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Departmental Academic Advisor (DAA) Scheme

The DAA review cycle dovetails with the cycle of Academic Consultation Panel (ACP) Visits by serving as a mid-term evaluation of the work and development of the Department/Academy between two ACP Visits.  The DAA Cycle has been synchronized with the ACP Cycle in a way that the DAA visit and submission of the DAA Report are made in the third year after the preceding ACP Visit. The DAA will:

  1. provide mid-term formative feedback on the work and development of the Department/Academy and, preferably in the capacity of an external member of the preceding ACP, help the Department/Academy follow up on the recommendations and suggestions of the preceding ACP on areas for improvement as well as the preparation for the next ACP Visit;
  2. facilitate the identification of appropriate improvement actions at the Department/Academy level;
  3. help benchmark the Department/Academy and its programmes against standards of overseas institutions leading in the field; and
  4. visit the Department/Academy and submit a report on the progress of the Department/Academy in its follow-up to the recommendations and suggestions of the preceding ACP.

Click here for the Administrative Guidelines, and here for the schedule of DAA Visits.

Scope of review

The DAA will make a holistic assessment of the Department/Academy and its development, and evaluate its quality with reference to international standards.  The DAA Report should cover a subset or the whole of the focal areas listed in the scope of review below (applicable to DAA Review in 2nd Cycle*) as deemed fit by the DAA and the Department/Academy:

  1. scope of activities and strategic direction of the Department/Academy/programme(s)
  2. staffing
          ．      resources
          ．      recruitment
          ．      development
          ．      achievements
  3. teaching and learning
          ．      academic programmes
          ．      pedagogical design
          ．      academic standard and student achievement^
          ．      quality assurance (QA) mechanisms 
  4. research and scholarly activities
  5. community impact
  6. internationalization 

* The scope of DAA Review in 3rd Cycle (2028/29 - 2033/34) is provided in the HKBU Quality Manual

^ compulsory item for follow-up and reporting (samples of final-year project / Honours project / assessment / exam scripts (at different grades) of all programmes must be provided for DAA’s scrutiny)

 

Nomination Criteria
Approval and Appointment Procedures
i.   Nomination Criteria

Nominees should:

  1. be at the rank of Associate Professor or above (preferably Professor or Chair Professor), and the minimum academic qualification should be a PhD;
  2. preferably be based outside the Greater China region; and
  3. preferably be a member of the preceding Academic Consultation Panel (ACP) Visit.

 

ii.   Approval and Appointment Procedures
  1. The Department/Academy should submit DAA nominations (click here for the proforma) to the Chairman of Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) for approval.  CVs should be collected to ensure appropriateness of the nominees to serve as the DAA.  Endorsement of the Dean concerned is required prior to submission of the DAA nomination.
  2. Following the approval of the nomination, the Department/Academy will proceed to appoint the DAA nominee.

The DAA should conduct a visit to the Department/Academy during the 3rd year after the preceding Academic Consultation Panel (ACP) Visit (preferably during the 1st semester of the academic year) (click here for the schedule of DAA Visits). The following documents should be provided to the DAA as references prior to the visit:

  1. terms of reference
  2. scope of review
  3. DAA Report Proforma
  4. DAA Review Guidelines
  5. latest ACP Report
  6. APQARs
  7. samples of final year project / Honours Project / assessments / examination scripts (at different levels/grades)
  8. other references as deemed appropriate for the review

After the visit, the DAA should submit a report to the Department/Academy in the 2nd semester of the same academic year.  The DAA Report should be prepared using the DAA Report Proforma, which consists of:

  1. evaluation comments of the DAA
  2. response of the Department/Academy
  3. endorsement/recommendation of the Faculty/School Board

The DAA Report, duly endorsed by the Faculty/School Board, should be submitted to the Quality Assurance Committee for scrutiny within the 1st semester of the academic year following the DAA visit, for recommendation to the Senate for final approval.

 

Last updated on 23 August 2025

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