Departmental Academic Advisor (DAA) Scheme

The DAA review cycle dovetails with the cycle of Academic Consultation Panel (ACP) Visits as the DAA Scheme serves as a mid-term evaluation of the work and development of the Department/Academy between two ACP Visits.  Accordingly, 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.

The appointment of the DAA will occur in the middle of two ACP Visits (i.e., the 2nd year after the preceding ACP Visit) following the same arrangement as adopted for the appointment of ACP members.  The DAA visit and submission of the DAA Report should be made in the 3^rd year after the preceding ACP Visit of individual Departments/Academies.

The DAA should:

• preferably be an overseas member of the preceding ACP; and
• must be at least at the rank of Associate Professor but preferably Professor or Chair Professor.

The Department/Academy should submit DAA nominations to the QAC Chairman 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.

Following the approval of the nomination, the Department/Academy will proceed to appoint the DAA nominee who will make a visit to the Department/Academy in the 3rd year after the preceding ACP Visit.
 

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 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 

^ compulsory item for follow-up and reporting

The DAA should conduct a visit to the Department/Academy during the 3^rd year after the preceding ACP Visit (preferably during the 1^st semester of the academic year). After the Visit, the DAA Report should be submitted to the Department/Academy in the 2^nd semester of the same academic year.

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. annual Programme QA Reports
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 DAA Visit, a DAA Report should be prepared using the DAA Report Proforma, which consist 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 or the General Education Committee (for General Education programme), should be submitted to the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) for scrutiny within 1^st semester of the academic year following the DAA Visit.

Last updated on 22 October 2024