OUHK annual report 2003-2004

Our students

In October 2003, a total of 22,263 students from different walks of life and age groups were enrolled on 326 distance learning, credit-bearing courses offered by the University's four Schools Arts and Social Sciences, Business and Administration, Education and Languages, and Science and Technology. Over 90% of these students are adults in full-time employment, with the oldest aged over 80, the youngest 17 and the majority in their 30s. They have benefited from our open access which imposes no restrictions on entry, and our flexible course delivery methods that free them from the constraints of time and space.

Open admission does not imply low standards in the academic performance of students. The OUHK has in place a stringent quality assurance system that monitors exit standards closely. Students can only earn credits from a course after they have passed both continuous assessment — which consists of a number of written assignments — and the examination. Over 198,000 assignments were submitted by OUHK students during the year.

	OUHK graduates have won the praise of many employers, especially for their perseverance and maturity.

The multiple-exit system allows students to gain awards at different levels once they have accumulated the required number of credits, and some exemptions are allowed for those who have obtained relevant qualifications from other recognized institutions. Most students usually take six years to graduate with an undergraduate qualification, but there is no time limit on the completion of an award-bearing programme. Students can decide on their own pace of study and take time off to meet family and work commitments.

All distance learning courses of the OUHK are open to Hong Kong residents aged 17 or above with no requirement in educational qualification, except for postgraduate and some professional programmes, such as in-service training courses for teachers and nurses. Since 2001 the University has diversified into full-time face-to-face programmes for young school leavers. Another step was taken last year, with the introduction of the first full-time degree programme — BBA with Honours in Management — in September. Unlike the distance learning courses, there are entry requirements for the full-time undergraduate programmes. As of March 2004, the University had admitted over 200 students on its full-time degree and Associate degree programmes. The number is expected to increase after the planned introduction in September 2004 of six more full-time honours degree programmes in accounting, China business, corporate administration, e-commerce, Internet technology and social sciences. Associate degree holders from the OUHK or other institutions can apply to enter at Year 3 of these programmes.

The blood donation on campus receives enthusiastic response from full-time students.

The Student Society of the Business and Administration (Full-time Programme) organizes an orientation camp for new students before the commencement of the school year to familarize them with the study environment at the OUHK.

In addition, the University's Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE), which provides short courses, workplace education and professional and face-to-face sub-degree programmes for individuals and corporations, recorded over 18,000 student enrolments. Most of the students on LiPACE's 500 courses were also adults with full-time jobs. LiPACE's full-time Yi Jin and pre-Associate degree programmes had 164 and 38 young students, who can proceed to Associate degree and undergraduate programmes on completion of their studies. And about 3,000 students in Mainland China were studying OUHK programmes jointly offered with 14 partner institutions in 26 cities in March 2004.

	The OUHK MBA Association was the first runner-up in the Hong Kong Management Game 2004. It has won many prizes of the Game in past years, including the championship three times.

	The University's Dragon Boat Team has obtained many awards in open competitions.

Although OUHK students are scattered around Hong Kong and study at a distance, some of them value social interaction as an important constituent of their learning experience. Hong Kong's geographical compactness and convenient transport system are conducive to the building of a student community. The University provides funding support to student groups wishing to organize activities for fellow students. Together with the Alumni Association, nine student societies were allocated over $300,000 for activities last year, ranging from dragon boat training, green tours and academic and interest workshops, to top student sharing sessions and the production of newsletters.

The Preparatory Committee of the OUHK Students' Union formed by student volunteers and representatives of student societies put forward a final draft of the constitution of the Union for student consultation in late March 2004. It is hoped that a Union which can best represent the interests of students can be formed as soon as possible after this exercise.

Our graduates

A record 4,824 students graduated from the OUHK's credit-bearing programmes in 2003, bringing the total number of graduates of the University to over 27,000. The largest cohort of graduates was in the business disciplines, followed by education. The average age of our graduates in 2003 was 37, with the oldest being 73 and the youngest 20. One graduate took just one and a half years to obtain an undergraduate award, and 12 spent a full 14 years to complete their programmes, which reflects the OUHK's very flexible mode of learner-centred study that suits the varying needs of individual students. With regard to academic performance, 32 graduates gained a first class honours degree, of whom 16 were awarded the Council Medal.

OUHK alumni have shown their appreciation for their alma mater in various ways, such as voluntary service and gifts. Since the establishment of the Alumni Scholarship and Bursary Fund in 2001, the donations from alumni have increased every year and exceeded $480,000 in total by early 2004.

The Alumni Link organic farming day tour gives participants a chance to be amateur farmers.
		Alumni Link, a scheme launched during the year to promote closer connection between members and the University, was enthusiastically received with nearly 5,000 applications. In order to attract graduates from early years and alumni to renew contact with the University and keep members informed of the University's development and the scheme's activities, a bimonthly Alumni Link newsletter has been published in Jiu Jik, a local magazine with a circulation of 111,000 and distributed free at public locations.

Alumni prepare a simple lunch of grilled egg-stuffed potato at the organic farm.

Our staff

OUHK students are served by a team of around 500 academic, administrative and support staff, as well as about 1,100 part-time course tutors and instructors. Sixty-three per cent of the 120 academic staff have a doctorate, while a substantial number of them are pursuing this qualification.

The year under review saw a decrease in the number of new staff appointments. The University's salary levels have been set with reference to the civil service and peer institutions. A pay reduction of 0.35% to 3% was effected in January 2004 in line with the measures in the public sector, as was done also in October 2002. A review of the University's remuneration packages was conducted to ensure that they are competitive compared with those of local tertiary institutions, and a staff consultation exercise on the proposed changes was started in March 2004.

