DL Course Maintenance
For a typical course, please provide the following to ALTO by the date suggested in the mass email, or as soon as possible:
- Instructions on updating the course materials if any, including updates to both the Course Guide and study materials
- A presentation schedule (4-6 weeks before term start)
- Assignments for editing (each assignment can be provided separately, on a rolling basis)
If no amendments are needed, please also let the editor know and materials from the latest presentation will be used.
Course maintenance workflow for each term (briefly):
- CCs receive a mass email from ALTO (or a personal email from the editor) regarding the deadline for the submission of course maintenance updates.
- The CC provides the editor with instructions on the updates. (Editors may also check with the CC on other issues found, e.g. invalid links.)
- The editor updates the course materials using the version from the latest presentation.
- The editor sends the revised materials to the CC for sign-off (confirmation). (Sign-off will not be requested for materials without updates.)
- After the CC confirms the materials, the editor passes the materials for printing, uploading, and ePub work.
Each course is handled by an assigned editor, who will be your point of contact. You can refer to the editor’s list to find out which editor is responsible. We try to make sure that the same editor is responsible for related courses, e.g. 5-cr and 3-cru paired courses.
Editors for DL Courses 2025All updates should be clearly marked so that ALTO can input them to the latest master files accurately. There are several ways to do this.
You can either:
- mark the updates on PDF files of the latest presentation; or
- list the necessary corrections in a Word file (be sure to indicate the course code, unit, page number); or
- mark the updates on the latest print copies and scan them.
It is important to:
- use files from the latest presentation; and
- show what changes are made (do not replace the content directly).
Tips:
- If recurring updates need to be made throughout the materials, you can make a note for us to do a global search. You will not need to mark up each correction manually.
- The latest version of the course materials can be found on the OLE, or we can provide the PDFs if necessary. (ALTO does not have editable Word files of the course materials.)
Most paired courses are handled by the same editor. The editor will apply standard updates related to the conversion, e.g. updating the course code, the no. of credits, etc.
Content-related updates should be marked up on existing 5-cr/10-cr course materials. Be sure to communicate with the editor on:
- how much of the existing course will be retained in the 3-cru version; and
- whether the corrections provided need to be applied to both the converted course and the existing course.
Let the editor know. We will need the following information of the new article to proceed:
- Basic information of the article (title, source, author, publisher, etc.)
- Pages to be included
- The article itself or its link (for online readings)
If the article is from a book, you can pass the book to ALTO for scanning.
Unless updates are crucial, we do not generally encourage updating the materials in the middle of the term. You are advised to document the necessary updates and apply them in the next presentation.
If the updates are necessary, contact the editor. The editor will follow up by updating the online versions (PDF and ePub) on the OLE. However, updates for the printed copies will only be made in the following presentation.
ALTO does not have editable Word files of the course materials because most courses are not laid out on Word. For marking up corrections, it is important to use the latest files, which are found on the OLE in PDF format.
Custom textbooks are compiled from parent textbooks by the publisher, so updates cannot be made on our end. However, if a mistake is found in the textbook, please do let ALTO know — we will pass the message on to the publisher and request them to get it fixed at the next reprint.
Assignments
It is up to the CC to decide. Assignments passed to ALTO will be edited, formatted and uploaded to the OLE. However, if the assignments do not need editing or formatting, please let us know and we will simply upload the files to OLE. You can also upload the assignments yourself.
Note: If there are inmate students taking the course, and you plan to upload the assignments to the OLE yourself, please notify the respective editor for arranging the inmate mailing of assignments after the OLE upload.
While submitting your assignments, please also remember to submit the assessment parameters at the Course Assessment Centre – without these parameters, ALTO will not be able to upload any assignments to the OLE.
Other things to note:
- The due dates provided in the assignment files should be consistent with those submitted to the system.
- Please ensure the mark allocation for the questions add up correctly.
ALTO will handle the editing of assignments as soon as we can, but as assignments for all DL courses are submitted at around the same time, there may be a queue. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Prior to the start of the term, you should have received an email from the Registry with step-by-step instructions on submitting the assessment parameter. Please refer to the relevant email, which includes the user guide and contacts of the Examinations & Assessment Team for each School.
Please first contact the Registry to update the parameters, and let the editor know by email to ensure that the correct date is given in the Assignment File.
In general, assignments are uploaded to the OLE (i.e. made accessible to students) at least one month before the due date. It would be much appreciated if you could send the assignment to editors 6 weeks before the due date so that we have sufficient time for editing, formatting and sign-off.
Note: Courses with inmate students should be prioritized, as the mailing will take extra time.
We will proofread (but not edit the content of) assignment rubrics.
When submitting the rubrics, please ensure they are the student version without score ranges.
For most courses, we only provide the online version on the OLE. If a print version is required, please send in the assignments for editing in advance together with other updates for the course. The assignments will be printed and distributed along with the course materials.
In general, we encourage using the online version for greater flexibility.
Yes, ALTO’s AV Production Team can help. Please let the editor know.
Inmate student materials
Yes. In additional to the regular course pack, ALTO will also mail printed copies of essential online materials (e.g. assignments, online readings and activity feedback) and multimedia files (e.g. audio recordings on cassettes) to inmate students after the term starts.
Throughout the term, ALTO will continue to mail subsequent assignments to inmate students. If CCs would like to send in other supplementary materials (e.g. lecture/tutorial notes), please contact the editor for help.
Please note that ALTO does not handle the mailing of the following:
- marked assignments/quizzes; and
- correspondence, e.g. letters in reply to students’ queries.
