The entry of a knowledge-based society that the knowledge and information create a high-value allows the human resource to perform as a resource of national competitiveness. Hence, the ‘core competencies’, which is a required ability to human reso...
The entry of a knowledge-based society that the knowledge and information create a high-value allows the human resource to perform as a resource of national competitiveness. Hence, the ‘core competencies’, which is a required ability to human resource appears as a new paradigm of education. Also, a current college education has been setting a quality standard for education based on core competencies which are asked in a knowledge-based society, leaving conventional discipline-centered education. Advancement of College Education(ACE), as a part of Higher education finance support project, is situated at the center of this transition. They request core competencies centered education to the universities participating in the ACE project.
Therefore, this research will investigate core competencies that were emphasized by thirty-two universities participating in the ACE project from 2010 to 2014 and explore educational implications of strategies for realization.
To begin with, the standard of analysis was developed to analyze core competencies that universities participating in the ACE project are stressing by content analysis of their business plan and related document. The results based on the analysis with categorized universities by panel(metropolitan area, non-metropolitan area) is as follows.
After analyzing core competencies which are marked by ACE university, ten in metropolitan area and twenty-two in the non-metropolitan area from 2010 to 2014, ‘creativity cohesion competency’ was the most important competency to be developed at the higher education level. They have been stressing about this except for one ACE university in the non-metropolitan area. ACE universities in the metropolitan area suggested ‘ global competence” and ‘communicative competency’ in eight places after ‘creativity cohesion competency’ and ACE universities in the non-metropolitan area proposed ‘global competence’ in twenty places.
In other criteria, there is a fine line of the core competencies that are marked by ACE university in the metropolitan and non-metropolitan area. In ACE university in the metropolitan area, ‘job competency’ and ‘leadership competency’ was suggested five places respectively, and ‘self-regulation competency’ was proposed in four places. In ACE university in the non-metropolitan area, ‘personality competency’ came up in eighteen places. It appeared ‘specialty job competency’(fifteen places), ‘leadership competency’(twelve places), and ‘communicative competency’(nine places) in order. As ‘Culture art competency’ is the lowest suggested core competencies both ACE universities in the metropolitan area and non-metropolitan area, it is only proposed from three places out of ten places at ACE university in the metropolitan area and two places out of twenty-two places at ACE non-metropolitan area.
Next, general education curriculum and specialty curriculum areas were categorized by core competencies to analyze its’ practical strategy for the realization that is highlighted by ACE universities.
For the practical strategy of creativity cohesion competence, there is a various convergence characteristic development of liberal arts, opening class, and culture artistic education which is carried out by reinforcement of basic liberal arts education. For global competency, various offers were provided such as differentiated education support, global experiential program, multi-culture related class to help them improve foreign language skills and experience a cultural diversity. As the most practical strategy for the communicative competency, complete charge department(organization) was managed, and writing course was organized in the compulsory liberal art curriculum to make them complete it. For a specialty job competency, the system such as inviting an industrial expert to a college education, educating students which allow them to achieve requested specialty job competency by society and approves them by the achievement they obtained, while they are in school is considered. Leadership competency can be realized with the management of Residential College, which allows developing leadership and special personage lecture which inspires prospect and challenging spirit by providing role-model, engaging with the community. For achieving personality competency, the practice centered personality education is a representative strategy, applying a project centered education of the Right personality program Ⅲ.
Meanwhile, Convergence and integration related major and the curriculum was invented and managed to realize a creativity cohesion competency in specialty education curriculum , as well as liberal education. Also, they diversified an educational system and intensified Capstone design module. As practical strategies for the realization of global competency, they reinforced English major course to enhance English ability, while they study the contents. In addition, diverse attempts such as short-term overseas training program, student exchange program, dual degree system, and development of joint international lecture are carried out to improve student’s global competency through mutual interchange program with foreign universities. School-work links specialty education curriculum is used the most to materialize a job competency, specifically the introduction and expansion of Industry-University Collaboration priority professor system(on-site professor system), development of school-work links subject, opening a lecture and reinforcement of internship education. Another strategy is the management of task competence improvement and quality of education, running educational certificate systems like ABEEK and AACSB. Last but not least, problem solving self-directed specialty education curriculum is run to materialize a self-regulation competency, applying a teaching-learning method of PBL, TBL, and CBL.
Thus, ACE universities have been carrying out a various practical strategy to promote student’s core competencies. The practical strategies based on core competencies have been pointed out contents of convergence education which build up creativity and ability of overall thinking, switching over teaching-learning method to achieve learner’s practical ability such as action learning, PBL, TBL, and CBL. From education and educational curriculum to achievement, the system has set to manage the quality of education systemically, emphasizing practical knowledge and performance of learner. Also, it brought innovative changes of an institutional aspect like bachelor’s degree or teacher system. As it activates the establishment of online education platform, their educational implication is remarkable considering their focus on competence improvement for the future information-oriented society.
This research is what suggests more specific and more visualized theoretical alternative in the operation of Korean higher education based core competencies through analyzing it. ACE universities emphasize that with consideration on the educational implication of practical strategy. Therefore, the result can be utilized as positive data which can be referred in the introduction and application core competencies curriculum at the universities hereafter.