ERIC Number: EJ836865
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1436-4522
EISSN: N/A
Institutional Potential for Online Learning: A Hong Kong Case Study
Donoghue, Sue L.
Educational Technology & Society, v9 n4 p78-94 2006
Hong Kong's tertiary education environment has changed dramatically in recent years with universities now facing specific educational challenges in the areas of critical thinking, "life-long learning" and English language. The question exists as to what pedagogic developments will best allow the universities to address these challenges. In this paper, the appropriateness of online pedagogy as one response to these challenges is assessed through use of illustrative case-examples and post-course surveys. The potential of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) to implement this pedagogy is examined through a systematic consideration of the requirements for embedding online learning, specifically student and institutional knowledge, culture, and resources. The case examples provide empirical evidence to suggest that online environments are useful in addressing these challenges, largely as a consequence of afforded flexibility in teaching and learning, support of more student-centered learning approaches, and a high degree of student engagement. Opportunity for international collaborative teaching, with associated benefits in curriculum extension, cost-spreading and benchmarking, is also demonstrated. Within HKU, student factors appear to pose no major constraint to such development, but there exist significant inconsistencies in terms of institutional culture, pedagogic knowledge and non-hardware resources. The author concludes that small-scale online developments are viable and the cost of establishing and maintaining these need not be prohibitive. While online learning holds promise for HKU, the University will require internal institutional change to fully realize this potential. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Online Courses, Organizational Change, Foreign Countries, Team Teaching, Postsecondary Education, Educational Environment, Case Studies, Critical Thinking, Lifelong Learning, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Student Surveys, Earth Science, Environmental Education, Blended Learning, Learner Engagement, Teacher Collaboration, Curriculum Development, Student Evaluation, Benchmarking, Educational Finance, School Culture, College Students, College Faculty, Teaching Methods
International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Athabasca University, School of Computing & Information Systems, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada. Tel: 780-675-6812; Fax: 780-675-6973; Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A