Yonsei has begun offering online Korean language courses through Coursera, the world’s largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform. The courses have already attracted students from around the world.

 

Yonsei is a leader in Korean-language education and Korean Studies. Through the online courses, students have access to fun and informative lessons as well as innovative online content; one of the MOOC’s unique contents is the Consonant and Vowel Combination Program, which aids students in improving pronunciation. Overall, these MOOCs are part of Yonsei’s ongoing commitment to sharing Korean language and culture with the world.

 

 

Professor Kang Seung-hye’s ‘First Step Korean’ was opened on February 5. Each week, between 1,200 and 1,500 new students register; thus far, more than 20,000 have enrolled in the course. Student evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive.

 

Largest Number of Students Hail from United States and China

 

Currently, students from 153 countries are enrolled in Yonsei Korean language MOOCs. The largest number of students comes from the United States (19%) and China (15%). The Open and Smart Education (OSE) Center sees this remarkable interest in the Korean language as part of the Hallyu, or Korean Wave. “Students from around the world,” said an OSE official, “are encouraged to learn the language as a means of acting on their interest in Korean culture, which has been fostered by K-Pop songs and Korean television dramas.” Many of these students have asked for additional Korean language courses and expressed interest in visiting Korea and even continuing their studies in this country.

 

To help meet the growing interest among international students, OSE has joined forces with Yonsei’s Korean Language Institute (KLI) to produce new lecture content, such as Korean for Beginners. The new content is scheduled to be launched in late June. At the same time, there are plans to develop new lectures and courses to meet the needs of different language learners and to prepare students for the TOPIK.