Dongguk University (President Yoon Sung-yee) has launched the Dongguk Future Education Forum to lead changes in university education in the post-COVID-19 era.

The inauguration ceremony and the First Dongguk Future Education Forum were held both online and offline at i.SPACE, on the third floor of Wonheung Hall, Dongguk University, on September 11 at 3pm.

To comply with social distancing guidelines, only a small number of select people (including the keynote speaker, topic presenters, and debaters) attended the forum in person.

"I believe that the Dongguk Future Education Forum will play a pivotal role in preparing for an unpredictable and rapidly changing future," said Yoon Sung-yee, President of Dongguk University, who delivered congratulatory remarks at the forum. “I hope that all professors and representatives of our university will share a wide range of knowledge and information, and develop ways to accurately predict the future through this forum,” he said.

The keynote speech was given by Professor Choi Jae-cheon from Ewha Womans University, and covered “The Post-COVID-19 Era: Changes in Society and Education.” “In situations such as the one we are facing during the coronavirus pandemic, where our existence itself is threatened, we need an ecological transformation,” he said. “Although it is important to reflect on how we teach at the university, we really need to think about what we should teach.” He emphasized that “one of the most important topics that needs to be taught and studied is how we can live with nature.”

The first topic presented during the forum, “Response to the COVID-19 Era: Dongguk University's EdTech Spread Strategy” was presented by Kim Hyeon-seok, Director of the Teaching and Learning Development Center at Dongguk University. "In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, a preemptive response to future environmental changes is required due to technological advancements and a decrease in the school-age population," said Director Kim. “Dongguk University plans to upgrade the full-cycle student competency support system, Dream PATH+, to disseminate EdTech and establish a data-based decision-making system to upgrade the consumer-centered teaching and learning-support system.”

Professor Bae Sang-hoon from Sungkyunkwan University presented the second topic of the forum, “The Crisis Faced and Opportunities Developed in University Education Due to COVID-19.” Professor Bae shared a university education strategy for the post-corona era, focusing on the case of Sungkyunkwan University. “In terms of higher education, the post-COVID-19 era will be an era in which each student is valued and must attend smart universities, and an era in which society will need to develop cooperation and co-prosperity, rather than competition,” he said. “The steps we must take now include changing the paradigm focus on ‘student success,’ giving up our vested rights, trusting and encouraging one another, narrowing our focus, and doing our share in our own institutions.”

Lee Kang-woo, Director of the Convergence Education Center at Dongguk University; Kim Jong-pil, Director of Naeil Shinmoon; Lee Je-jun, President of the student body at Dongguk University; and Kim Jeong-do, President of the student body at Dongguk University Graduate School joined the presenters for a discussion, following the presentation of topics.

The forum was broadcast live on YouTube, and members of the public as well as the university were invited to watch it in real time. Later, the forum video was posted on Dongguk University’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/MYDGUTV), where it can be viewed at any time.

“We created this forum to set a direction and define tasks related to educational innovation in the post-COVID-19 era, as well as to share and disseminate these,” said the forum organizer, Jeon Mi-kyeong, Dean of Educational Innovation at Dongguk University. “Dongguk University will continue to seek ways to innovate and improve the quality of education (the original mission of the ‘ivory tower’) through the Future Education Forum.”