Application for Credit Bearing Online Course

The Senate approved the policy for offering credit bearing online courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in 2017, which was reviewed in 2019.

Schools and departments may apply through CUS/CPS for their MOOCs to become credit-bearing Self-paced Online courses at HKUST. The completed proforma should be submitted to the Committee on Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI) for endorsement before being passed on to CUS/CPS for approval.

One major difference between a typical MOOC and a credit bearing Self-paced Online course is that students must go through a rigorous assessment, usually in the form of a proctored examination, to earn academic credits.

A limit would be set on the number of credits from Self-paced Online courses that could be used to satisfy the graduation requirements. At the undergraduate level, the limit is 6 credits, which does not apply to credits obtained through credit transfer as they are handled by existing credit transfer procedures of the University. At the postgraduate level, the limit is 50% of the degree requirements, including both Self-paced Online courses and any other transfer credits granted.

Regarding implementation of courses offered in both Self-paced Online and the traditional in-class modes, these different delivery modes within a course should adopt comparable assessments. The class quota of Self-paced Online sections should be set to ensure a balanced distribution of student enrollment in both sections.

A list of MOOCs that have been approved as credit bearing online courses since the policy approved

Contact June Chan at CEI if you have any questions on the above.