Welcoming remarks: President Choongsoo Kim, Hallym University

I am very honored to host the Hallym Hybrid Learning Symposium here today at Hallym University International Conference Room. Above all, we would like to welcome the heads of nearly 100 educational development organizations across the country who participated in this symposium. 

Thank you to all of Hallym University's Innovation Support Project Team and Center for Educational Innovation, and to the speakers who have struggled with preparing for this conference. In addition, I would like to express my welcome and gratitude to the former Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho for giving congratulatory remarks at this symposium and introducing the HTHT (High Touch High Tech) University Consortium, and to all of the people involved in the Consortium.
 
We are now having a difficult time fulfilling our responsibility to provide high-quality education to our students, despite the unprecedented challenges of the global Corona Pandemic. The change in methods, which is not just a matter of a methodological transition to non-face-to-face education, requires attention because it entails changes in the content to be communicated. 

Needless to say, from the perspective of people who actually take charge of education, we have to put a very high priority on ensuring that these difficult situations do not result in a deterioration in students' ability to learn. Honestly, I cannot hide my concern that “Lost Generation” which can be compared to those who had been in social shock of IMF crisis 20 years ago, would again appear. While we had a lost generation due to economy at that time, now we have a risk of a lost generation due to educational divide in addition to economy. I don’t think it is easy to cope properly with rapid environmental changes. Actually, non-face-to-face lessons are mainly conducted in most universities, although the face-to-face lessons are only partially implemented for experiments, practice, and practical subjects. Everyone gathered here will have in mind the question of whether the quality of the education we have provided in this changed educational environment is maintained to the same level as in the past. 

Today we want to find the answer to this question, gathered in this place for a discussion of new teaching techniques. Though the emergence of new techniques is a very natural change of trend owing to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), it can be said that the corona pandemic is forcing us to rapidly accept changes into this Hybrid Education. The expression that the crisis is actually a disguised opportunity seems to become a reality from the point of educational world which is lagging behind in accepting technological change.

Today’s topics such as AI-Adaptive Learning, e+Problem-Based /e+Project-Based learning, flipped learning, etc. are some examples.

The specific contents will of course be explained in detail by the professors who are using it in education. However, in order to move to this change, the professors' confidence in the effectiveness of these techniques and their will to lead students, and the students’ desire to receive a better education through new techniques should be premised. 

In the case of our university, we tried the Pilot Study Test during the last summer semester for artificial intelligence (AI) based learning, and we are currently offering lectures in mathematics and statistics based on AI leading support on a small scale. Of course, if this is judged to be desirable through appropriate post-evaluation, Hallym is willing to expand it to more students.  

The world is moving and changing whatever the circumstances. Though it has been pointed out that the educational world does not get ahead of such changes so far, I believe that this should be taken as an opportunity for our education community to play a leading role in our society by making efforts to increase international competitiveness by itself. As mentioned earlier, our ICT technology is world-class, so we believe that this purpose can be achieved if it is expanded and used more universally than in other countries. In that sense, I would like to say that I value today's opportunity very much.

Though it’s such a short time, hoping we can make a new leap forward to the next higher level as well as overcoming the current difficulties by sharing the wisdom of each other, I appreciate once again your participation and wish a fruitful discussion being conducted. 

Thank you for your time and attention. 

President Choongsoo Kim, Hallym University

You can read the original speech here, in Korean.