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Definitions

Blended Learning or MOOC projects involve significant curriculum or course reform.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning (BL) at HKUST is defined as a blend of online and face-to-face teaching aimed at enhancing student learning. Typically, students acquire fundamental, conceptual knowledge online and then apply, analyze, or evaluate this through active learning classroom activities to achieve higher-level learning outcomes. The online component of a blended course is usually delivered through a Learning Management System, and normally includes video lectures, online interactive activities, and online assessments. The face-to-face component on campus includes interactive exercises, group tasks, projects, or discussions. We recommend replacing 30-50% of contact hours with the online component for self-study and keeping the remaining 50-70% of contact hours for course instructors’ face-to-face teaching.

MOOC

A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is a self-paced online course that HKUST offers to the public in strategic partnership with MOOC platforms, such as Coursera and edX. The online courses are open to global learners from various academic backgrounds, cultures, languages, and age groups. All course activities, including lectures, practice sessions, discussions, projects, and assessments, are primarily conducted online.

Funding

For Blended Learning

Up to HK$300,000 with one-third matching from the Department/Division. Clear justifications must be provided for the amount requested. If funding is intended to support teaching relief, a strong and convincing justification is necessary for it to be considered.

For MOOC

Up to HK$300,000 with 50% matching from the School. Clear justifications must be provided for the amount requested. If funding is intended to support teaching relief, a strong and convincing justification is necessary for it to be considered.

Funds awarded can be used for the purposes such as:

  • hiring support staff (for example, project / instructional assistant); and
  • with Department Head’s agreement, hiring temporary staff to partially release the project leader from regular commitments to work on the project.

The following expenses are NOT normally covered by the funding:

  • equipment and teaching material expenses, which should be covered by the relevant School/Department
  • conference attendance, publications in journals, and traveling outside Hong Kong; and
  • refreshment for functions/events; and provision of incentives to students (for example, coupons or allowance) for taking part in the study.

Funding Committee

The Teaching and Learning Innovation Projects Sub-committee (TLIP) is a part of the Committee on Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI), chaired by the Director of the Center for Education Innovation (CEI). TLIP consists of members from PRVST, SHSS, SENG, SBM, AIS, and CEI. Its primary role is to evaluate project proposals that promote active and online learning courses and make funding decisions.

Eligibility for Application

All full-time faculty members of the University with the responsibility of teaching and learning are eligible for application.

Important Dates

Preliminary Proposal Submission Deadline

Fri, Aug 29, 2025

Final Proposal Submission Deadline

Fri, Sep 26, 2025

Committee Review

Mid-Nov 2025

Result Announcement

Dec 2025


Key Assessment Criteria

For Blended Learning
  • Outcome-based: The proposal should demonstrate strong alignment among the course’s intended learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities.
  • Effective Use of Online Learning: The proposal should scaffold students’ fundamental and conceptual knowledge through guided learning sequences. Online activities should effectively prepare students for face-to-face interactions.
  • Student Readiness: The proposal should clearly articulate a mechanism for providing feedback on students' self-study and ensure they are prepared to develop higher-order thinking skills in class.
  • Effective Use of Face-to-Face Learning: The proposal should foster students’ higher-order thinking skills through a series of collaborative activities focused on knowledge application, analysis, or evaluation. Face-to-face activities should adequately prepare students for assessments.
  • AI Readiness: The proposal should demonstrate how the course equips students with the skills necessary for thriving in an AI-enhanced world. This may include the integration of AI tools to support teaching and learning, activities designed to develop students’ domain-specific AI literacy, or the cultivation of essential generic skills for the AI era such as creativity, problem-solving, or ethical awareness.
  • Criterion Referencing: The proposal should demonstrate that assessments are designed to evaluate students’ performance based on their attainment of the course's intended learning outcomes.
  • Project Management: The proposal should include a clear and systematic design, development, and implementation plan that outlines how each milestone can be achieved and how the final target can be met.
For MOOC
  • Content in high demand: According to our MOOC partners, there is a high demand among global learners for content areas such as AI Literacy and Data Analytics. Click here to see other in-demand topics.
  • Outcome-based: The proposal should demonstrate strong alignment among the course’s intended learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities.
  • Learning Effectiveness: The proposal should scaffold learners’ fundamental and conceptual knowledge and foster their higher-order thinking skills through guided sequences of learning activities and assessments to achieve the course’s intended learning outcomes.
  • Learner Readiness: The proposal should clearly articulate a mechanism for providing feedback on learners’ self-study and ensure they are prepared to progress to the next stage of learning.
  • Reusable for Campus courses: The proposal should ensure that all developed materials can be used for campus courses through Blended Learning or Online Self-paced formats.
  • Project Management: The proposal should include a clear and systematic design, development, and implementation plan that outlines how each milestone can be achieved and how the final target can be met.

Application Procedures

1 | Download the relevant project proposal template below. It will guide you to complete your proposal with the key information needed.
Blended Learning (BL)  Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

2 | Preliminary proposal: Email to June Chan by the specified deadline. CEI will provide feedback and suggestions to help shape the proposal.

3 | Final proposal: CEI will only accept the final proposal when mutually agreed refinements have been made. Email the soft copy to ctjune@ust.hk by the specified deadline. Once the soft copy is accepted, seek endorsement and send us the endorsed copy.

4 | Pitch your ideas: Submit a short video or slide deck with your final proposal.
The presentation should cover the following:

For Blended Learning
  • Significance of pedagogical implications for adopting BL in your course design
  • Problems or opportunities to be addressed
  • Target audience and number of beneficiaries
  • Feasibility of the project timeline
  • Plans for maintaining and sustaining the developed course(s)
  • Knowledge transfer of lessons learned within/across departments
For MOOC
  • Content in demand by global learners
  • Problems or opportunities to be addressed
  • Target audience
  • Feasibility of the project timeline
  • Plans for maintaining and sustaining the developed course(s)
  • Knowledge transfer of lessons learned within/across departments

Frequently Asked Questions

A: The key difference between BL and technology-enhanced teaching development projects is that BL projects involve curriculum and course restructuring by designing or redesigning 30-50% of fundamental content materials for online delivery and reconfiguring 50-70% classroom time with interactive activities, exercises or discussions. If your project idea is to integrate information and communication technologies with classroom learning activities without restructuring the curriculum and course as mentioned above, it would be categorized as an innovative learning project.

A: Laboratory equipment and permanent equipment for Schools/Departments, such as computers will not be funded.

A: Expenses related to attending conference are not supported. However since project teams are always encouraged to disseminate their projects, you may further discuss the dissemination and resources needed with CEI that may suggest other funding sources or alternatives.

A: The purpose for submitting a preliminary proposal is to help shape up your project ideas. After receiving your preliminary proposal, CEI staff will contact you to discuss your project ideas; and only those final proposals that includes mutually agreed refinements would be accepted and channeled to the funding committee for vetting.

 

Inquiries

Contact June Chan (By email or call x8917) of CEI if you have any questions on the above.