The HKCAAVQ has been appointed as the QR (Qualifications Register) Authority under the Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Ordinance (Cap 592) to maintain the QR – the free web-based database carrying the qualifications recognised under the Qualifications Framework.  The statistics of the QR as of 14 December 2012 is as below: - Qualifications Register Facts and Figures for December 2012 

Background In March 2011, the HKCAAVQ Council endorsed the proposal to review the Four-stage Quality Assurance (QA) Process which was introduced in May 2008 to underpin the Qualifications Framework (QF). The review is to evaluate the effectiveness of the current approach, particularly in vocational accreditation, taking into account local quality requirements, the current situation in the education and training sectors in Hong Kong, and international developments in quality assurance. Review Methodology The Review is conducted under the leadership of a Steering Committee (SC) which reports to the HKCAAVQ Council. The SC, chaired by Council Member Ir Dr Alex Chan, comprises 7 members including local and non-local HKCAAVQ Council Members, the Deputy Executive Director, experts as well as representatives from Education Bureau (EDB) and QF Secretariat (QFS). In the fact-finding phase of the Review (the third and fourth quarters of 2011 and first quarter of 2012), the following activities took place. - Focus group meetings with stakeholders        - Operators (61 operators in 9 meetings)        - Panel members (49 panel members in 7 meetings)        - HKCAAVQ staff (16 staff members at Assistant Registrar rank or above in 3 meetings) - Online survey with panel members residing outside HK (106 target respondents; response rate: 27%) - Content analysis of accreditation reports (215 accreditation reports of the HKCAAVQ + 36 PV and IR reports of the HKCAA) - Literature review of international practices - Observations of accreditation exercises by Steering Committee members (8 exercises) - Consultation with senior staff members of the HKCAAVQ - Supplementary information from the Panel Members 2011 Survey - Proposals on the refinement to the Process by two groups of operators A Refined Model Since then, the SC has met seven times and proposed a refined Four-stage Model to the Council in September 2012. The refined model is approved by the Council for consultation with stakeholders prior to pilot testing in 2013. About the Consultation Six consultation sessions were conducted in November 2012 by the HKCAAVQ as follows: Date No. of Participants Target Audience 15, 16 & 19 112 HKCAAVQ Specialists/Panellists 21, 27 & 30 148 (61 Operators) Operators The consultation period is open until 31 December 2012. If you are unable to attend the consultation sessions, you may download the relevant documents via the links below: 1. Four-stage Refined Model 2. The consultation paper 3. The power point presentation used during the consultation sessions 4. Comments Form Please send us your comments on the refined model by returning the Comments Form to us via email (four-stage@hkcaavq.edu.hk) or fax (852 2812 6178).

The Education Bureau announced on 24 October 2012 the implementation of the Award Titles Scheme (ATS) and Use of QF Credit under the Qualifications Framework (QF). The Education Bureau has organised two briefing sessions for all existing operators and potential operators of QF-recognised programmes to explain the implementation timetable of the two new initiatives and arrangements during the transitional period.  The HKCAAVQ will also participate in the briefing sessions. The two sessions will be held on 27 November and 3 December 2012.  Interested operators please fill in the reply slip in Annex A. For more details about the ATS and Use of Credit, please refer to the frequently asked questions on the website of the Qualifications Framework.

On 24 October 2012, the Education Bureau announced the implementation of the Award Titles Scheme (ATS) and Use of QF Credit under the Qualifications Framework (QF). The ATS aims to standardise the use of award titles that reflects the QF levels and areas of study; the Use of QF Credit provides clear and transparent information on the size or volume of learning of programmes and the time expected from learners to complete the programmes. Important timelines Under the implementation timetable, all new programmes registered for the first time in the Qualifications Register (QR) on or after 1 January 2014 have to comply with the ATS and must show the QF credit value if they are at QF levels 1-4.  From 1 January 2016, all programmes should conform to the ATS before they can be registered on the QR and all programmes at QF levels 1-4 must show their QF credit values. Based on the above timelines, all new programmes at QF levels 1-4 undergoing the HKCAAVQ’s accreditation from 1 July 2013 should conform to the ATS and include QF credit values to ensure that they will meet the requirements for uploading into the QF from 1 January 2014. Support for implementation In support of the implementation of the two schemes, the HKCAAVQ will take part in briefings to be conducted by the EDB in November and December 2012.  Commencing in November 2012, QF credit assessment will be embedded into the regular training workshops conducted by the HKCAAVQ on Initial Evaluation and Programme Validation. Operators of existing programmes who wish to have early adoption of the ATS may contact Ms Katherine Yung at the Qualifications Register (Tel: 3658 0154; Email: katherineyung@hkcaavq.edu.hk).  The QR team will notify all operators of the administrative arrangements for the upload of programmes following the introduction of the ATS. For more details about the ATS and Use of Credit, please visit the websites of the Qualifications Framework (www.hkqf.gov.hk) and Qualifications Register (www.hkqr.gov.hk).

