TAF PUBLISHING

This paper reports an investigation of perception on higher education students in Macau, particularly in vocational higher education. Higher education institutions in Macau have to adopt the new Macau Higher Education Law in relation to the QA requirements. By adopting a quantitative research method, a questionnaire was distributed in hard copy. Students’ data were drawn from one higher education institution in Macau, which offers most of its programs career-related vocational basis. Participants are required to self-report his/her perception of QA and rate the importance of a set of questions about professional accreditation, program curriculum. Major findings are: nearly half of the respondents never heard of any QA, or they heard of, but they do not know what it is about. More than 70% of the respondents view it as important or very important to have the study programs accredited by professional associations or by academic accrediting agencies. Over 70% of respondents studying at career- related vocational programs perceive that it is important or very important to have their programs professional or academically accredited. While their counterparts are studying at a less career-related program, only 60% of them perceive important or very important. 95% of accounting and 89% of facility management students opined that the curriculum should match the respective profession/ job needs. Based on the findings, some key recom- mendations are made. These include having more programs accredited by respective professional associations and designed according to profession/job needs. In addition, the findings here do give insights for re-training di- rections for the outbreak of COVID-19 in adult education. This further helps students adapting this ever-changing world which is one of the aims of vocational higher education.