	The OUHK staff Christian Fellowship regaled the audience with Christmas carols at the Christmas Party. The creativity and solidarity of OUHK staff were also showcased in the performances of teams from individual units.

Serving the needs of the University's heterogeneous population of adult learners requires a team of high calibre, knowledgeable and sensitive staff who are also committed to learning themselves. During the year the University supported 20 staff to pursue formal qualifications, including doctoral degrees, and over 30 inhouse training courses and seminars on such topics as computer skills, languages, management skills and customer service were organized. The University also sponsored staff to attend local and overseas conferences, seminars and short courses. An e-learning portal was launched with a view to make staff training and learning more efficient, convenient, adaptable and interactive. In addition to face-to-face orientations for new tutors and professional development seminars for serving tutors, online training was employed to help tutors develop skills in e-tutoring and e-moderating.

	The End-of-the-Lunar-Year luncheon filled with warmth and laughter is another annual gathering that staff look forward to.

Four academic members of staff were presented with the President's Award for Distinguished Achievement which was set up in 1997 to recognize staff members with outstanding achievements. They were Ms Emily Poon, Assistant Professor of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Vanessa Ng and Dr Steven Choy, Assistant Professor and Lecturer respectively of the School of Science and Technology, and Dr Zhang Weiyuan, Research Fellow of the Centre for Research in Distance and Adult Learning (CRIDAL).


(From left) Emily Poon, Zhang Weiyuan, Steven Choy and Vanessa Ng.

Dr Zhang's paper 'Global collaboration in the development of an online learning environment scale: experiences from the OUHK' was named the Best Paper at the 17th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities. Dr Zhang also won the Ching-Lun Best Paper Award in the Chinese region at the International Conference of Distance Education held in Taiwan in December 2003 with his comparative study of online teaching and learning in Asia's open universities. A research project on the teaching of computer programming conducted by Dr Ng and Dr Choy — one of the nine successful projects among 53 applications submitted from local universities — received $312,000 in funding support from the Government's Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) upon recommendation by the Research Grants Council. Miss Poon's two papers on legal translation were published in renowned academic journals Meta and Target.

The University's academic staff continued to play an active role in community service, as members of Government advisory boards, advisors to professional bodies, editors and reviewers of academic publications, guest speakers in international conferences, and external examiners and consultants for educational institutions and other organizations. Some are frequently sought after by the local and international media for comments and advice on topical issues and current affairs. During the year, Dr David Murphy, Acting Director of CRIDAL, and Dr Philip Tsang, Assistant Professor of the School of Science and Technology, were elected as President and Secretary respectively of the Hong Kong Web Symposium Consortium.

We care

The OUHK continued to donate used learning materials to prisons to provide better study support for inmate students and old sets of personal computers to those in need. During the outbreak of SARS last year, a taskforce was formed to coordinate precautionary hygiene measures and contingency plans inside the OUHK premises and at off-campus tutorial locations. The situation was quickly brought under control after the University campus had been indirectly affected by a few cases of the disease. In support of the We Care Education Fund, the OUHK initiated a university-wide campaign to raise nearly $150,000 for children whose parents died of SARS. As in previous years, students, graduates and staff also responded enthusiastically to appeals for charitable causes such as blood donation and the Chinese New Year Charity Sale to raise money for bursaries for students.

Prof. Tam Sheung-wai (left), then OUHK President, Head of Public Affairs Alex Wong (second right) and student representative Ho Tat-ming present a cheque in support of the We Care Education Fund together with a card containing the messages of consolation and encouragement to children whose parents died of SARS to the Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower Mrs Fanny Law.

Our partners

Apart from the dedication of a conscientious workforce, the OUHK has received ardent support from many sectors of the local community. The University's Partners-in-Learning Scheme was introduced in 1993 to enlist support from organizations and members of the community for the development of our courses, research, campus facilities and student assistance. The Scheme has raised over $266 million over the years.

The year also saw a further increase in the number of organizations — from 104 to 110 — joining the University's Employer Support Study Scheme (ESSS) to provide support for their staff's education here. Students who are ESSS employees can enjoy tuition fee discounts. Since the launch of the Scheme in 2001, over 450 students from over 40 ESSS organizations have been granted fee benefits in excess of $444,000.

The charity sale of the Year of the Monkey successfully raised a total of $25,000 for the Student Assistance Fund. In addition to the sale of potted flowers and new-year scrolls, the new 'Charity Coffee Corner' set up by full- time students also received enthusiastic support.

Table 1: Number of staff in each unit, centre and school

Unit, Centre and School

Establishment

Strength

Vacancy

President's Office

School of Arts and Social Sciences

School of Business and Administration

57.5

8.5

School of Education and Languages

School of Science and Technology

Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and
Continuing Education

Centre for Research in Distance and
Adult Learning

Administration and Accommodation Unit

Educational Technology and Publishing Unit

Finance Unit

Human Resources Unit

Information Technology Unit

Library

Public Affairs Unit

Registry

Total

538.5

502

36.5

Note: Exclusive of temporary and part-time staff.

31.3.2004

Table 2: Organization structure

# Vice President (Academic) also oversees academic matters of the Centre for Research in Distance and Adult Learning.
* Vice President (Technology and Development) also supervises major physical resources projects of the Administration and Accommodation Unit.

	2003-2004 OUHK Annual report