Will it one day be possible to take a university course on your smartphone? The answer is yes, according to HKU Space, which is already developing a mobile platform for its continuing education courses.
'It's very exciting,' says Zhang Weiyuan, head of the Centre for Cyber Learning at the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education.
'You can easily imagine it becoming common in a few years, when wireless networks will be more mature and portable devices will be even more popular.'
With busy work and family commitments, it's not always easy for Hong Kong professionals to study for a postgraduate degree, even if it would advance their careers. For that reason, more and more locals are turning to online courses and programmes with e-learning components.
Three universities now have dedicated e-learning programmes. HKU Space, Chinese University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies and the Open University all offer web-based studies ranging from one-off certificate courses to fully fledged master's degrees.
'The major advantage is flexibility,' Chinese University course co-ordinator Pekoe Ng says. 'Students don't have to work according to a fixed schedule, so they can use the materials provided to them and finish the course on their own time.'
The university offers online courses of two to three months in business management, language and law. 'Students like them because they apply directly to their work and their life,' Ng says. Study materials are put on the web, including three or four assignments per course. Face-to-face tutorials can also be held, and students are awarded a certificate.