Some examples of local professional bodies and organisations relevant to DAT are suggested below. The lists are for reference only and are by no means exhaustive.
Professional organisations
• Hong Kong Designers Association
• Industrial Designers Society of Hong Kong
• The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
• The Professional Validation Council of Hong Kong Industries Government bureaux and departments
• Education Bureau
• Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
• Environmental Protection Department
• Hong Kong Science Museum
• Innovation and Technology Commission
• Intellectual Property Department
• Labour Department
• Leisure and Cultural Services Department – Museums
• Leisure and Cultural Services Department – Public Library Services Government funded/founded organisations
• Consumer Council
• Inno Centre
• Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited
• Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
• Hong Kong Design Centre
• Hong Kong Education City
• Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
• Hong Kong Productivity Council
• Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
• Hong Kong Trade Development Council
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Industrial/technology organisations
• Federation of Hong Kong Industries
• Hong Kong Invention Association
• Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council
• The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
• The Hong Kong Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Educational organisations
• Electronics Technology Education Association (HK)
• Hong Kong New Generation Cultural Association
• Hong Kong Robotic Olympic Association
• Hong Kong Technology Education Association Tertiary institutions
• City University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Baptist University
• Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education
• Lingnan University
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• The Hong Kong Institute of Education
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• The Open University of Hong Kong
• The University of Hong Kong
Glossary
Term Description
Applied Learning (ApL, formerly known as Career-oriented Studies)
Applied Learning (ApL, formerly known as Career-oriented Studies) is an essential component of the senior secondary (SS) curriculum. ApL uses broad professional and vocational fields as the learning platform, developing students’ foundation skills, thinking skills, people skills, values & attitudes and career-related competencies, to prepare them for further studies and / or for work as well as for lifelong learning. ApL courses complement 24 SS subjects, diversifying the senior secondary curriculum.
Assessment objectives The outcomes of the curriculum to be assessed in the pubic assessment.
Co-construction Different from the direct instruction and construction approaches to learning and teaching, the co-construction approach emphasises the class as a community of learners who contribute collectively to the creation of knowledge and the building of criteria for judging such knowledge.
Core subjects Subjects recommended for all students to take at senior secondary level: Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies.
Curriculum and
Assessment (C&A) Guide
A guide prepared by the CDC-HKEAA Committee. It embraces curriculum aims / objectives / contents and learning outcomes, and assessment guidelines.
Design contexts In DAT, students can explore a variety of design contexts such as personal life, the home, the school, recreation, the community, the environment, business and industry to find connections between technology, design and society.
Elective subjects A total of 20 subjects in the proposed new system from which students may choose according to their interests, abilities and aptitudes.
Entrepreneurship In the context of DAT, ‘entrepreneurship’ means searching for client-oriented and value-driven design, and developing enterprising attitudes such as initiative, risk-taking, responsibility, and adaptability.
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Term Description
Generic skills Generic skills are skills, abilities and attributes which are fundamental in helping students to acquire, construct and apply knowledge. They are developed through the learning and teaching that take place in different subjects or key learning areas, and are transferable to different learning situations. Nine types of generic skills are identified in the Hong Kong school curriculum, i.e. collaboration skills, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking skills, information technology skills, numeracy skills, problem solving skills, self-management skills and study skills.
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)
The qualification to be awarded to students after completing the senior secondary curriculum and taking the public assessment.
Innovation In the context of DAT, ‘innovation’ means developing creative ideas towards tangible solutions.
Internal assessment This refers to the assessment activities that are conducted regularly in school to assess students’ performance in learning.
Internal assessment is an inseparable part of the learning and teaching process, and it aims to make learning more effective.
With the information that internal assessment provides, teachers will be able to understand students’ progress in learning, provide them with appropriate feedback and make any adjustments to the learning objectives and teaching strategies they deem necessary.
Key learning areas Organisation of the school curriculum structured around fundamental concepts of major knowledge domains. It aims at providing a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum for all students in the essential learning experiences. The Hong Kong curriculum has eight KLAs, namely, Chinese Language Education, English Language Education, Mathematics Education, Personal, Social and Humanities Education, Science Education, Technology Education, Arts Education and Physical Education.
Knowledge construction This refers to the process of learning in which learners are involved not only in acquiring new knowledge, but also in actively relating it to their prior knowledge and experience so as to create and form their own knowledge.
Learning community A learning community refers to a group of people who have shared values and goals, and who work closely together to generate knowledge and create new ways of learning through active participation, collaboration and reflection. Such a learning community may involve not only students and teachers, but also parents and other parties in the community.
