THANKS TO A 72 percent increase in the number of distance education programs between 1995 and 1998, the U.S. Department of Education calculates that 1.6 million students are enrolled in 54,000 on-line classes. But how widespread is distance education outside the U.S.? How global is the World Wide Web when it comes to on-line education?

In Hong Kong, on-line education within the country is limited mainly to the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK), which is the government-established provider. About 28,000 students in Hong Kong study on-line under the auspices of the OUHK, but tens of thousands take distance education courses from overseas providers, according to David Murphy, acting director of the Centre for Research in Distance & Adult Learning at OUHK.

While most distance education in Hong Kong is of the hybrid variety, with much use of print, CD-ROMs and on-line components are becoming increasingly common now that distance education has finally gained credibility. The barrier that remains has more to do with the Asian work ethic.

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