Some students have claimed that online teaching is not up to standard and demand compensation for their tuition.

The University has launched live interactive on-line teaching following the scheduled class times. Real-time classes are conducted via an on-line platform where students in attendance can still raise questions and give and receive instant responses. Student presentations are also possible. (Nov 13, 2019 statement) and ((FAQs) on Academic Arrangements under the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak 2020)

According to an online survey conducted by the University, over 22,000 responses were received from approximately 4,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students on the courses they took, in which over 70% of the respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the arrangement and quality of the University's online classes. Moreover, over 60% believe that the teaching via online classes has been effective or very effective.

In order to continuously improve online teaching quality, the University has set up a platform on the intranet (https://ust.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBVqUzC6ckZIZgx) to collect student opinions. It is worth highlighting that these opinions can be made anonymously, on all online classes, and that the opinions would be passed to the relevant faculty for their reference.

As online classes are conducted by the same professors and for the same duration, with the only change being the platform by which the class is given on, the University will not been making any adjustment arrangements in terms of tuition fees charged.

To support students in need, the University has made offers of tuition deferment, financial aid, and bursaries under its regular budget framework as well as the University's Alumni Endowment Fund. Recently, the University has also set up an ad-hoc fund to enhance its support for students in coping with the hardship arising from the Covid-19 pandemic (Apr 20, 2020 internal announcement).

Students are also given the option of program withdrawal or a study leave for this semester. Program Offices have also independently introduced additional arrangements such as supplementary electives to students after completion of their programs; workshops by leading international trainers on the implications of the recent crises and their impact on the macro-economy; as well as longer period of access to career services following graduation.

Some students have expressed worries over security issues that may arise from Zoom, an online videotelephony provider currently utilized by the University.

Recent news has revealed many privacy and security faults with the Zoom platform and we understand many students and faculty may have concerns when using Zoom. Some also suggested that we should switch to other platforms. These concerns are shared by the University, which treats privacy and security as a top priority.

An internal announcement was issued on April 29, 2020 to highlight measures the University has taken to mitigate these risks. This includes the adoption of Single-Sign-On (SSO) using ITSC account with Two Factor Authentication, and adjusting the global and default settings in Zoom for all University members that allow only ITSC authenticated users can join meetings and others. 

Based on the current privacy and security concerns known to the public, the bug fixes and improvements Zoom has included in their recent software updates, the default global settings the University sets for members at HKUST, and the nature of our Zoom classes and their required confidentiality, the University believes that, when utilized accordingly, the major privacy and security concerns of using Zoom for classes have been addressed. 

An FAQ page has been created to outlines ways by which Zoom users may address the privacy and security issues when in class. An online form for members to raise their concerns and questions not covered by the FAQ is set up and can be found on the FAQ page so that the University can continue to respond to queries and publish its findings if necessary.

The University is also proactively sourcing alternative software programs to use in place of Zoom. Currently, the University has a site license for Microsoft Teams, an alternative to Zoom, making it available to all members of the University community. However, Teams lacks many features available on Zoom used to facilitate teaching and learning. Until Microsoft is able to update and improve Teams, only a limited number of classes can use Teams to replace Zoom.

Some universities have experienced intervention and other problems for their online examinations. 

All proctored final examinations for the Spring Term of 2019-20 will be held online in real-time (Apr 28, 2020 internal announcement for faculty). Guidelines to ensure academic honesty have been sent to all faculty and students. The University attaches great importance to academic integrity, has measures to prevent cheating and established mechanisms to deal with student cheating cases should they occur. (Academic Registry's Regulations for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity)

To accommodate the needs of students facing hardship during the difficult time of COVID-19 pandemic while upholding academic standards at the same time. The University has introduced a special policy in place for the Spring Term of 2019-20 course withdrawal and pass/ fail grades arrangements. (Apr 14, 2020 and Apr 12, 2020 internal emails)