Outcome-based education in Hong Kong sub-degree institutions

Abstract

Educational assessment has increased the awareness of higher educational reform in recent decades. Outcome-based education (OBE) is an innovative educational assessment model that puts student learning outcomes at the heart of the assessment, curriculum and pedagogy. OBE is a pragmatic example of how higher education institutions develop learner-centred education. The sub-degree education sector has expanded rapidly, showing the potential for further growth in the forthcoming years. We investigate key research questions regarding how OBE enhances sub-degree education and how organisational and exogenous forces affect OBE implementation. We collected substantial archives of the Management Committee's meeting minutes and conducted 24 semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with various important OBE stakeholders in Hong Kong sub-degree institutions from December 2016 to January 2017. The managerial and academic implications of the study are also discussed.