The Hong Kong University Master of Social Work programme is designed to be a socially sensitive and responsive programme to train competent and continuously developing professional social workers who can make contributions both to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and internationally. The values, knowledge and skills conveyed in the programme should enable social workers so trained to deliver social services to individuals, groups and the community in an appropriate, competent, ethical and humane manner, and be committed to self- directed life-long learning to maintain the high standards achieved upon graduation. In view of rapid changes in modern societies and the increasing complexity involved in helping people to survive psychosocial challenges, there should be corresponding adjustments in professional training to keep up the necessary performance standard. This paper reports on the efforts made by a team of enthusiastic social work teachers over the summer of 1999 to change an established Master of Social Work programme into problem-based learning mode and includes some initial feedback from the staff and students concerned. Certain useful strategies as well as some points for improvement will also be discussed.

Charged with the design and implementation of an evaluation framework for a new medical curriculum, the authors sketch some of the technical and human problems encountered with on-line evaluations and identify the need for a well planned and resourced approach towards a better co-ordination between the management of the Web environment and the Faculty. More importantly the accelerated pace of change of knowledge brought about by the greater accessibility of information through the use of media emphasises the urgency of a new orientation to teaching and learning.