Program Overview

Course Profile

General Course Information

1.1 Course Details

• Course code: LLAW3255
• Course name: LITE Lab: Emerging Technology and Business Models (Undergraduate)
• Programme offered under: LLB Programme
• Semester: First
• Designated research course: Not applicable
• Specialization: Commercial, corporate and financial law
• Prerequisites / Co-requisite: LLAW3254 (highly recommended but not required)
• Course offered to non-law students: Yes
• Credit point value: 6 credits

1.2 Course Description

Technology entrepreneurs often seek new and innovative ways of introducing products and services through new business models (e.g., fintech, online marketplaces, software-as-a-service, Web3.0) and/or new technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, Internet of things (IoT)). Inevitably, questions arise regarding whether these innovations conform with existing law and regulations, many of which are still evolving and differ across borders.

This experiential and interdisciplinary course enables students to co-design legal, regulatory, and/or policy research with Hong Kong’s under-resourced technology and innovation ecosystem (e.g., tech startups, social entrepreneurs) as real-world project partners.

LITE Lab works with ecosystem partners to outreach to Hong Kong’s startups to be project partners. Examples of past student projects cover normal business operations such as cross-border employment law and data privacy, to cutting-edge areas such as AI, metaverse, virtual assets (NFTs, DeFi, cryptocurrencies), quantum computing, environment, social and governance (ESG), and cybersecurity.

Students may work alone or in teams and are expected to spend 9-10 hours per week on their projects, with regular check-ins with their project partners. In class, students learn and apply industry innovation and technology methodologies (including legal design thinking, business model canvas, agile methodology, and computational thinking) and share at weekly case rounds.

Selected final projects may be hosted on the LITE Lab@HKU website or published whitepapers to serve as a resource to benefit Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem. LITE Lab also organizes field trips and offers opportunities to compete in global and local legal and technology competitions.

LLAW3254 is a LITE Lab@HKU programme foundational course and is highly recommended but not required for enrolment of this course.

This is not a clinical course supervised by a licensed legal practitioner, and so student work product does not constitute legal advice. Like all other Faculty of Law experiential courses, assessment is on a pass/fail basis. Students are warned that inadequate effort during class and for their projects will result in a failing grade.

Learning Outcomes

2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course

• CLO 1: Demonstrate verbal and presentation communication skills with technology entrepreneurs and their legal, regulatory, and/or policy issues by learning from and providing legal, regulatory, and/or policy-related research and assistance directly to such Hong Kong tech startups to assist their real-world needs.
• CLO 2: Apply legal, regulatory, and/or policy research and reasoning to complex real-life issues raised by Hong Kong tech startups, entrepreneurs, and/or trade associations, often relating to cutting-edge legal, regulatory, and/or policy issues that will require multijurisdictional comparative law research, risk-reward analysis, and policy proposals.
• CLO 3: Demonstrate written communication skills with technology entrepreneurs and/or trade associations and their issues by creating written deliverables that apply design-thinking principles to be user-friendly, comprehensible, and helpful to lay persons at project partners and/or their targeted audience.
• CLO 4: Apply their skills and contribute to LITE Lab@HKU online resource and tools to enable an inclusive access to justice and democratization of legal information to empower entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency for tech startups, social entrepreneurs, and citizens.

2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Please refer to the programme’s learning outcomes.

2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course

Assessment(s)

3.1 Assessment Summary

• Assessment task: Class contribution (15%), Project service / product delivery (45%), Research / case study (40%)
• Feedback method: To be determined by course teacher
• Course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

3.2 Assessment Detail

To be advised by the course convenor(s).

3.3 Grading Criteria

Students will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.

Learning Activities

4.1 Learning Activity Plan

• Seminar: 3 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks
• Private study time: 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks

4.2 Details of Learning Activities

To be advised by course convenor(s).

Learning Resources

5.1 Resources

• Reading materials: Reading materials are posted on Moodle
• Core reading list: To be advised
• Recommended reading list: To be advised

5.2 Links

Please refer to the programme’s resources.