Online tutorial support in open and distance learning: students' perceptions

The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) offers 199 courses with online features to enhance the distance learning environment. The university has arranged these courses to provide students with greater flexibility in interacting with tutors, classmates, and the content itself. Integral to learner flexibility online is access, valuing computers and online learning, endorsement, and language proficiency. The current investigation attempts to explore these issues by examining the perceptions of OUHK students enrolled in courses with online tutorial supports. The methods of questionnaire survey and semi‐structured interview were employed. Surveyed using multistage stratified sampling technique were 449 OUHK students enrolled in 18 upper level courses (9 English, 9 Chinese) at the OUHK. Forty‐two students were randomly selected for a follow‐up interview. Five major topics were explored including: (1) accessing the Internet; (2) perceptions of technology; (3) rationale for using the Internet in course work; (4) learning strategies used by the tutor online; and (5) perceptions of the online tutorial support.     

香港公开大学教学质量保证体系的特点及启示

香港公开大学的高质量教学水平与其完善的教学管理体系密不可分。香港公开大学在课程质量、教材质量、教学过程和教学结果四个方面建立了完善的教学质量保证体系,为发展成人教育提供了有益的办学经验。因此开放大学的建设要从树立＂质量立校＂理念、加强过程监控、引进外部评价监督等方面着手,建立健全具有区域特色的教学质量保证体系。     

Online measurement of academic programme preferences for distance learners in Hong Kong

The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of the first online self-directed inventory on the measurement of academic programme preferences (MAPP) for potential students at the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK). In this study, trait-factor theory and personality type theory were employed. 1,963 respondents in Hong Kong were surveyed using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. The inventory, consisting of 132 items, was developed and eight personal attributes were found: Influential, Enterprising, Social, Helping, Explorative, Technological, Logical, and Reflective. The minimum desirability of each of these attributes for all programmes offered at the OUHK was assessed by course administrators. Students' ratings on the eight personal attributes were evaluated against the minimum ratings, based on a nine-point scale, to determine their academic preferences. A computer-assisted multidimensional MAPP was set up online in both English and Chinese and was linked to the University's homepage. By completing the MAPP online, distance learners could obtain their personal profiles and a list of suggested OUHK programmes instantaneously. Connected to the University's aim to foster lifelong learning, the MAPP is expected to ease the academic selection process and reduce the number of dropouts by enhancing students' success with their chosen programmes.     

香港公开大学学习支持服务系统的介绍

香港公开大学课程和教学的传递模式是以远程教学为主并辅以面授教学,因此其学习支持服务系统发挥了重要的作用。该文从入学、学习过程、学习资源、大学设施、质量监控及其它等几个方面介绍了香港公开大学学习支持服务系统,旨在帮助我国的教育工作者更好地了解其远程教育的情况,并希望对改进国内的远程教育的实践有所启发。     

法律课程媒体设计及应用模式比较——以香港公开大学和上海电视大学为例

本文以香港公开大学和上海电视大学的办学理念为宏观考察座标,以法律类课程的媒体设计为中观考察进路,以《知识产权法》课程的开发设计及教学应用模式为微观比较视点,通过多方面的比较研究,本文意在揭示两所大学在教学媒体开发及其模式应用方面的制度性差异,并对其成功实践进行了思考,对教学媒体资源的设计、运作、知识产权等问题提出了自己的看法。     

Evaluating interactivity and learning in computer conferencing using content analysis techniques

This paper outlines the application of a particular model of content analysis to the evaluation of an online discussion group. A set of online discussion data from a group of students enrolled in an educational management course offered by the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) was examined. The provision of the online discussion facility for this group of students was mainly for enrichment purposes and their participation was completely voluntary. Overall, the analysis confirmed the usefulness of Henri’s model in examining the interaction and learning processes in an online forum. It also provided insights towards increased understanding of the complex processes and methodological considerations involved in analysing online conferences.     

Costs and Effectiveness of Online Courses in Distance Education

This paper discusses cost-effectiveness as it applies to education, focusing particularly on the delivery of online courses in open and distance learning. The general concept of cost-effectiveness is discussed, and issues concerning the costs and effectiveness associated with using online technology in distance education are then addressed. Finally, a pilot project on an online course at the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) is used as an illustrative example. The key features of the pilot project relating to costs and effectiveness are outlined, and ways to improve its cost-effectiveness in implementing its second stage are suggested.     

Facilitating online reflective learning for health and social care professionals

Drawing upon survey data and relevant literature, this paper compares the Radio and Television University System (RTVUS) in China, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) in respect of academic courses offered, course delivery mode, student characteristics, funding, and staffing. Similarities and differences are discussed, and the impact of socio-cultural factors in shaping distance education systems in different societies is examined.     

于细微处看香港公开大学的学习支持服务

从香港开放大学的入学指导服务、作业指导服务以及对学习者的各种研究的细节中，发现无所不在的学习支持服务。在香港公开大学，学习支持服务渗透在每一个细节和时空中，体现着学校理念中感人的人性魅力和深切的人文关怀，值得我们学习和借鉴。     

A Level English Literature: Learning and Assessment

This paper reports on aspects of an in‐depth interview study in which students, preparing for degree courses in English literature, discussed their experiences of the subject at A level. Interview data will complement the results of a series of survey studies in this field; and analysis of interview data will explore the way assessment criteria shape learning paradigms, which I define as the set of assumptions and practices that construct any subject as it is being studied.     

