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Status and Challenges of Engineering Education in Korea

Status and Challenges of Engineering Education in Korea. Myongsook S. Oh Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University KSEE AEDS 2013 Seoul, Korea May 7-8, 2013. South Korea. Population: 48,219,000 Area: 99,393 km 2 GDP: 15 th in the world in 2011

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Status and Challenges of Engineering Education in Korea

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  1. Status and Challenges of Engineering Education in Korea Myongsook S. Oh Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University KSEE AEDS 2013 Seoul, Korea May 7-8, 2013

  2. South Korea • Population: 48,219,000 • Area: 99,393 km2 • GDP: 15th in the world in 2011 • Car manufacturing(5th), shipbuilding(1st), steel production(6th), semiconductor production(3rd) • Web connection:over 80% of the households • Percent of college enrollments: 72.5% in 2011, (33.2% in 1991, peaked in 2008 at 83.8%)

  3. Educational Structure 6-3-3-4 years Ph. D. Master Bachelor 22 months of Military service (mandatory for male) College Scholastic Ability Test Mandatory

  4. Statistics on Education Source: Statistical Yearbook of Education, 2012 Statistical Yearbook of Employment, 2012

  5. Women in Engineering Source: Report on Women in Science and Technology, Jan. 2011 Korea Advanced Institute of Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology Female Faculty Ratio in all majors = 18.6 %

  6. Challenges in Engineering Education Reference: The Status of Engineering Education in Korea and Suggestions for the Future, National Academy of Engineering in Korea (2010)

  7. Perceived Challenges by Academia • Recruiting and retaining top students • Top students prefer medical school, law school, etc, causing engineering “brain-drain” • Decrease in population will make the situation tougher. • High school science curriculum and teaching pedagogy • Not enough science subjects are offered • Chemistry and physics are electives and avoided by majority of students • Rote learning is practiced, preparing for college entrance exam. • Research-emphasized faculty evaluation system • Research is emphasized regardless of each college’s research infrastructure and capability • And yet, the teaching load in most universities is heavy. Over 10 lecture hours/week is common, and class size often over 50.

  8. Perceived Challenges by Students • Curriculum is designed to give the basics of each field, but not enough to get in-depth and/or broad knowledge of the field. • Not enough electives are offered • Fast -paced lectures and heavy assignment load • Lack of guidance for career development by faculty members • Lack of opportunities for hands-on experience and research • Low quality lectures and equipment for undergraduate laboratory • Accreditation: Despite the difficulties of fulfilling the requirements, there are few short-term benefits such as better employment opportunities • Social status of engineers are not on par with other industrialized countries. • Engineers are not distinguished from scientists, even in the industry • Engineers are not getting the level of recognition deserved despite their huge contribution to Korean economic growth.

  9. Perceived Challenges by Industry • Recruiting top students to industry • Top students move on to medical schools, law schools, finance, and other professions after graduating with engineering degree • Top students prefer teaching and research organizations, e.g. universities, national labs • These trends worsened after massive lay-off of engineers in 1998 during national financial crises. • Training a new engineer to be self-sufficient takes an average of 3 years • Mismatch of supply and demand in different fields of engineering and levels of skills • Lack of IT engineers vs. overflow of engineers in conventional fields • Engineering curriculum • Insufficient up-to-date industrial examples in course materials

  10. Education Policies

  11. Education Policies from 1948-1990’s • Top down policies to support economic development plans and provide trained workers • Prior to 1975, 65% of educational budget was spent on primary education • Expanded support to secondary education after 1975 • Since late 1990s, investments were made to improve the quality of tertiary education • Standardized National curriculum • The federal government had the most control over the national curriculum • Expansion of school facilities came first • Quality improvements (e. g. class-size reduction) after 1990s

  12. The Educational Reform in 1995 (I) • A new vision for educationsuitable for the twenty-first century knowledge-based economy • Open, lifelong education that would provide individuals with equal and easy access to education at any time and any place. • Education through technology. • Long-range goal was to raise the quality of education to a world-standard level of excellence. • Ambitious and comprehensive reform plans to restructure the entire education system • Deregulation and school governance reform • Curriculum reform (the 7th national curriculum) • Increase in public funding • Use of ICT in school and classrooms

  13. The Educational Reform in 1996 (2) • Under the new vision, a well educated Korean is a person who • seeks to develop his/her own individuality on the basis of well-rounded and wholesome development • demonstrates creative ability on the basis of a solid grounding in basic knowledge and skills • explores career paths on the basis of broad intellectual knowledge and skills in diverse academic disciplines • creates new values on the basis of understanding the national culture • contributes to the development of the community where he/she lives, on the basis of democratic citizenship

