Chapter 6b - Guidelines and Procedures for Annual Programme Reporting for Taught Postgraduate Programmes
| 6.1 | Objectives |
| Each programme is reviewed annually to ensure that the Programme and Curriculum Committee systematically analyses pertinent information and identifies areas where improvements are necessary or desirable in order to enhance programme quality and delivery. On the basis of available evidence, the review will also assess whether the programme has been successfully operated and has worked towards achieving its desired aims and learning outcomes in the past year. |
| 6.2 | Roles | |
| 6.2.1 | Programme Director | |
(a) (b) | The Programme Director is responsible for managing the on-going academic review and development of the programme. He/She should ensure that the necessary data and information are assembled and that a draft Annual Programme Report is prepared. | |
| (c) | He/She is also responsible for ensuring that comments or advice made by the Programme and Curriculum Committee, the Faculty Board1 and the Postgraduate Studies Committee (including those made by the Small Group under the Postgraduate Studies Committee) are taken into consideration in revising the Report. | |
| 6.2.2 | Programme and Curriculum Committee | |
| The Programme and Curriculum Committee considers the draft Annual Programme Report, reviews critically the operation of the programme and considers any proposed changes. | ||
| 6.2.3 | Faculty Board | |
| The Faculty Board should ensure that all information presented in the Report is up-to-date, accurate and consistent, and that the Report complies with the requirements in the University’s relevant guidelines, contains critical analysis and evidence-based commentary, and that the academic unit(s) has/have made appropriate development and changes. The Faculty Board should also provide comments or advice (if any) on the action plan in the Report. | ||
| 6.2.4 | Postgraduate Studies Committee | |
| In considering the Report, the Postgraduate Studies Committee shall ascertain whether the objectives of the review as mentioned in 6.1 have been achieved and whether relevant issues are being properly addressed. | ||
| 6.2.5 | Senate | |
| Reports approved by the Postgraduate Studies Committee shall be submitted to the Senate for its noting. | ||
| 6.3 | Procedures and Timing | |
| Information Technology Services Centre provides the term-end Course Teaching and Learning Evaluation (CTLE) to Programme Director concerned | around mid-January (for 1st Term) and around mid-June (for 2nd Term) | ||
| External Academic Adviser (if any) submits annual report to the President which is copied to the Programme Director concerned | by 1 July | ||
| Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITAL) provides Employers’ and Alumni Survey Reports to Programme Director concerned (biennially) | by August | ||
| School of Graduate Studies issues a reminder to Programme Directors on submission of the Annual Programme Report (with a clear time frame) | in early September | ||
| Programme Director concerned, if consider necessary, seeks advice from the CITAL in the analysis of the Graduate Exit Survey report and the Graduate Employment Survey (conducted by individual programmes), and works with the CITAL in identifying the teaching and learning enhancement and career development initiatives for the Programme based on the survey findings | by mid-December | ||
| Programme Director concerned drafts the Annual Programme Report | by end of December | ||
| Programme and Curriculum Committee meets to discuss the draft Report | by early January | ||
| Faculty Board reviews and endorses the draft Report | by mid-January | ||
| Programme Director submits the endorsed Report to PSC | by end of January | ||
| Small Group under PSC considers and gives feedback on the Report | by end of March | ||
| PSC considers and approves the Report as appropriate | in April | ||
| Senate notes approved Report | in May | ||
| 6.4 | Contents of the Annual Programme Report | ||
| 6.4.1 | The report should consist of three distinct sections: a cover, the main text and appendices. | ||
| 6.4.2 | Cover | ||
| A cover sheet shown in Appendix A gives summary information of the programme and endorsement/approval by relevant authorities. | |||
| 6.4.3 | Main Text | |
| (a) | Please refer to the template in Appendix B for the required and suggested content for the main text. | |
| (b) | Main points to bear in mind in writing the report are that it shall: | |
| • contain concise critical analysis and evidence-based commentary; • emphasise development and changes that occur during the reporting year and highlight the rationale/justification for such developments/changes; • in major areas, include a reflection on development and achievement during the previous year as well as ways for improvement; and | ||
| (c) | Sources of Information The Report should draw upon evidence and information from statistical data, which can include student admissions and examination results; employment statistics; scores in Course Teaching and Learning Evaluation; comments/suggestions from External Academic Advisers and responses to them; views of students, graduates, alumni, staff, Advisory Board, employers or relevant professional bodies; comments by validation/review panel, etc., if any. | |
| 6.4.4 | Appendices | |
| (a) | SHOULD append data and information reflecting programme strengths and weaknesses, including: | |
| • Summary of Findings of Graduate Employment Survey of the Reporting Year from the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITAL) • Summary of Findings of External Benchmarking Exercise Conducted in the Reporting Year • External Academic Advisers’ Annual Report(s) for the Reporting Year • Response to the Programme Validation or Five-year, if any Programme Review Conducted during the Reporting Year | ||
| (b) | MAY append relevant parts of the following reports if deemed necessary: | |
• staff information including research publications, community service, conference attendance or other scholarly activities, etc. | ||
| (c) | SHOULD NOT append details on programme operations/management, such as: | |
| • reports/views from individual teachers; • minutes/reports of the meetings of the Programme and Curriculum Committee, Advisory Board, Board of Examiners; • report on Staff Retreat; • comments of External Academic Advisers on individual examination papers and script marking. | ||
1 The Board of Graduate Studies/School of Data Science Management Board/Wu Jieh Yee School of Interdisciplinary Studies Management Board shall assume the role of Faculty Board and Faculty Management Board for programmes offered by the School of Graduate Studies/School of Data Science/Wu Jieh Yee School of Interdisciplinary Studies respectively.
Guidelines and Procedures for Annual Programme Reporting for Taught Postgraduate Programmes (PDF)