HKU Common Core Tutor Innovation Awards
1. Purpose
The Common Core Tutor Innovation Awards (CC TIA) scheme recognises and encourages innovative and effective teaching practices by tutors teaching in the Common Core (CC) curriculum at the University of Hong Kong.
Tutors lead tutorials, workshops, practical and laboratory sessions, study sessions, and other smallgroup teaching and learning contexts that are central to the student experience. Despite the vital role these interactive settings play in deepening student learning, there is currently no formal mechanism for recognising excellence in tutorial teaching within the Common Core.
The CC TIA addresses this gap. Modelled on the University’s Teaching Excellence Award Scheme (TEAS), this scheme acknowledges that tutors may hold shorter appointments and operate within smaller-scale teaching environments. Innovation in this scheme is understood broadly: it encompasses not only the development of entirely new approaches but also the creative adaptation, combination, or contextualisation of established pedagogical practices to enhance student learning in these smaller student settings.
Tutor is used inclusively to refer to teaching assistants, demonstrators, and other professionals who teach in small-class environments within the Common Core, regardless of whether their appointment is full-time or fractional.
2. Eligibility
The CC TIA is open to:
• Tutors (full-time or part-time) teaching at least one Common Core tutorial for a full semester within 2 years of application.
• The following are not eligible: Professorial-track staff, course coordinators, or staff who do not hold at least 25% of the tutorial load for a Common Core course.
3. Evaluation Criteria
The Selection Panel will evaluate each application on its individual merit with reference to the following three criteria. No specific weighting is assigned to any criterion. Applicants are not expected to address every sub-criterion; rather, the sub-criteria are intended as guiding prompts to help applicants identify and articulate their strengths.
Criterion 1: Outstanding Teaching
Applicants should demonstrate excellence in tutorial teaching through:
a. Adoption of learner-centred teaching and assessment strategies that effectively enhance student learning in the tutorial context, whether in face-to-face, virtual, or hybrid settings
b. Ability to engage students enthusiastically in the learning process, including the capacity to support, inspire, and positively impact students
c. Demonstration of teaching acumen, a sound understanding of how students learn, and efforts to build students’ confidence, critical thinking, and analytical skills
Criterion 2: Pedagogical Innovation and Sustainability
Applicants should exhibit innovation in tutorial teaching practices and demonstrate the potential for their approaches to be sustained and scaled, through:
a. Novel or creative approaches to tutorial design, student engagement, or assessment, informed by research, theory, or established pedagogical frameworks
b. Evidence that the innovation can be sustainably embedded in the curriculum and is not solely dependent on the individual tutor
c. Potential for the innovation to be replicated, adapted, or scaled across other CC courses or tutorial contexts
Criterion 3: Contribution to Teaching Practice and the Tutorial Community
Applicants should show meaningful contributions to the development of effective teaching practice beyond their own classroom, through:
a. Active involvement in course or tutorial development, including alignment of tutorial teaching with the intended learning outcomes of the course or programme
b. Willingness to share effective practices with fellow tutors and contribute to the broader development of tutorial teaching within the Common Core
4. Application
Applications must be submitted within 2 years of when the applicant is actively teaching a Common Core tutorial.
Applicants may self-nominate for the award and must submit their applications online. Each application should include the following:
Part A: Applicant Information
Name, Department / Faculty, Common Core course(s) taught, tutorial role and description, semester(s) of CC tutorial teaching, full-time or part-time appointment
Part B: Written Submission
The written submission comprises four sections. Sections 1–3 each correspond to one of the three evaluation criteria. Applicants should use the sub-criteria as guiding prompts, but need not address every one.
Section 1 — Outstanding Teaching (max. 500 words)
Describe your approaches to tutorial teaching and what makes your practice effective and distinctive. You may address your learner-centred strategies, how you engage and inspire students, how you accommodate diverse learning needs, and how you foster the development of students’ critical thinking, analytical skills, and confidence. Reference to your understanding of pedagogy and how students learn is encouraged.
Section 2 — Pedagogical Innovation and Sustainability (max. 500 words)
Describe any novel or creative approaches you have introduced or adapted in your tutorial teaching, including your pedagogical rationale. Explain how your innovation is informed by research, theory, or established frameworks. Address how your approach might be sustained within the curriculum and how it could be replicated or adapted across other CC courses or tutorials.
Section 3 — Contribution to Teaching Practice and the Tutorial Community (max. 300 words)
Describe how your tutorial teaching aligns with the goals of the course or programme, any contributions you have made to course or tutorial development, and how your work has or could contribute to the broader CC tutorial teaching community.
Section 4 — Evidence of Impact (max. 400 words)
Provide evidence demonstrating the effectiveness and impact of your teaching and innovation. This may include student feedback, learning data, peer observations, reflections from course coordinators, or other indicators. Where possible, evidence should be linked to the claims made in Sections 1–3.
Part C: Teaching Portfolio (optional)
Applicants may submit a concise Teaching Portfolio (maximum 5 pages) to supplement their written submission. If submitted, the portfolio should be limited to the following specified entries:
a. A brief reflective commentary on one teaching session or activity that illustrates the approach or innovation described in Section 2 (max. 1 page)
b. Supporting evidence such as anonymised student feedback, peer observation notes, or a testimonial from a course coordinator (max. 4 pages)
Materials not listed above (e.g., full slide decks, complete lesson plans, or extensive handouts) should not be included.
5. Selection Panel
The Common Core Office convenes the Selection Panel and comprises:
• The Common Core Director or designee (Chair)
• At least two members of the Common Core Curriculum Committee
• At least one experienced CC tutor or former CC TIA awardee
• An educational advisor from TALIC
The Panel may invite shortlisted applicants for a brief presentation or interview.
6. Prizes and Recognition
Each CC TIA awardee will receive:
• A formal certificate of recognition presented at a CC-organised event
• A professional development grant of HK$5,000 (on a reimbursement basis) to support Common Core teaching-related activities such as conference attendance, resource development, or pedagogical training or research. (This grant is conditional upon the awardee’s continued employment with HKU and will lapse in full upon termination of the awardee’s appointment.)
• Public recognition on the Common Core website and in relevant University communications
• A profile feature showcasing the awardee’s innovative teaching practice
TIA awardees who subsequently gain sufficient experience and eligibility are encouraged to apply for the University’s TEAS, creating a developmental pathway from tutorial-level recognition to University-wide recognition.
7. Expectations of Awardees
Awardees will be expected to:
• Actively share and present their work at CC- and/or TALIC organised workshops, seminars, or tutor development events
• Make meaningful contributions to tutor development initiatives led by the Common Core Office
• Collaborate with the Common Core Office to publish or disseminate their work through appropriate channels, contributing to the broader development of effective tutorial teaching practice at HKU.
8. Timeline & Submission (Tentative)
| Milestone | Semester 2 |
| Call for applications | Mar 20, 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Apr 20, 2026 |
| Results announced | May 2026 |
| Showcase and recognition event | June 2026 |
9. Enquiries
Questions regarding the CC TIA may be directed to the Common Core Office at commoncore@hku.hk. Applicants are encouraged to consult their course coordinators, the Common Core Office, or TALIC for guidance on the preparation of their applications.