From the ground up: General Education Reform in Hong Kong

Abstract

In 2004–2005, the government of Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong authorized a major reform of its universities-transitioning from a three-year undergraduate degree program focused exclusively on preparation in a focal profession or academic field to a four-year undergraduate degree program, including a substantial component of nonspecialized or general education. These concurrent developments have created a veritable laboratory for the study of the wholesale recreation of general education at both the secondary and postsecondary undergraduate levels. Panelists will provide an overview of the challenges and responses of Hong Kong universities to four key aspects of current ongoing general education developments in this Chinese-British sociocultural mix.