The HKCAAVQ has prepared a Submission Guide to help operators prepare their submission for Programme Revalidation for Higher Diploma (HD) or Associate Degree (AD) Programme at Qualifications Framework (QF) Level 4. The Submission Guide provides basic and essential information required for Programme Revalidation, as well as templates for the major items listed in this Guide. Operators are advised to conduct a self-evaluation against the accreditation criteria and standards before preparing the submission documents for accreditation.  For more details, please visit the web page of Four-stage Quality Assurance Process.

The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) today launched its revamped website – www.hkcaavq.edu.hk.  The website has been completely redesigned in terms of structure and content, making it easier to navigate and to find specific information.  If you have any comments about the site, please feel free to let us know by going to the “Contact us” page. 

On 16 July 2012, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) has moved to 10 Siu Sai Wan Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong. Our telephone / fax numbers and e-mail addresses remain unchanged.

The Education Bureau (EDB) commissioned the Federation for Self-financing Tertiary Education (FSTE) to conduct the following: (a) a project which aims to develop the proposed Award Titles Scheme (ATS) to standardize the titles for qualifications recognised under QF; and (b) a pilot exercise which aims to draw up the proposed operational guidelines on assignment of QF credit to learning programmes. As part of the pilot exercise, EDB separately commissioned two quality assurance bodies (i.e. Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications and Joint Quality Review Committee) to advise on how credit values assigned to a programme will be assessed. The consultation paper developed from the project and pilot exercise and a proposed implementation plan for ATS and use of credit are now available on the QF website for comment.  Your comments and views are welcome.

With deepest sadness and a great sense of loss, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) notes the passing of Professor Edmond Ko Inq-ming. Professor Edmond Ko served as an HKCAA and HKCAAVQ Council Member since 2005 and as the Chairman of the Qualifications and Accreditation Committee since 2009. Over these years, Professor Ko provided the Council with valuable guidance and tremendous support.  Professor Ko led the pioneering exercises for the Council which set out the guiding principles and parameters for the development of the Four-stage Quality Assurance Process that now underpins the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (QF).  These exercises included the first Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) exercise in December 2005-June 2006, and the Group Approach Pilot Exercise in late 2007. Professor Ko was a tireless advocate of outcome based approaches.  In helping to build the capacity of HKCAAVQ staff members and to support the outcome-based QF, Professor Ko provided professional development for staff on outcome-based education and its impact on quality assurance. Professor Ko dedicated himself to promoting excellence in all aspects of education and made an enormous contribution to the development of robust quality assurance mechanisms in Hong Kong.  On behalf of the HKCAAVQ, we express profound sadness at the passing of Professor Ko and extend our deepest condolences to his family.  He will be sorely missed by us all.

The HKCAAVQ has prepared a Submission Guide to help operators to prepare their submission for Programme Validation (PV) for Higher Diploma (HD) or Associate Degree (AD) Programme at QF Level 4. The Submission Guide provides basic and essential information required for the PV, as well as templates for the major items listed in this Guide. Operators are advised to conduct a self-evaluation against the accreditation criteria and standards before preparing the submission documents for accreditation. For more details, please visit: http://www.hkcaavq.edu.hk/en/services/accreditation/four-stage-qa-process.

The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) today (1 February 2012) issued the Guidelines for Promoting Accredited Programmes to promote good practices among operators and qualifications granting bodies. The Guidelines provide the industry with practical guidance on information contained in promotional material about programmes accredited by the HKCAAVQ. The Guidelines come into effect on 1 February 2012, and all operators and qualifications granting bodies that seek the accreditation service of the HKCAAVQ should comply with these guidelines. The Guidelines have been uploaded to the HKCAAVQ website (http://www.hkcaavq.edu.hk/fourstage/PRGuidelines_e.pdf) for public reference.

For the 2012/13 academic year Operators seeking accreditation services for new sub-degree academic programmes to commence in September 2012 should send their Statement of Intent (SoI) to the HKCAAVQ by 30 December 2011. Operators are expected to provide their accreditation documents, which have been approved via their internal quality assurance process, to reach the HKCAAVQ by 30 March 2012. For the 2013/14 academic year For new degree level academic programmes planned for implementation in the 2013/14 academic year, SoIs have to be submitted to the HKCAAVQ no later than 31 July 2012. The accreditation documents, which have been approved via internal quality assurance processes, should reach the HKCAAVQ by 30 November 2012. These timelines take into consideration the need for accredited degree programmes to be formally approved by the Government before their commencement. For the key actions and dates of the accreditation process, please refer to the Appendix.