The University of Hong Kong (HKU), one of Hong Kong’s top-ranked universities, fully embraces Generative AI (Gen AI), dubbing it as their "fifth literacy" alongside other competencies and investing on GenAI tools.
Pauline Chiu, associate vice president for teaching and learning, knew from the start that HKU’s initial ban on using generative AI tools would be temporary. Early this year, a task force that consists of staff, students, and technologists began meeting weekly to discuss the implications of Generative AI.
“We’ve got the attention of teachers, parents, students. It’s an opportunity to reinvent our teaching. Now that’s a big positive,” Chiu said.
Generative AI tools
HKU teachers, staff, and administrators began reframing how they teach and how they can prepare students for the future. The university funded Azure OpenAI Service for its school staff to test it out and understand the impact of generative AI.
At the start of a new semester in September, HKU and seven other universities in Hong Kong made Azure OpenAI Service available to all staff and students.
HKU leveraged several generative AI chatbots, built with Azure OpenAI Service. An IT helpdesk chatbot answers simple queries, while another chatbot deals with administrative questions. Staff and students can also access a general HKU chatbot for teaching and learning. Chatbots do not keep any data on queries for privacy.
“Fifth Literacy”
In June, the HKU senate officially endorsed a generative AI policy that established it as a “fifth literacy” for students, alongside oral, written, visual, and digital literacy.
Students are taught basic generative AI literacy, ethics, and limitations in AI workshops run by HKU’s Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre. Teachers started reinventing learning assessments and examinations through skills demonstration or oral presentations instead of an essay.