  14. The Seventh National Curriculum • The seventh curriculum since 1954 • Implemented in March 2000 • Aim to prepare students for the knowledge-based, globalized 21st century. • Emphasizes individuality, creativity, and knowledge of Korean culture as well as other cultures. • Students were allowed to choose their own courses in their final two years of high school. • Emphasis on foreign language education: English instruction begins in primary school and additional foreign language classes are offered in high school. • Chemistry and physics are electives and • avoided by majority of students

  15. The Educational Reform in 1996:University Level Reform • Merge and consolidation of similar disciplines (e.g., Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry) • Students were admitted to a school • A school can be a unit with more than 2 departments. • Transfer students were accepted • Information disclosure: Mandatory disclosure of enrollment rate, retention & graduation rate, employment rate, etc. • Funding for quality enhancement of higher education • Major department credits required: 35 units out of 130 ~ 140 total credits required to graduate • Introduction of an accreditation program to strengthen the engineering education

  16. Programs for Quality Enhancement of Higher Education

  17. Programs for Quality Enhancement of Higher Education • Accreditation of Engineering Program (ABEEK) • Brain Korea 21 • The first phase: 1999 ~ 2005, US$ 1.4 billion • The second phase: 2006 ~ 2012, US$ 2.3 billion • New University for Regional Innovation (NURI): 2004 ~ 2008 • World-Class University: 2008 ~ 2012 • Innovation Centers for Engineering Education (ICEE) • The first phase: 2007 ~ 2011 • The second phase: 2012 ~ • Women in Engineering Program: 2007 ~ • Hub Universities for Industrial Collaboration: ‘08~’11 • Leaders in Industrial Collaborations: 2012 ~ • Industry sponsored programs: Samsung Talent Program, Display tracks

  18. Accreditation of Engineering Program • Accreditation Board for Engineering Education in Korea (ABEEK) was formed in 1998. Accreditation began in 2001 • ABEEK is a full signatory of the Washington Accord, and a provisional member of the Sydney Accord and the Dublin Accord • ABEEK played a key role in establishing the Seoul Accord for the computing and IT-related education at the tertiary level. • As of March, 2012,624 programs in 95 universities (EAC : 539, CAC : 51, TAC : 34) have been accredited. Accredited Programs

  19. Innovation Center for Engineering Education (ICEE) • Launched in 2007 and about 60 centers have completed the first 5-year program • The second stage of the ICEE project is starting in 2012 with a newly selected 65 centers nationwide. • Main objectives • To enhance engineering educational programs to meet the needs of the industries in the region • To seek a continuing collaboration with the industry on development of relevant educational contents. • Key Agenda • Development of need-based programs • Improvement of education/ teaching methods • Improvements of assessment/ evaluation systems • Enhancement of industry collaboration

  20. ICEE Project Outcome • Visible • Increased industry satisfaction • Company Tailored tracks • Cultivation of design ability and skills through capstone design projects • Increased student satisfaction • PBL • Design Camps • Settlement of Abeek • Increased International exchanges between universities.. • Invisible • New wind to engineering education • Change of culture in universities • From Competition to Cooperation • From isolation to open environments:Exchange/sharing of projects • Minimization of trial and error • Contribution to other communities (KSEE, etc) Reference: Joo. W. J., The 3rd Annual Forum of SKKU Hub Center for ICEE, Hyatt Regency, Jeju, Korea (2011)

  21. ABEEK and ICEE Outcome on Engineering Education

  22. Women in Engineering Program • Launched in 2006, and funded 5 universities across Korea for 6 years • The second stage of the WIE program was expanded to 16 universities, covering different regions of Korea • Main objectives: • To promote inclusive class environment • To develop programs to enhance technical and non-technical competencies of female engineering students • To increase an employment rate of female students in their engineering disciplines

  23. Industry Sponsored Programs • Samsung Talent program • Started in 2006 as Samsung Electronics Information and Communications track. Started its 2nd phase in 2011. Programs in EE&CS, Materials Sciences and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering at 14 universities • Program details vary: An example in EE at Hongik University. • Two tracks: Semi-conductors and Communications • Students take 10 required subjects and 3 out of 10 electives. • Students get internship opportunities and preference in employment. Some receive scholarships. • Display Track • Co-sponsored by display industries and government • Interdisciplinary program. For example EE, Materials Sciences & Engineering and Chemical Engineering • Students take 16 credits (5-6 subjects) of display related subjects

  24. Future Directions • More interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary studies • Increase in public funds/support and more financial aids/loans to students • Merge and consolidation of schools • More rigorous undergraduate education • Universities specializing different fields and developing unique programs • Enhanced Industry-University collaboration in education • Enhanced faculty training on education pedagogies and educational tools • Increase in-bound student mobility

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