Term Description
Learning outcomes Learning outcomes refer to what learners should be able to do by the end of a particular stage of learning. Learning outcomes are developed based on the learning targets and objectives of the curriculum for the purpose of evaluating learning effectiveness. Learning outcomes also describe the levels of performance that learners should attain after completing a particular key stage of learning and serve as a tool for promoting learning and teaching.
Learning targets and learning objectives
Learning targets set out broadly the knowledge/concepts, skills, values and attitudes that students need to learn and develop.
Learning objectives define specifically what students should know, value and be able to do in each strand of the subject in accordance with the broad subject targets at each key stage of schooling. They are to be used by teachers as a source list for curriculum, lesson and activity planning.
Level Descriptors A set of written descriptions that describe what the typical candidates performing a certain level is able to do in public assessments.
Other learning experiences
For whole person development of students, ‘Other Learning Experiences’ (OLE) is one of the three components that complement the examination subjects and Applied Learning (formerly named as Career-oriented Studies) under the senior secondary curriculum. It includes Moral and Civic Education, Aesthetics Development, Physical Development, Community Service and Career-related Experiences.
Product A product can be an artifact, a system, an environment, or a service that satisfies people’s needs and wants.
Public assessment The associated assessment and examination system for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education.
SBA Moderation Mechanism
The mechanism adopted by HKEAA to adjust SBA marks submitted by schools to iron out possible differences across schools in marking standards and without affecting the rank order determined by the school.
School-based assessment (SBA)
Assessments administered in schools as part of the teaching and learning process, with students being assessed by their subject teachers. Marks awarded will count towards students’ public assessment results.
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Term Description
School-based curriculum Schools and teachers are encouraged to adapt the central curriculum to develop their school-based curriculum to help their students achieve the subject targets and overall aims of education.
Measures may include readjusting the learning targets, varying the organisation of contents, adding optional studies and adapting learning, teaching and assessment strategies. A school-based curriculum, hence, is the outcome of a balance between official recommendations and the autonomy of the schools and teachers.
Standards-referenced Reporting
Candidates’ performance in public assessment is reported in terms of levels of performance matched against a set of standards.
Student learning profile It is to provide supplementary information on the secondary school leavers’ participation and specialties during senior secondary years, in addition to their academic performance as reported in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, including the assessment results for Applied Learning courses, thus giving a fuller picture of the student’s whole person development.
Technological areas In solving design and technological problems, students need to develop solutions and employ technical knowledge. Problems can be from a range of technological areas such as electronics, robotics, visualisation, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and digital media.
Values & attitudes Values constitute the foundation of the attitudes and beliefs that influence one’s behaviour and way of life. They help form principles underlying human conduct and critical judgment, and are qualities that learners should develop. Some examples of values are rights and responsibilities, commitment, honesty and national identity. Closely associated with values are attitudes.
The latter supports motivation and cognitive functioning, and affects one’s way of reacting to events or situations. Since both values and attitudes significantly affect the way a student learns, they form an important part of the school curriculum.
References
Barlex, D. (2003). The unique contribution of design and technology: Building on success.
UK: Design and Technology Strategy Group, Department for Education and Skills.
Barlex, D. (2005). The centrality of designing – an emerging realisation from three curriculum projects. Technology education and research: twenty years in retrospect, Conference Proceedings, ITEA 67th Annual Conference. USA: International Technology Education Association.
Black, P (1998). An International Overview of Curricular Approaches and Models in Technology Education. Journal of Technology Studies, XXIV (1), 24-29. USA:
VirginiaTech.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998a). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5 (1), 7-74.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998b). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, October, 139-148.
Curriculum Development Council (2002). Technology Education KLA Curriculum Guide (P1-S3). Hong Kong SAR: Education Department.
Design Task force (2003). Shaping the Future Design for Hong Kong: A strategic Review of Design Education and Practice. Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Financial Secretary (2004). The 2004-05 Budget. Hong Kong SAR: Financial Secretary.
Kimbell, R. (2002). Assessing design innovation. UK: Technology Education Research Unit, Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Kimbell, R. & Perry, D. (2001). Design and technology in a knowledge economy. UK:
Engineering Council.
Stiggins, R. (2004). New assessment beliefs for a new school mission. Phi Delta Kappan, 86 (1), 22-27.
Trade and Industry Department (2003). Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. Hong Kong SAR: Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau.