OUHK offers flexible postgraduate courses for working adults
[Sponsored Article] While everybody talks about open education today, do we know the true meaning of it? Perhaps the keyword is “flexibility”. It is all about expanding access to learning for everyone by eliminating the barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation in institution-based learning -- like barriers encountered by the working population. That’s where the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) comes in.
[Sponsored Article]
While everybody talks about open education today, do we know the true meaning of it? Perhaps the keyword is “flexibility”. It is all about expanding access to learning for everyone by eliminating the barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation in institution-based learning -- like barriers encountered by the working population. That’s where the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) comes in.
“With its establishment in 1989, OUHK has always seen making higher education available to all through open and flexible learning with a focus on individual strengths and multiple competences as its fundamental mission,” says the OUHK Vice President (Academic) Prof. Danny Wong. He noted that the University offers high-quality courses at a variety of levels, including a wide range of full-time courses, and around 100 postgraduate programmes. The courses are available through multi-mode means to cope with individual needs, including distant learning programmes, part-time face-to-face sessions, or a combination of both.
With its establishment in 1989, OUHK has always seen making higher education available to all through open and flexible learning with a focus on individual strengths and multiple competences as its fundamental mission
In 2015, nearly a thousand adult learners graduated from OUHK’s postgraduate courses, enriching their lives and furthering their careers. “OUHK’s flexible learning approach sets it apart. It fits my work schedule and career development plan,” says Dickson Kwan, a 2015 graduate of the Master of Science in Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Management. Kwan works as a Civil Engineer at Welcome Construction Co. Limited (“Welcome”).
After obtaining his Civil Engineering degree at Exeter University in Britain in 2002, Kwan returned to Hong Kong to study for a master’s programme in Civil Infrastructural Engineering and Management at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Following graduation, he began working in Chun Wo Construction and Engineering Company, and later moved to Welcome.
Kwan realised that he didn’t know enough about safety and environmental management to pursue his chosen career. “I had picked up measurement and tender management skills from the previous courses, but I didn’t have enough knowledge about safety and environmental management. That meant it was difficult for the company to consider promoting me to Safety Officer,” he says.
With the support from Welcome, Kwan decided to enroll in a part-time master’s programme in Occupational Safety and Environmental Management. After evaluating the similar programmes offered by other institutions and OUHK, Kwan chose the latter.
OUHK offered me a unique option which integrated distant learning with face-to-face lectures. It was also more affordable than the alternatives
“I didn’t want to opt for full distance learning, because face-to-face discussion is essential to learn effectively,” says Kwan. “OUHK offered me a unique option which integrated distant learning with face-to-face lectures. It was also more affordable than the alternatives. What’s more, it was flexible enough for me to complete a three-year programme in 18 months, as long as I finished all the subjects and passed all the examinations.”
As the OUHK programme is recognised by the Hong Kong Government, Kwan was able to apply for a professional safety officer qualification after graduation.
The OUHK lessons were as hands-on as they were flexible, Kwan notes. “The lectures were unexpectedly practical,” says Kwan. “Instead of having us reading piles of books and look at tons of slides, the professors showed us videos, and worked through case studies. The relaxing and interactive atmosphere motivated me, and I feel I got the maximum benefit from every lesson.”
The programme included 10 guest speaker sessions as well as two field trips, including a visit to CUHK Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change.
Kwan appreciated the chance to interact with different professionals in the class. “All my classmates were professionals in the same industry, and we shared valuable experiences with each other. The professors are also experts in the industry, and include Allen Wan, Chairman of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Hong Kong.”
OUHK’s technology infrastructure optimised Kwan’s learning experience, he says: “We are allowed to download e-books from the library and exchange questions with lecturers anytime through the online discussion board.”
The professors understood that students had additional pressures from work which added to the usual examination stress. They helped the students revise their classwork a week before the examination, and shared initial comments with them on the projects, so students could make the necessary improvements before the official submission.
Kwan says that OUHK programmes succeed in bridging the gap between theory and practice, broaden students’ horizons, and benefit career and personal growth. Students are readily able to apply what they have learned to their work, he notes.
Kwan’s is only one of the successful stories from OUHK. Since 1996, more than 15,000 local graduates have achieved postgraduate awards from the university. Many new programmes have been added recently, including Master of Nursing (Chinese Medicinal Nursing), Master of Arts in Legal Translation, and Master of Science in Testing and Certification.
Learning is a lifelong process which entails keeping abreast of change and enhancing personal competitiveness. For those working people without the time, or energy to attend a college to study for a postgraduate degree in the past, they now have a good solution to realize their dreams of higher education.
