Teaching & Learning

Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Therapy offers students a solid theoretical foundation in speech and hearing sciences, psychology, human development, communication, linguistics and medicine. The programme is designed to cultivate speech therapists who are professional in assessing and providing treatments to individuals with a wide range of speech-language disorders and communication difficulties. Students are trained to be qualified practitioners who can provide speech therapy services in both Cantonese and Mandarin speaking communities. Graduates will also be eligible to register as speech therapists in Macao.

The programme aims to cultivate professional speech therapists with the ability to integrate theories into clinical practices. Students gain an in-depth knowledge in behavioural sciences, speech and hearing sciences, as well as speech and hearing disorders. Students are capable of carrying out assessment, treatment, counseling pertinent to speech, language and swallowing impairment. Students also demonstrate effective communication and teamwork skills to tackle problems faced in clinical work.

Upon completion of the programme, students are expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes in terms of academic contents, disciplinary skills, and attributes. The goal of the programme is to cultivate qualified speech therapists who are equipped with knowledge and skills necessary for clinical practice, professional ethics, global vision, and a sense of social responsiblility. Upon registration with the Macao SAR government, they can practise as speech therapists at hospitals, social service organisations and other public or private institutions.

Academic contents 學術內容

Disciplinary skills‐ able to 學科技能

Attributes 特質

Mapping of Graduate Attributes to Programme Intended Learning Outcomes & Learning Modules 
畢業生理想特質與課程預期學習成效及學科單元之關聯表

A variety of teaching and learning methods are applied to each module of the programme. Such methods include lectures, group discussions, individual or group presentations, video demonstration and clinical case studies. In addition, students are trained to be active and independent learners. Students are provided with internship opportunities from the second year of the programme. In their final year, students are required to complete a 500-hour clinical internship.

The programme schedules an annual examination board which considers all student academic profiles and agrees classifications and progression routes. Modules are assessed by a combination of coursework, presentations, projects, laboratory reports, tutorials, mid-term and final examinations. Explicit guidance on coursework requirement for each module is given, emphasising approaches to coursework of various types and how to avoid plagiarism, together with rules and procedures. Examinations are typically of a two-hour paper undertaken at the end of each semester. All examination papers go through a moderation marking procedure. Samples of three examination answer sheets (high, medium and low grades) are kept for quality control. Re-sit exam will be given for qualified students who fail their first attempt at the end of each semester. Re-sit marks are capped at 50%. Normally, students who fail again in the re-sit examination or those who fail to meet attendance requirement will be required to repeat the failed modules.

The programme is delivered over eight semesters spanning four years. Students are required to acquire 138 credits for graduation. The first two years focus on the disciplines of behavioural sciences, basic speech sciences, speech-language disorders, and a broad range of general education modules. In the third year, students study advanced professional modules related to assessment, diagnosis and management of different speech-language disorders. The final year is designed to enhance students’ expertise through selected topics and research projects. From the second year, students gain opportunities to participate in various practicum experiences.

According to Article 3 of Academic Regulations Governing Bachelor's Degree Programmes of MPU,

1. An applicant shall be considered for admission to a bachelor’s degree programme of the University if s/he 
   a) holds a qualification not lower than Grade 12 or the equivalent, and
   b) fulfils other admission criteria prescribed by the programme of study concerned.
    
2. An applicant of age 23 or above, proven to possess relevant capabilities (especially in the entrance examination(s) of MPU), shall be considered for admission to a bachelor’s degree programme with a waiver on the requirement in item a) of above point.

Each student is allocated a year tutor who provides general academic and pastoral support throughout the four years of study. Year tutors are the first point of contact in matters stated above. Various communication channels are available for students to express their opinions and suggestions, such as via their respective year tutors, student representatives, programme coordinators and assistant programme coordinators, and dialogue meetings on different levels. The dialogue meetings serve as platforms for consultation and discussion between students and respective personnel ranging from the programme, the faculty, the academic support and administrative units, to the institutional management. Feedback is made by respective personnel to every issue raised by the students during the meeting with follow-up actions tracked. Student surveys are conducted in every learning module on a semesterly basis to collect students' opinions regarding the delivery of the modules. User satisfaction surveys are conducted annually on central student services. Feedback collected via these surveys will be followed up by the faculty or respective departments.

Students will receive an orientation about their four years of study at the beginning of the first year. Year tutors are appointed to individual students upon admission to provide academic and pastoral support throughout the period of study in the programme. Students may seek academic advices from their year tutors or programme coordinators regarding their learning path/plan and registration of learning modules. In individual learning modules, the instructors' office hours and contact information are made accessible to students for any questions regarding their study. Students' learning engagement and performance will be reviewed on a regular basis by year tutors and programme coordinators to identify learning needs and provide relevant support. Students' learning performance and progression will also be reviewed by the programme examination board to ensure their learning is adequately supported and their progress is on track. In addition, counselling services, careers services and student support services are accessible to all students through the Student Affairs Office. A wide variety of extracurricular activities (e.g. seminars, workshops, exchange opportunities, field trips etc.) are available via the Student Affairs Office. Students may make full use of the variety of learning oppportunities, both curricular and extracurricular, to develop their academic and holistic capabilities for their future careers or further studies.

Any students scoring less than 35% of the total mark in the final examination will be given an “F” grade for the module even if the overall grade is 50% or higher.

Macao Polytechnic University has in place a university-wide policy to ensure that all student needs are taken care of and a supportive and accessible learning environment is maintained. When cases of special needs are notified or identified, special arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis with the joint effort of the programme and various student support services of the University, such as the Registry, the Student Affairs Office, the Information Technology Department and the Campus Management and Development Department, etc. to provide the necessary support.

In order to better prepare students for future clinical practice, there is a strong emphasis on internship. All students are required to complete at least 500 hours of formal internship in the fourth year of the programme. In addition to this formal training, students are exposed to a variety of practicum experiences in the second and third years of study.