Dr Li Kam Cheong, Dean of the School of Open Learning (SOL), has just been awarded the Prize of Excellence by the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), after receiving in September this year the most prestigious prize from the Asian Association of Open Universities: Meritorious Service Award.

ICDE is the largest global organisation of open education with more than 200 higher education institutions and organisations around the world. This Prize of Excellence is awarded to individuals who have shown great leadership and excellence in the field of open, flexible and distance education at the national, regional, or global level. The award acknowledges the worldwide recognition of Dr Li as an expert and significant contributor to this field.

For ten years, Dr Li has served as the Editor and later Editor-in-Chief for the Asian Association of Open Universities Journal. He put forward several major developments for open education at an international level, including establishment of international quality review services for Asian institutions, as well as involvement in setting up a distinctive Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform in Asia. At HKMU, with a small team, he ensures the provision of innovative learning support and services for open and distance learning students. He also serves as Director of the Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education and has chaired the annual International Conference on Open and Innovative Education for a decade. He enjoys international recognition as a popular keynote speaker.