A credit transfer mechanism set up between the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Professional and Continuing Education and Executive Development (SPEED) and several other institutions is due to be up and running this autumn.
PolyU has formed a consortium with institutions including Caritas Adult and Higher Education Service, the Hong Kong College of Technology and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions' Spare Time Study Centre to promote lifelong learning.
They have agreed on a credit accumulation scheme allowing students at the institutions to move on for further studies at SPEED at any point in the future. Working adults can pursue a number of qualifications from diplomas to Bachelor degrees. Full details of the credit transfer arrangements will be available in the summer.
In the coming months, though, PolyU will have to decide on the benchmarking levels for subjects taught at the different institutions, says SPEED's director, Dr Anthony Tam Chin-wan. 'For example, Level One could be made as the equivalent of Advanced Level certification, and Level Two the equivalent of Year One in our degree programme. The benchmarking exercise is a complicated, delicate one,' he said. Subjects in some institutions could be given a Level 0 ranking, equivalent to a pass in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, he added. The degree courses lead to awards from PolyU or some overseas universities.
For the benchmarking exercise, SPEED will begin studying the content of various courses offered by various institutions in April. 'Hopefully by summer, we will come up with a list of subjects at various institutions which we will accept for credit transfer, their benchmark level and number of credits each subject is worth,' said Dr Tam, emphasising SPEED's commitment to helping meet the Government's target of enabling 60 per cent of the relevant age group to have access to post-secondary education within this decade.
SPEED will support that goal by introducing a full-time associate degree programme in the near future, as well as a one-year programme for Secondary Five graduates, allowing them to move on to associate degree courses.