Universities in Hong Kong to conduct online lessons as Covid-19 continues
- Chinese University, Polytechnic University, and HKUST are among those that announced the first semester would be conducted via remote learning
- Orientation activities for first-year students will also move be held virtually
It looks like online learning will be sticking around for a while.Universities in Hong Kong will be moving to remote learning, adding to the impact of Covid-19 on this year’s secondary school graduates, following school suspensions, exam delays and the late release of Jupas results.
The University of Hong Kong, Chinese University, Education University, Polytechnic University, Baptist University, Lingnan University and the University of Science and Technology will be holding online classes for the term that runs from September to December.
City University also confirmed to Young Post that it would follow a similar format. “After considering many factors and the dynamic changes due to Covid-19, we have decided that teaching will be delivered primarily online in Semester A for 2020/21,” a spokeswoman for CityU said. “Courses which include lab and practical sessions will also be online with those sectors delivered in face-to-face sessions.”
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Orientation activities for first-year students at most local universities, which are usually held this month, will also be held online. The Chinese University Student Union posted on Facebook online applications for their laptop discount scheme and urged student clubs to make infographics to welcome new undergraduates.
Previous interviews with Jupas candidates indicated that they would be unhappy if universities cancelled face-to-face lessons.
Sources told SCMP that social distancing measures would remain in place at least until August 25. This is despite a drop in infections, and calls to relax social distancing rules by restaurants, which have been badly hit by the ban on dining after 6pm.
As of yesterday, the city had gone two weeks with fewer than 100 daily infections. The total number of cases now stands at 4,480, with 69 related deaths.