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In the era of centenarians, there are limitations to living one's entire life with just one profession. To meet this challenge, many universities operate a ‘lifelong education center’. Gachon University, for instance, has both an on-campus lifelong education center and a remote lifelong education center. Recently, they have expanded their curriculum beyond fields like social welfare and childcare, even including subjects related to literature and information science. Let’s check how university emphasizes the importance of lifelong education, and what kind of new subjects will be released in remote lifelong education center.
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The remote lifelong education center allows students to pursue their studies and even earn degrees through the ‘credit bank system’ with attending classes on online. In September 2022, Gachon University signed agreements with 117 institutions, including the MBC Academy for Remote Lifelong Education, to establish a network for practical training in the field of social welfare. Moreover, in June, the center launched an "all-in-one" package service, enabling students to obtain the second-degree licenses for social welfare and childcare within just three months. Additionally, the center provides employment-related guidance to help students overcome career gaps, ensuring higher satisfaction levels.
To ensure educational diversity, the center has introduced new majors such as ‘library and information science’ and ‘psychology’, in addition to existing ones like social welfare and child studies. According to a proposal on the ‘Nara Market’ website by the Public Procurement Service in July, the center plans to create a total of 30 new courses, including eight new subjects such as ’Introduction to Bibliography,’ ‘Library and Printing History,’ and ‘Literature Database Theory.’ Psychology will also see an expansion beyond its introductory course, including offerings such as ‘Interpersonal Psychology’ and ‘Educational Psychology,’ aimed at enhancing the educational expertise of students. Mr. Young-ho Lee, the chief director of the remote lifelong education center, expressed the commitment to developing differentiated educational services that help students overcome career gaps, receive specialized and satisfying lifelong education services.
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However, Gachon University's remote lifelong education still lags compared to other universities in terms of scholarships and the variety of courses offered. For instance, Kyung-gi University's remote lifelong education center provides scholarships of up to 300,000 won for academically excellent students and full tuition exemption for national merit holders and their children, aiming to support lifelong education for diverse social groups. Meanwhile, Gachon University's remote lifelong education center does not yet offer a comparable scholarship system. Moreover, compared to other universities in Gyeonggi-do, Gachon's remote lifelong education center lacks the scale and depth of subjects, particularly concerning the acquisition of first-grade licenses for social welfare and childcare.
To further enhance remote lifelong education, Gachon University needs to expand the range of subjects offering certification courses, allowing students to acquire first-grade licenses in social welfare and childcare, thus promoting specialization. Additionally, the university could collaborate with local governments and engage with the community to provide remote lifelong education at a reasonable price, catering to various competitiveness in society and exerting positive influence. < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |
