Cyber university programs, conceived in 1977, are now being operated in Korea by 65 universities. In education our tendency has been to employ new media or technology without proper planning or careful study. In the process of employing new technology...
Cyber university programs, conceived in 1977, are now being operated in Korea by 65 universities. In education our tendency has been to employ new media or technology without proper planning or careful study. In the process of employing new technology, we have learned many thins through trial- and- error, but we have never learned all the thins we should learn. We have never fully developed and medium or technology for utilization 1ll an educational setting before chasing after another new ill edium. Starting cyber university programs has been no exception. Again, we have an untested and unfamillar technology in our hands. It is known to be a very powerful tool with tremendous potentialities. This time, we must succeed musmg this medium. An evaluation of the Korean cyber university program s may be premature after only three years of operation. It is not too early, however, to examine the factors that are influencing the successful operation of cyber university programs. This study tries to identify those fators by seeking answers to three questions: What are the important major elements of the cyber university? Do we need Traditional university structure and personnel to operate the cyber university? What kinds of support do we need? Educational content is identified as the core element of the successful cyber university. Three interfacing groups critical to the succcessful operation of the cyber university are identified: teacher/trainer group, student/user group, and developer/operator group. Each group has its own characteristics and need. Educational content and these three groups need governmental support, institutional support, financial support, and technical support. When any of these elements IS mIssmg, the successful operation of cyber university programs cannot be expected.