Developing teachers’ knowledge of students as learners of mathematics through structured interviews

A structured interview process is proffered as an effective means to advance prospective teachers’ understandings of students as learners of mathematics, a key component of pedagogical content knowledge. The interview process is carried out in three phases with the primary objective of developing listening skills for accessing students’ mathematical thinking. The interviews adhere to clinical interview procedures for discovering cognitive activities and, accordingly, are initiated by presenting an open-ended mathematics task. Three rounds of interviews were completed by undergraduates enrolled in a middle school mathematics methods course. Anecdotal data generated by their interview reports suggest that the structured interview process engenders an interpretive orientation to listening to students and furthers awareness of how students make sense of mathematics. Features of the interview process that may limit its potential benefits are discussed; recommendations for further study are proposed.     

An evaluation of the implementation of the junior secondary science syllabus in N.S.W.

Summary and conclusions This paper has reported on two of the methods used to evaluate the implementation of the N.S.W. Junior Secondary Science Syllabus. The study was designed to address a number of questions which formed the framework for the construction of interview schedules. The data obtained using the interview schedules in turn provided the basis for the construction of questionnaires pertinent to science teachers in N.S.W. The questionnaire data reinforced by the interview data suggest that teachers are generally favourable to the notion of a syllabus which allows teachers feedom of choice in selection of contentprovided that they are given the support necessary to take advantage of this freedom with confidence. This study is seen as an integral part of the cycle of Syllabus development. It is distinctly formative rather than summative evaluation. (See Scriven 1967.) Regular and frequent communication with the teaching force is vital to the formation of a Syllabus which is in touch with teacher's needs as curriculum developers and implementers.     

香港公开大学的开放和远程教育理念

香港公开大学以“有教无类,卓越进取”为宗旨,在继承和发扬中国的传统化、借鉴国外先进经验的基础上,根据香港特殊的背景和需要,建立了独特的开放和远程教育的理念：实行开放入学,采用远程教学的灵活的学习模式,精心设计优质的自学教材,以学生为本提供良好的学习支援,善用现代教育技术,迎接远程教育的国际化。     

“焦点小组访谈”的比较教育研究方法意义

"焦点小组访谈"作为一种研究方法,是对研究者拟定的特定话题,通过组员间交流对话,而进行的材料收集的方法。它以西方解释学理论及交往行为理论为依据,根据不同的研究目的,可分为"成员主体型"和"专家小组型"两类,强调成功开展访谈的相关要素及研究的问题设计。作为定性研究的一种模式,该方法拓展了国际教育比较的研究方法,在复杂的教育比较研究中,对于收集和掌握第一手材料,开展跨文化的比较教育研究,具有十分重要的意义。     

A voice without organs: interviewing in posthumanist research

In keeping with the editor’s call for this special issue, this paper discusses how a posthumanist stance has enabled me to materialize a different conception of the interview and interview data in postqualitative inquiry. More specifically, I am thinking with Deleuze and Guattari’s concept, the Body without Organs, one they use to enact thinking without a subject and to liberate thought from overcoded images in order to confront a reliance on objects or material representations to understand and explain. Using this concept, I theorize a Voice without Organs (VwO) as a voice that does not emanate from a singular subject but is produced in an enactment among research-data-participants-theory-analysis. The article concludes with an analysis of data from a recent interview project that illustrates how VwO is both produced by and producing different knowledge and suggests implications for thinking interviewing and interview data differently.     

The Effect of Employment Interview Format on Principals' Evaluations of Teachers

This study compared the effectiveness of structured and branched-format employment interviews in differentiating strong and weak teachers. In addition, the study examined the correlations between principals' ratings and teachers' self-ratings on measures of efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction, and morale. To simulate structured and branched interviews, eight experienced elementary teachers were employed to construct eight videotaped interviews. Four of these teachers were identified as strong, and four were identified as weak teachers based on formal district evaluations. Sixteen elementary principals each viewed two tapes, one representing a branched interview format and the other representing a structured format. Tapes of strong and weak teachers were randomly assigned to principals within each interview format. The principals then rated the teacher on the five scales: overall teaching ability, efficacy, commitment, satisfaction, and morale. Teachers completed a par allel questionnaire before videotaping the interviews. Analysis of the data indicated both interview methods were effective in differentiating between strong and weak teachers on ability, efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction, and morale measures. With certain cautions, this finding supports the common practice of placing great emphasis on verbal interviews to select teachers. There was not, however, a significant difference between the two interview formats; either format seems acceptable. Correlations between the principals' rating and the self-rating of the teachers were significant on the efficacy, job satisfaction, and morale measures; the correlations were not significant on the commitment measure. This finding implies that collection of specific types of survey data before the interview might increase the predictive validity of the interview process; alternatively, it might allow the process to be shortened with little loss of information.     

新闻采访课教学改革新探

本文主要从当前国内新闻采访教学现状出发,针对新闻采访课程教学中普遍存在的理论与实践严重脱节的问题,根据我校新闻采访课改革的实际需要,对新闻采访教学进行了大、小课相结合教学模式的探索与实践,以有效地调动学生的学习积极性,激发学生的学习创造性,从而极大地提高教学质量。