Communication-Intensive Courses (CiC)
Introduction To CiC
Graduating students with excellent and broad communication capacities has always been a priority for the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in producing future-ready and socially responsible citizens. The Communication-intensive Courses (CiC) initiative embeds communication competence in courses across undergraduate degrees of all ten faculties and our core interdisciplinary curriculum.
The CiC initiative is an evidence-based, unique, proven, and scalable model for an innovative, bottom-up approach to course design and professional development in higher education that is deeply institutionalised at our University.
Our Mission
Strengthen graduate readiness for the future of work and to tackle the “wicked” challenges of our contemporary context
Embed multimodal communications learning across all undergraduate degrees
Nurture intercultural competence for tomorrow’s leaders
Fostering a community of best practices for communications teaching
Strengthen graduate readiness for the future of work and to tackle the “wicked” challenges of our contemporary context
Embed multimodal communications learning across all undergraduate degrees
Nurture intercultural competence for tomorrow’s leaders
Fostering a community of best practices for communications teaching
What is Communication-Intensive Courses (CiC)?
The aim of this teaching and learning initiative is to bolster undergraduate students’ communication knowledge, skills and attributes. It seeks to do this by developing and/or recognizing courses that provide HKU students with the core communicative competences needed for creative, economic and social success on campus and in the workplace. We define these as Communication-intensive (CI) courses, focusing on four areas of communication: (i) oral literacy, (ii) written literacy, (iii) visual literacy, and (iv) digital literacy.
CI-badged courses are courses that recognize that effective communication is complex and involves many different forms, genres and components. These courses have a syllabus that embeds communications teaching alongside the course content. Specifically, these courses consist of a syllabus with components that explicitly develop students’ communication-related knowledge (understanding of communication as it relates to human interaction), skills (skills in communicating effectively with others, using language and/or other means) and attributes (the attributes of effective communicators). They also develop at least two out of four communication literacies (oral, written, visual, and digital). CiC applies to courses in any language, not just those taught in English.
There are three broad types of CI course:
Our History
Started in 2018, the CiC was a collaborative effort of three units across the HKU community: The Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES), The Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) – now Teaching And Learning Innovation Centre (TALIC) and The Common Core (CC) Curriculum. CAES brings their expertise in pedagogical skills and multi-modal communication competence. TALIC brings their expertise in university teacher professional development and use of their networks to provide a systematic structure for the provision of this teacher support. The CC brings their expertise in leading educational initiatives which are inter and trans-disciplinary and focused on developing students’ capabilities as they prepare for meaningful careers in a globalized world. It is only through the partnership of these three units that it has been possible to impact the professional development of so many teachers, and in turn the educational experience of their students. This is a model for maximising expertise and resources in ways that have university-wide impact, and it has become a model for the professional development of teachers in higher education.
How is CiC Unique
What is unique about CiC is the introduction of a systematic process for expanding the University’s remit for developing effective communicators and mobilising academic teachers across the whole University, in all faculties and disciplines. This gives all students the ability to develop a much wider range of communication literacies from teachers with varied expertise and applied in different academic, professional, and social settings. What sets this initiative apart from communication development typically provided to students at other universities is:
We are also the only university in the world that adopts a comprehensive communication literacies programme with a bilingual (English and Chinese) component. The initiative operates the context of a diverse, globally-oriented student population where approximately half of our students are non-local (mainland or international students). This multilingual, intercultural context means we place a stronger emphasis on cultivating literacies across linguistic and cultural boundaries and prepares graduates to thrive in an interconnected, globalised world, equipping them with the agility to navigate complex and diverse region and global environments.
Formal Requirements for CI-Badging
The University’s expectation in relation to the teaching and learning approach adopted on CI-badged courses is that it be active and dialogic, that assessment be both formative and summative, and that feedback be frequent, timely and relevant.
CI-badged courses are subject to the following formal requirements:
- The course documentation of CI-badged courses must clearly specify communication-related course learning outcomes (in terms of communication-related knowledge, skills and attributes).
- CI-badged course learning outcomes must include learning outcomes that relate specifically to at least two of the following four communication ‘literacies’:
- Oral literacy: The ability to communicate through spoken texts that are constructed with the appropriate content, structure and language features, fit for their intended academic or professional purpose and audience.
- Written literacy: The ability to communicate through written texts that are constructed with the appropriate content, structure and language features, fit for their intended academic or professional purpose and audience.
- Visual literacy: The ability to communicate in speech and writing through appropriate visual modes (e.g., diagrams, graphs, charts) and/or visual media (e.g., posters, 3-D printed objects, stage performances).
- Digital literacy: The ability to use appropriate information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information in speech and writing (e.g., wikis, websites, virtual reality projects).
In all cases, students will develop not only the productive skills of creation in relation to the above literacies, but also the receptive skills to understand, interpret and critique texts.
- At least 40% of the course grade of a CI-badged course must be assigned to communication-rich assessment tasks relating specifically to communication-related knowledge, skills and attributes, as specified in the course learning outcomes. Assessment rubrics must be provided that describe expected student performance in these communication-rich assessment tasks.
