제 6 호 President of School Interview
Kicker: SM NEWS
President of School Interview
Online Class Problems Caused by Corona
By Chae-Eun Song, Reporter
* This interview was reconstructed based on an article written on April 22 by editor Soo-yeon Song, reporters So-young Yoon and Um Yu-jin Um from the Sangmyung University Newspaper (Korean version).
The Sangmyung University Newspaper (Korean version) received questions from April 17 with our students about the changes from Corona 19 through a two-day Everytime session and conducted an interview with President Baek Woong-ki based on a questionnaire.
▲President Baek Woong-ki , https://www.smu.ac.kr/newspaper/interview.do?mode=view&articleNo=708335&article.offset=0&articleLimit=10#/list
Most universities decided the entire online class for the first semester. In the case of our university, there was a notice about the period of online lectures and when we would start the classes. Why did you make such a decision?
Since February 3, an 18-member emergency response team for infectious diseases has been continuously discussing quarantine and academic schedules for school safety. After the first decision to postpone the starting of the class for two weeks, we watched the progress of Corona 19. However, it seemed difficult to proceed with face-to-face classes. As a result, we proceeded with the "two-week online lecture". As the situation gradually became more serious, we had to extend the online classes again.
Judging that it is difficult to conduct online classes for experimental and practical courses, which account for 45% of the total classes, from April 6, classes of less than 10 students in experimental and practical courses were conducted in face-to-face classes on the condition that all teachers, instructors and students agree and take safety measures. From April 27, the 100 percent practical classes and theory with practice classes will also be rearranged and face-to-face classes will be conducted on the same condition.
If we continue to offer online classes, why not publish all first semester for online classes like other universities? Also I would like to know the process of making decisions on the part of the school and the method that the notice is delivered to students.
Major policy items related to Corona19 are discussed and decided through major decision-making bodies of universities, such as the Infectious Emergency Response Team, the University Innovation Committee, and the School Affairs Committee. In addition to collecting opinions from education consumers, a survey was conducted of students and through a recent meeting with the Student Council, we listened to opinions about inconvenience and improvement.
The decided class operation plan has been announced on the school's website. Student representatives are informing us of problems that are raised by the independent student body. In addition, the decisions and important matters of the undergraduate/medical department are notified through texting and notification functions.
Currently, 100 percent theoretical subjects are expected to be fully online classes for the first semester and will continue to be applied for the first semester unless there is a special reason. With the agreement of students, teachers, and instructors, face-to-face classes are possible. In addition, some subjects are currently conducting face-to-face classes. For these reasons, the official position of online classes for the first semester cannot be announced.
Is there any solution about problems that may occur if we start the offline classes?
The 100 percent theory courses will be conducted remotely until the end of the semester. However, the system has been set up to check the fever before the class for subjects that will be conducted through face-to-face lectures from April 27. In addition, students who show abnormal symptoms can be approved public absence.
If symptoms of corona are detected after the face-to-face lecture, the student will immediately move to the self-isolation room according to the response manual and the medical personnel of the University Health and Health Care Center will take action and move to the local health center. The class will be stopped immediately following the decision of the Corona 19 response team. Then they will also take action against the students who were with them if any confirmed cases occur based on the results of the test results.
In the case of foreign students, the international student support team checks the health status of international students on both campuses every day. In the case of student living centers, they check their fever once a day and if they have fever or abnormal symptoms, they are doing their best to find the measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as moving to a separate quarantine space.
Because of errors about online server, there are too many tasks for attendance. Is there any measure that can improve the online lectures?
For the system problems caused by the growing number of e-campus users, the company has improved system performance through the expansion of e-campus operating servers, presented various remote classes such as Google Classroom to help online lectures proceed smoothly. Starting from April 27, the government has activated the progress rate check function so that it can identify attendance. It is difficult to predict what problems will arise with the server problem, so we cannot meet the speed that student’s want, but we are taking immediate action after the server problem occurs. I hope many students understand this part.
The task is interaction, which is an essential element of online classes, and I think it can be felt a lot because not only one student takes one subject. This will be resolved through consultations with professors.
What is the school doing for students, such as quarantine and supplies, in preparation for the current Corona 19 outbreak?
Currently, hand sanitizers have been placed at all entrances to the buildings and emergency masks and thermometers have been distributed to the administration and department offices. Also, solid soap in the bathrooms has been replaced with liquid soap and a fragrance filter has been attached to the elevator buttons. Also the lower floors of the buildings are restricted from operating elevators. In the case of outdoor facilities, rules for using with safety have been prepared and self-isolation rooms are being operated.
For the school's quarantine system, the government has carried out quarantine of all buildings and student living quarters. In addition, quarantine three times a week for face-to-face classes and self- quarantine twice a week for academic intelligence officers. In the case of student restaurants, restaurant operators provide their own quarantine every day. Disinfection of public areas, such as doors, toilet handles, and handrails, is carried out at least twice a day.
Our university is making a lot of efforts in quarantine and supply of goods that observe the government guidelines and has put a lot of efforts into keeping sufficient supplies available and frequent quarantine.
With the extension of cyber lectures, there are demands for tuition refunds or reductions and there are meetings with student representatives. However, students are still not exactly aware of the situation.
Currently, most of the university's tuition income is spent on direct education, including labor costs, students' education and scholarship-related budgets. The insufficient budget is filled by using non-tuition income. As mentioned in the last meeting with the student representatives, the cost of labor and facility investment used while conducting online classes is higher than the cost of maintaining facilities such as water and electricity that occur when using the classroom. In addition, students are asked to understand that we cannot immediately meet the demand for the return of tuition fees due to a decrease in enrollment quota, a reduction in entrance fees, related spending due to Corona 19, a decrease in the number of students studying abroad, and a decrease in income from various businesses.
As president, I will make constant efforts with professors to listen to the students' inconveniences and complaints caused by online classes and to improve them.
Now, all of the freshmen's events are canceled. As a result, freshmen find it hard to know about school news. Do you have any events or programs planned for new students?
I feel sorry for freshmen about going online from the entrance ceremony and not being able to visit the school. Our university has not canceled events; it just has postponed them. If the campus is open and face-to-face classes are available, various academic system presentations will be held. Students-related events such as the Seoul Campus Festival, club events, and department MTs will also proceed more fruitful immediately after the end of the Corona pandemic or in the second semester in consultation with the Student Council.
Can I ask you to say something to the members of the school who are confused by Corona 19?
Currently, there are no confirmed cases from our university, but we will operate academic affairs with prevention for the safety of our school members as the top priority so that it does not happen in the future. We will continue to manage them even if the situation stabilizes. Please understand the situation in which it is not easy to decide starting the class with several problems while maintaining a safe distance.
From the 7th week, it is expected that students' satisfaction will gradually increase as online classes are improved from being conducted in various forms. We will continue to improve online classes based on various online support projects and opinions from students and we will use this as an opportunity to innovate online lectures and teaching methods to improve the quality of education.
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