Distance education for teacher education: Hong Kong experience

The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) is one of an increasing number of institutions offering teacher education programmes through distance education. This article focuses largely on one of the programmes from the OUHK's School of Education and Languages - the inservice Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary Education (BEDHPE). Some examples of teacher education programmes at a distance are discussed, followed by a brief review of the nature of in-service teacher education, and the features of high-quality distance education materials and learner support systems. The article then presents the results of an evaluation of the above programme. On the basis of survey findings, it is argued that distance education programmes that are well designed and efficiently implemented can provide an effective, flexible alternative to the traditional approach to in-service teacher education.