An Introduction to Yonsei MOOC

 

 

Yonsei provides Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in order to respond to changing trends in higher education and more widely share its knowledge with the world at large. In 2014, Yonsei became the first Korean university to join both Coursera and FutureLearn, the world’s largest MOOC platforms. To date, the university has opened twenty-one courses on Coursera and two courses on FutureLearn. Last year, Yonsei was selected for the government’s Korean MOOC (K-MOOC) pilot project, which is being run under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education. The aim of the program is to offer MOOCs from Korea’s top universities to domestic learners.

 

 

What Is a MOOC? A MOOC is an online course open to an unlimited number of students. Its content not only includes lectures, but also question and answer sessions, quizzes and debates, as well as interactive learning through study groups and discussion forums. In addition to Coursera and FutureLearn, edX and Udacity are two other prominent international MOOC platforms.

 

 

Yonsei MOOCs

Courses in History, International Relations, Korean Language, Economics, and More

 

 

Yonsei’s first MOOC was launched on FutureLearn in April 2015. Professor John Delury offered “Lips and Teeth: Korea and China in Modern Times,” which focused on Korean-Chinese relations. This was followed by Professor Michael Kim’s “Modern Korean History: Liberation, War, and Nuclear Ambitions.” These two courses succeeded in exposing Korean studies to a global audience.

 

Professor Seung Hae Kang's "First Step Korean"

 

Last February, Yonsei opened the first Korean language MOOC on Coursera, Professor Seung Hae Kang’s “First Step Korean.” Since its launch, there have been almost 110,000 visitors. Subsequently, the university has developed several different levels of Korean language MOOCs; these include “Learn to Speak Korean 1” and a MOOC designed specifically to assist non-native speakers in preparing for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).

 

Yonsei is committed to expanding the “Korean Wave (Hallyu)” by sharing its expertise in Korean studies with the global learning community. As such, it offers several MOOCs dealing with Korean politics, economics, and history. Political Science and International Studies Professor Chung-in Moon has offered “Understanding Korean Politics,” while Economics Professor DOO Won Lee has taught “The Korean Economic Development.” In the future, additional MOOCs on Korean society and culture are expected to be provided through Coursera.

 

Professor Dae Ryun Chang's "International Marketing & Cross Industry Growth"

 

Other Yonsei MOOCs include Electrical and Electronic Engineering Professor Jong-Moon Chung’s “Emerging Technologies: From Smartphones to IoT to Big Data,” Professors Dae Ryun Chang and Sunmee Choi’s “International Marketing & Cross Industry Growth,” and Professor Hyun Han Shin’s “Valuation and Financial Analysis For Startups,” which consists of five individual courses and a Capstone Project.

 

Professor Jong-Moon Chung's "Emerging Technologies: From Smartphones to loT to Big Data"

 

Professor Hyun Han Shin's "Valuation and Financial Analysis For Startups"

 

 

Active Participation in K-MOOCs

 

The first K-MOOCs offered by Yonsei were Astronomy Professor Young-jong Sohn’s “Understanding Space” and Business Management Professor Jinwoo Kim’s “Design for Experience.”In all, Yonsei has opened seven K-MOOCs, in fields that include the humanities, business management, and the social sciences. As a member of the government’s K-MOOC pilot program, Yonsei is committed to expanding educational opportunities in the country, offering courses that attract wide interest, and enabling citizens to be lifelong learners.

 

 

Yonsei’s MOOC Implementation Strategy

Goal: Sharing knowledge and practicing servant leadership by offering Yonsei’s excellent courses to the public through MOOCs.

 

 

 

In implementing its MOOCs, Yonsei is striving to more fully and effectively meet its educational mission. Yonsei’s vision is to practice the spirit of service by sharing its highquality educational content online with the international community. It seeks to creatively innovate higher education while meeting world-class standards in three key areas: Korean Studies and Korean Language, IT/Information Science, and Business Management.

 

To support these aims, Yonsei established Open Smart Education (OSE) Center in September 2014 to organize and manage its MOOCs. The current status of all Yonsei MOOCs can be found at the website (http://ose.yonsei.ac.kr/mooc/).

 

Yonsei wishes to enhance South Korea’s soft power through an "educational Korean Wave (Hallyu)," developing top-quality online courses and content to share with the world.