—Online Course Available to Students around the World

On April 27, Yonsei launched its first online Korean Studies course through the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform FutureLearn.  Founded in 2012 by the Open University in the United Kingdom, FutureLearn offers free, high-quality university lectures to learners from around the world. Currently, FutureLearn has fifty partner institutions. There is no limit to the number of students enrolled in a MOOC, and each one offers a number of interactive learning features such as quizzes, tests, discussion forums, and study groups.   

Yonsei’s first Korean Studies MOOC, “Lips and Teeth: Korea and China in Modern Times,” was offered by Professor John Delury, and its focus was the intricacies of contemporary Korean-Chinese relations. The course was six weeks in length, and it concluded June 7. Professor Delury’s MOOC proved to be quite popular, with nearly 4,500 students enrolled, which is twice the size of an average FutureLearn course. This month, Yonsei will offer its second Korean Studies MOOC through FutureLearn, “Modern Korean History.” 

Of the MOOCs, Yonsei President Jeong Kap-young said: “I expect these courses to provide people all around the world the opportunity participate in lectures given by Yonsei’s excellent faculty. They also serve as a means of informing the world about the excellence of Korean higher education.”  

■ Yonsei Selected as Test-Operated University for Korean Massive Open Online Courses (K-MOOC)  

—13 Online Courses Will Be Offered between 2015 and 2017

Yonsei has been selected as a test-operated university for Korean Massive Open Online Courses (K-MOOC), a government program supported by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education. By participating in the K-MOOC program, Yonsei aims to enhance its educational capacity, while contributing to the democratization of higher education in this country and promoting lifelong learning. Between 2015 and 2017, thirteen online courses will be offered to the public. 

 In preparation for launching its MOOCs, Yonsei established the Open and Smart Education (OSE) Center in September 2014. In March of this year, the OSE Center was reorganized and combined with the Yonsei Center for Teaching and Learning. Going forward, Yonsei’s goal is to be a leader in innovating global higher education, and its emphasis for the MOOCs will be in five core fields: Korean Studies and Humanities, Social Science, Engineering and Natural Science, Management, and Public Health.