An increasing number of Hong Kong people are spending their free time studying at home, taking advantage of the flexible mode of study offered by distance learning courses. But as more overseas institutions jump on the bandwagon offering programmes at hefty prices, worries are surfacing about the quality of teaching and support services offered. Currently there is only minimal legal protection to ensure students get a fair deal.
Architect Vaughan Coffey received his Master's in quality management in 1998 via a distance learning course offered by a Scottish university and a local online education services agent. During his studies, he complained to the agent about the absence of materials and learning support for local students, since domestic students at the same university enjoyed more workshops, tutorials and training sessions. After he complained, handouts from those sessions were sent to the Hong Kong group.
Mr Coffey, who is now taking a $270,000 three-year distance doctoral programme in business administration offered by an Australian university and a local university, still believes that distance and domestic students do not receive the same deal. 'Students in Hong Kong are stoical. They tend to be less vocal and are not prepared to raise complaints when they are studying.'
He said it could cost more to take a course in Hong Kong than studying in a university's home country. Foreign students in Australia are charged A$50,000 (HK$202,350) for his programme in Australia.
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, director of Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK)'s Centre for Research in Distance and Adult Learning, said course fees offered here were generally 30 to 40 per cent higher than those paid by foreign students studying abroad.
Fees vary widely, however. A Diploma in Management at the University of Leicester costs GBP2,100 (HK$23,520) for foreign students and a similar amount, $24,000, locally. The Master's in Facilities Management offered by the University of Greenwich and the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education costs $89,200, while foreign students taking the same course in Britain are charged GBP6,960 (HK$77,950).