biliteracy and trilingualism'. The learning of English is fraught with two main problems: (a) the absence of a conducive language-learning environment outside the classroom, which makes English in Hong Kong more like a foreign than a second language, and (b) tremendous typological difference between Chinese and English on one hand, and considerable linguistic differences between Cantonese and Putonghua on the other. Given the significant phonological differences and, to a lesser extent, lexico-grammatical divergence between the majority's vernacular and modern written Chinese, the learning of Putonghua is no straightforward task either. The dilemmas of the medium-of-instruction (MoI) debate will be discussed by elucidating the main concerns as seen from the respective vantage points of the government and five key stakeholder groups: employers, parents, school principals, teachers and educationalists, and students.
[Copyright of AILA Review is the property of John Benjamins Publishing Co.]

Since the 1980 s, Outcome-Based Learning (OBL) has been gaining popularity around the world. In 2006, the University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong decided that all higher education institutions in Hong Kong should adopt OBL formally stage by stage to enhance learning and teaching quality. As OBL is new to most Hong Kong higher education institutions, there is an urgent need for a close study of the design and implementation of OBL in the Hong Kong context. This paper reports on a case study of designing and implementing OBL in a linguistics course in the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd).
[Copyright of Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences.]

One of the principles adopted in the Review of Education System in Hong Kong is to give more room and flexibility for students to be masters of their own learning. (Education Commission, 1999). This is particularly important in teacher education programmes which aim to prepare student teachers who, in turn, will influence the learning approach of their students. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is generally a student centered learning approach in which students are encouraged to participate in the learning process. Two groups of students, one group studying the Technical Teacher Certificate Course and the other on Certificate of Education Course, form the subjects of this research project. A real contextual problem was posed to the students and the lecturers act as facilitators during the whole learning process. Students feedback and their attitudes were solicited after the first cycle of implementing PBL. The first week of the PBL process was most crucial and it is important that students fully understand what PBL is and what are the roles of lecturers and students in the learning process. The second phase of the project was administered with reference to the comments from staff and students made after the completion of the first cycle. Follow-up interviews were conducted to report on the needs of the students in the learning process. It is anticipated that this study can foster more student involvement in the learning process and that deep learning is encouraged and supported.

The aim of this study was to obtain insight into the effect of a quality assurance system on the implementation of a PBL teaching strategy in courses in three Hong Kong universities. A total of nine research teams (each consisting of a few PBL-tutors) were involved. Before the implementation of PBL, the tutors attended specific orientation and training sessions on PBL. Twenty-one tutors were randomly selected for interview after the implementation. The results indicate that the quality assurance system within most institutions does affect the implementation of PBL. The reliance on research output and a standardised student feedback questionnaire as indicators of staff performance do have a detrimental effect on the implementation of PBL. On the other hand, resources and class size also have a direct effect on the willingness of academic staff adopt the PBL approach in teaching. Finally, student factors also play an important role in the successful implementation of PBL. To be successful PBL tutors need to be supported by a clear message from the university quality assurance system that this is the way to go forward. Without taking this seriously into consideration, one could predict serious difficulties in promoting PBL in the education sector.

A new Junior Secondary Science Curriculum (JSSC) has been implemented in Hong Kong since September 2000. Developing pupils' problem-solving skills is one of the main aims of the new curriculum. This case study analyzes how teachers create environments to develop pupils' problem-solving skills through teaching a science theme entitled "The wonderful solvent—water" in Hong Kong junior secondary classrooms. Data were collected from classroom observation and post-lesson interviews. By demonstrating series of events that made up the entire learning experience of the students in classrooms, this article will illustrate how students carried out problem=solving processes, which include generating ideas, making interpretations and judgments, and using strategies to manage the complexity of situations. This study experiments are adopted in science lessons. Finding s also indicated that students are well motivated and their skills can be enhanced if decision-making authorities in designing setups, procedures and ways in solving scientific or technical problems have been devolved to them.