01801

20 Jun 2001

PROJECT WORK TO BE INCLUDED FOR UNIVERSITY ADMISSION IN 2005

1.      Project Work (PW) will be included for admission into local universities from 2005. A trial carried out in all junior colleges (JCs) and centralised institutes (CIs) in 2000 has affirmed that PW is a valuable learning activity. The extended timeframe for inclusion of PW for admission into the local universities will allow teachers and students more time to be familiar with the processes involved in PW.

2.      In June 1999, the Government accepted in principle the recommendation of the Committee on University Admission to include PW as a criterion for admission into the local universities, tentatively from 2004.

3.      PW aims to provide students with opportunities to explore the inter-relationships and inter-connectedness of subject-specific knowledge. It was implemented on a trial basis in all JCs and CIs from January to November 2000 and involved all first-year JC and second-year CI students.

4.      The trial provided the schools involved with the opportunity to learn from the experience of implementing PW and the key processes of information search, group work and presentation. Students worked in teams, conducted independent research and had conferences with teachers. Each team presented the completed project in an oral presentation and a written report.

5.      The feedback from the trial confirmed that PW is an important learning activity. It fosters oral and written communication skills and involves collaborative and independent learning. Teachers commented that PW had helped students to collaborate with others, access information from various sources and communicate their ideas clearly and effectively.