For enquiries regarding the handling of marked assignments, exams and tutorial groups, please contact the SOL or the Registry.
If an assignment includes questions based on online sources, you can let the editor know what needs to be printed (e.g. certain pages from an annual report) to go with the assignment for inmate students to complete the assignment with.
In some cases, there may need to be adjustments to the original assignment, e.g. if it requires Internet research.
For essential online textual materials (e.g. assignments, online readings and activity feedback), printed copies will be provided to the inmate students.
For essential multimedia materials (e.g. audio recordings for assignments), cassettes will be prepared and mailed to inmate students. In some cases, essential videos will be burnt onto CD-ROMs as a means of distribution.
Note:
Each correctional institute has different regulations; some only accept cassette tapes (e.g. Stanley Prison) while some accept neither discs nor cassette tapes (e.g. Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre and Tong Fuk Correctional Institution). If the inmate students are in these institutes, alternative resources might be required. In general, discs are not advised unless they are requested by the officers in charge.
The course pack will also include a booklist. Usually inmate students can buy the set books with the help of their family members or welfare officers.
To borrow course textbooks or reading materials from the HKMU Library, inmate students may solicit help from their family members or friends. They are required to write to the SOL specifying the name and HKID number of the representative as well as the period required for accessing the Library. SOL will then pass the application to the Library. If the application is approved, the representative can access the Library by showing the inmate student’s Student ID accordion-item and the signed authorisation letter to borrow the reading materials.
For more information, please contact the SOL.
You may suggest the inmate students to ask their family members or friends to purchase the hardcopy of the textbook for them as an alternative.
You can send the quizzes (with selected questions in case the online quiz questions are randomised from a question pool) to the editor and hard copies will be mailed to inmate students.
It may take over a week. The time varies depending on the correctional institute, as inspection needs to be done after the mailing arrives.
While ALTO handles matters related to inmate students’ course materials, other inmate issues are handled by the SOL.
You may contact the education officers of the correctional institutes to get in touch with inmate students of your course(s).
Presentation schedules
The schedule informs students of when they are expected to study each unit. Please include the following information, which will be input to the OLE before the term starts:
- week number and starting date (Monday) of each study week
- title of the unit/module
- any remarks for students regarding the schedule.
The following should also be provided in case there are inmate students for the course:
- dates of day schools, surgeries, supplementary lectures, etc.
- assignment due dates.
However, ALTO will not input such dates to the OLE manually. Instead, when the School books venues on the room-booking system or submits assessment parameters, the information will automatically be synchronised and displayed on the OLE.
Sample presentation schedules have been uploaded for your reference.
As soon as it’s ready, or at least four weeks before the term starts.
Updates need to be made on the Registry’s system in order to show on the OLE. While this process is automatic, please send the updated presentation schedules to the editors for reference.
Copyright clearance
Please provide the article/image and its source to the editor for us to follow up on copyright clearance procedures.
Alternatively, for online articles, you may consider providing only the links in the course materials / assignment. In this case, no copyright clearance is needed.
Copyright clearance is necessary and copyright owners may not grant permission for adaptation of materials. You may consider providing the full text of the article and ask students to refer to particular sections for study/assignment. If you really need to adapt third-party materials, please inform the editor and provide the source of the materials and the details of the adaption.
Copyright clearance is necessary for printed articles distributed to students in class. Please inform the editor of your course and provide the details of the article.
Copyright clearance is necessary for articles placed on the OLE (e.g. scanned copies or standalone files). Please inform the editor and provide the details of the article.
Alternatively, for online articles, you may consider providing only the links on the OLE. In this case, no copyright clearance is needed.
Access to course materials
If you are a new CC to a course and would like to review the latest course materials for course maintenance for the coming term, you may contact the responsible editor for OLE access arrangements.
If you would like to review course materials from the last presentation in hard copy for maintenance purposes, please contact the responsible editor. Our Printing & Distribution team will make the necessary arrangements.
In general, hard copies are only provided to staff on request. If you need a set of hard copy materials for the current term (i.e. after course maintenance is completed), please contact the editor or the Printing & Distribution team.
You may check the status for your course(s) at:
General matters
Custom textbooks are compiled specifically for a course, with selected chapters from existing textbooks (parent textbooks) on the market. Custom textbooks are provided to students by HKMU (included in the course pack).
Some courses require students to purchase set textbooks themselves. The booklist is enclosed with the course packs delivered to students, and also available at:
For some courses, textbooks will be provided to students by HKMU as part of the course package. These are referred to as wrap-around textbooks.
When you sign off materials passed from editors (e.g. a new unit, an assignment file, updates for course maintenance), the materials are considered to be final and will go for printing or be uploaded.
For confidentiality reasons, the Editorial Team does not handle examination materials.
Other OLE questions
For content-related matters, contact the responsible editor.
For technical issues, contact the OLE Support team at olemaster@hkmu.edu.hk
You can submit the online quizzes to the responsible editor with the following information:
- Start and end date/time of each quiz
- The time allowed for each quiz
- The number of questions to show (e.g. if they are MCQs randomly selected from a pool of questions)
- Whether the online quizzes require editing service from ALTO
If the online quizzes need to be edited by ALTO, the edited quizzes will be passed back to you for sign-off before they are uploaded to the OLE.
Tip:
For MCQs, remember to indicate the answers in the file for the editor.
Yes, but please let the editor know in advance so that copyright clearance requests can be handled properly.