People Profiles

Justin Kan was a personal assistant before she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Western Arts and Humanities with a minor in Business Studies in 1994. She is now an administrative officer with the Airport Authority. 'Balancing work and study is hard for most working adults, but it's worth the effort because you learn many new things and get a recognised qualification. What I learned at the OUHK strengthened my analytical ability and was beneficial to me in my daily life.' Her reasons for deciding to study with the OUHK were primarily career-related. 'I had taken courses such as language and secretarial training since I left school at 17. But I'm practical, and I knew that for the future I would need a degree,' she explained. Commenting on the OLI's upgrade to university status, Ms Kan said, 'The upgrade is right for the OLI. But personally, I feel it makes no difference since the name OLI is already well-recognised by the public.'

Career advancement is what many OUHK students hope to achieve after getting their degree qualifications. Joe Tang, a 1996 graduate in Chinese Arts and Humanities, is now a Graduate Master in a government-subsidized secondary shcool. He previously taught in a private school. 'Many of my fellow students were not sure about their career prospects after they graduated. We were delighted to find that our OUHK qualifications were quite well recognized. Many Certificate Masters became Graduate Masters, and those who were not teachers successfully changed their careers,' said Joe. A fast-tracker who wished to finish his studies in the shortest time possible, Joe completed his degree in three years, taking 60 credits of courses during the third year. It was indeed a testing time, but Joe found the flexibility of OUHK's study mode most suited to his need to balance family and job commitments. This is one of the reasons that he has selected the OUHK's Master of Education as his next course of study, above the similar programmes offered by other local universities. 'Having gone through the experience of studying here, I know full well the quality of OUHK courses. I've also been able to benefit enormously from study groups I formed with fellow course-mates who are mature and serious about their studies,' he said.

Gary Cheng is both an OUHK graduate and staff member. Not only is he the youngest graduate of the University so far, he is also one of the new staff members of the University. Gary, 21, is now an analyst programmer in the information Technology Unit (ITU), responsible for creating the University's homepage on the Internet. He also answers students' enquiries on how to make use of the Internet accounts provided by the University. A graduate in Applied Computing last year, Gary broke all records when he completed his degree studies in two years without any credit exemption. Originally, Gary had intended to study for a master's degree first, but when the opportunity of working for his alma mater arose, he felt he should do his best to contribute something. 'I would like to demonstrate to others that what I've learned at the University has been useful in the work place, and that the OUHK always welcomes its graduates to team up with it again as staff members,' he said. Five other OUHK staff have also been awarded degrees by the University, and 18 staff are currently studying OUHK courses.

Professor Olugbemiro J Jegede, an ex-perienced educator with a solid background in distance learning and research, is the new Director of the Centre for Research in Distance and Adult Learning at the OUHK. 'I enjoy research work and love rising up to the demands and challenges of setting up educational organizations around the world. In global perspective, the Asia-Pacific region is, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be, an exciting area to work in, especially in distance and open learning in which substantial progress has been made.' 'For the OUHK to take its rightful place in the world of academia, it needs to embark very vigorously on research and scholarship activities. My foremost plan therefore is to engender within a collective and collaborative collegiate atmosphere a research culture second to none in the world,' he said.

Ross Vermeer is the OUHK course designer who oversaw the design and production of the University's first CD-ROM: A History of Hong Kong (1842-1984). He experienced both joy and frustration in bringing the project to completion, but he said both aspects helped him to learn a lot. In particular, he recalled two memorable incidents, 'When I went to the Adelaide Institute in Australia to discuss design and programming matters, I spent three straight days planning the placement of photographs throughout the whole progrmme. I spent those nights, however, literally dreaming in black-and-white historical images! But when I later saw some of the really beautiful finished programme screens, such as the dragon timeline, I knew it was all worth it.' Dr Chiu Yu-lok, course coordinator, said he received many enquiries about the CD-ROM after it had been produced. 'Many academics from other universities told me that they found the information contained in the programme solid, useful and easy to grasp. It is also a piece of quality supplementary learning material for students studying the subject,' he said.

Athena Ho is the OUHK's Assistant Public Affairs Officer responsible for running the Students and Visitors Information Centre. Over the last 16 months she oversaw the development of the Centre from an empty room to full operation. 'Since we were starting from scratch, the first six months was most demanding. But we were lucky to have a supportive team of staff who didn't mind shedding a lot of sweat and working irregular hours,' she said. 'The greatest satisfaction I derive from the job is to see bewildered visitors who have a lot of questions about the OUHK and distance learning go away with happy smiles.'

The high level of student support at the Open University of Hong Kong highlights the user-friendly, learner-oriented nature of the institution. Tutors like Mr Anthony C C Lok, a former Assistant Secretary for Education and Manpower, are on hand to guide students through tutorials and are never further than a phone call away. Mr Lok's association with the University dates back to 1988 when, as Assistant Secretary, he helped establish the Open Learning Institute. When the OLI introduced its Bachelor of Business Administration courses, Mr Lok became a part-time OLI tutor. Now a tutor who teaches OUHK's MBA courses, Mr Lok says he feels emotionally involved in the growth of the institution. 'It's like watching a baby grow up,' he commented. Currently the Chief Staff Officer of the Auxillary Medical Service, Mr Lok is also studying for a doctoral degree in Business Administration at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Basing on his first-hand experience, Mr Lok gave some useful tips to students pursuing part-time studies. He said, 'To gain the most from their studies, students must keep up the momentum of study by cultivating the habit of consistently allocating a certain period of time each day, no matter how short it may be, to their studies. They should also make notes of the key points, which will become very useful and quick references before examinations.'

Western Arts and Humanities graduate Mrs Fiona Williams chose to study with the OUHK for a variety of reasons. 'I recognized that attaining a degree would be beneficial to my teaching career. I also wanted to make sure that the progrmme I selected was going to be a properly accredited one, something that was not just a piece of paper but stood for something here and overseas. This is the case at the OUHK,' she said. The University's flexible self-study methods and varied course materials were another incentive. 'I was able to do my job properly and still make time to study in a way that fitted around my other commitments,' she said. 'Even though I did not require a degree when offered my job at the British Council, the fact that I had already commenced my studies definitely helped me get the position. The degree has given me more confidence in my teaching abilities and improved my analytical skills which are especially useful in teaching the form and function of English grammar,' she added.

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