Choosing Common Core Through Students’ Eyes

What shapes students’ Common Core course choices—curiosity, workload, assessment formats, peer advice, or something else?

We are recruiting a small team of paid student research assistants to explore how HKU students choose Common Core courses and how we can improve this experience.

Students research assistants will:

• Co-design research questions and methods
• Apply for ethics approval
• Recruit students and collect data (survey and interviews)
• Analyse findings
• Propose practical improvements to course communication, assessment design, and promotion

Selected students must be available to attend a mandatory introductory workshop online on 26 Oct 2026 (3 – 5 pm).

We welcome expressions of interest from HKU undergraduate students across years and faculties. Curiosity about students’ learning experiences, teamwork, and a willingness to learn are encouraged; previous research experience is not essential.

Upon satisfactory completion of all tasks, students will be paid up to HK$5,000 stipend for the assistance in the research. The experience will require at least 50 hours of work.