Biography
KC is an internationally renowned scholar and leader in the open and distance education field. In 2023, he received the highest accolades in the field, the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) "Prize of Excellence" and the Asian Association for Open and Distance Learning (AAOU) "Meritorious Service Award", each of which is conferred upon only one distinguished person in a year.
Since 2012, KC has served as Visiting Professor at Middlesex University in the United Kingdom. He also served as the university's advisor and consultant for the Doctorate of Professional Studies degree programme for many years. He has also been appointed Visiting Professor of several institutions in China, including Hebei Academy of Social Sciences and Hebei University of Economics and Business. Beyond these visiting appointments, KC maintains his primary academic home at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU).
At HKMU, KC serves as the Dean of the School of Open Learning. In addition, KC conducts research in innovative learning, teaching and educational administration at the University's Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education, as its Director. Over the past decade, he has obtained a total of over USD 4 million in research funding.
While serving as the founding Research Director of HKMU between 2010 and 2023, KC led his team to set up the research infrastructure and rapidly developed the institution's research capabilities with remarkable success. He is now leading HKMU's development in big data analytics.
KC has published 300 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers, 8 monographs and textbooks, and co-edited 12 books. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the Asian Association of Open Universities Journal (Scopus Q1) and one of the Editors for the 'Innovation and Technology in Education' Section of SN Computer Science (Scopus Q1), and has been Guest Editor of special issues for six renowned journals, as well as editorial board member for distinguished journals.
For more than three decades, KC has devoted himself to open education and related development, for which he has played a broad variety of roles, including strand/department head, course developer, course development coordinator, postgraduate and undergraduate programme leader, course coordinator, and supervisor for doctoral research. He has headed teaching teams in the disciplines of business, education and language studies. In 2016, he founded HKMU’s Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education.
For AAOU, which has over 60 member institutions, KC also served as the Secretary-General for three years from 2014, actively promoting professional development and facilitating professional exchanges in open and distance education for the institutional members of the Association. He is now one of AAOU's Executive Committee Members and International Accreditation Board Members.
Active in the academic and professional communities, KC has engaged in a broad variety of community services. He is currently the Chairman of Hong Kong Society of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, and advisor for the Programme Endorsement Sub-Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management. In the past, he served as an adviser in a broad range of study and training programmes and as a key member in committees of various professional bodies, for example, he was the founding Chairman of the Council of Hong Kong Professional Associations. He is also an expert accreditor for AAOU and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications.
Closely connected to the school sector in Hong Kong, KC has served for more than two decades as a School Supervisor/Manager for many secondary and primary schools of a major sponsoring body.
KC has earned three bachelor’s degrees, four master’s degrees and a PhD from renowned institutions, including the University of Hong Kong, Peking University and the University of London. He has also been awarded many professional qualifications such as Diploma in Education, Advanced Diploma in Translation, as well as Chartered Linguist and Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.
KC has organized many international conferences in areas of open, online and innovative education and technology-mediated education, including the signature annual event: International Conference on Open and Innovative Education (ICOIE). He is also a popular keynote speaker at local and overseas conferences and professional events.
Teaching Areas & Research Interests
Academic & Professional Experience
Visiting Professor and advisor (honorary appointments), Doctorate in Professional Studies Programme, Department of Education, Middlesex University, UK
November 2012 – present
Visiting Professor (honorary appointment), Hebei University of Economics and Business, China
appointed in 2017
Visiting Professor (honorary appointment), Hebei Academy of Social Sciences, China
appointed in 2012
Visiting Professor (honorary appointment), Kaifeng University, China
appointed in 2007
Visiting Professor (honorary appointment), Hefei University, China
appointed in 2007
Chair Professor (honorary appointment), Handan College, China
appointed in 2006
Chair, Chartered Institute of Linguists Hong Kong Society
2022 – present,
1999 – 2022, Executive Committee Member/ Vice Chair/ Chair/ President
Editor-in-Chief, Asian Association of Open Universities Journal
2014 – present
Editor: 'Innovation and Technology in Education' Section of SN Computing Science
2020 – present
Editorial Board Member: Interactive Technology and Smart Education
2017 – present
Editorial Board Member: Higher Education Quarterly
2017 – 2021
Subject Specialist, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications
2007 – 2014; 2016 – 2021; 2023 – present
Modified Date: 31 May, 2025
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