Unraveling university regulations to induce innovation… Abolition of partitions between departments and faculties, autonomy in opening departments

The Ministry of Education is working to create an environment where universities can boldly innovate to meet the needs of students and industry.

The Ministry of Education held the 7th University Regulation Reform Council on the 26th to deliberate and finalize the plan to revise the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act, and announced on the 28th that it would make a pre-announcement of some amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act by August 8.

The focus of the revision is to ▲promote demolition of walls within universities that cause inflexible university management ▲strengthen exchanges and cooperation with domestic and foreign universities, industries and research institutes ▲expand opportunities for incumbents and local residents to participate in higher education, etc. To this end, 115 enforcement ordinances 33 of the articles are revised.

First, the partition between departments and faculties stipulated in the Enforcement Decree will be abolished and amended so that universities can operate autonomously. As a result, universities will be able to freely organize and operate school organizations in various ways, such as establishing convergence departments (majors), operating free majors, and selecting integrated students.

It also expands students’ choice of major. First-year students are allowed to change majors and transfer to newly established departments (majors) so that students who wish to change careers can complete their desired majors and advance into society through career counseling at the university.

University faculty are given the right to choose teaching hours and term of study at medical schools.

As the role of universities expands to cooperation with industry and local governments, the role of full-time teachers is also diversifying not only in education, but also in research, industry-university cooperation, and external cooperation. However, it has been pointed out that the change in the role of teachers according to the characteristics of universities is limited as the principle of 9 hours per week is still used.

Therefore, it is amended so that teaching hours can be set according to the development strategy and specialization of the university.

In addition, since the term of study in medical schools is rigidly defined as 2 years for the pre-major and 4 years for the main course, there were concerns that the link between the pre-major and the main course was insufficient, and that the 4-year main course was overcrowded.

Training of medical personnel in various fields is also difficult, so universities will be improved to design and operate their curriculum flexibly within the next six years.

The establishment of online degree programs at general universities will also be autonomous. In order to allow online degree courses in all fields and abolish the prior approval of the Ministry of Education, the enforcement ordinance and the directive on the operation of remote classes by universities will be revised so that universities can freely operate the corresponding courses.

Exchanges and cooperation with domestic and foreign universities, industries, and research institutes will also be strengthened.

Establish a basis for operating a joint domestic and international curriculum through an association (consortium) so that universities can provide high-quality curriculum to students by linking their strengths.

By improving the procedure so that it can be operated through an agreement between universities without prior approval from the Ministry of Education, domestic universities are also encouraged to advance overseas.

The range of graduation credit recognition (within 1/2) of the joint curriculum between domestic universities is improved so that it can be determined by itself through university agreements, thereby eliminating restrictions on curriculum linkage and restrictions on students’ curriculum design and subject selection that have occurred due to credit regulation.

Out-of-school classes are also institutionalized. Out-of-school classes were divided into mobile classes and cooperative classes, and the prior approval system was changed to a reporting system, but conditions were prepared to prevent expedient learning centers.

The mobile class is operated for students who have difficulty attending the main school for student welfare, and the target is limited to the disabled, national players, and soldiers.

A cooperative class system has also been newly established, allowing out-of-school classes through an agreement with the relevant institution if it is necessary to utilize the facilities, equipment, and manpower of industries and research institutes.

In this case, the scope of credit recognition is limited to 1/4 of the graduation credits to achieve the effect of out-of-school classes, but to prevent expedient operation such as unnecessary theoretical education in the learning field or student recruitment based on the learning field.

Demand for manpower with a master’s or doctoral degree or higher in the industry is increasing. However, since the industry consignment education can only be operated up to the bachelor’s course, it is difficult to meet the demand of the industry, so it is expanded to master’s and doctoral courses.

In order for universities with excellent human and material infrastructure to absorb the demand for lifelong vocational education, the number of credits that can be applied for part-time students will be raised, and the number of part-time students that can be selected at local universities will also be increased.

In order to smoothly provide educational opportunities to adult learners who wish for vocational education, the restriction on selection of adult learners outside the quota of junior colleges in non-metropolitan areas was abolished, and the requirement for career experience among the admission qualifications for advanced degree courses at junior colleges was eased to 9 months and unified. Create a conducive environment for vocational education.

Major amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act. (Infographic = Ministry of Education)

Meanwhile, among the regulatory innovation requests related to glocal universities, 11 immediate improvement tasks will be resolved with the revision of the Enforcement Decree. Accordingly, students will be able to select or change their major through career exploration even after entering university.

Opportunities to design not only the classes of the affiliated university but also multiple domestic and foreign university classes as one’s academic portfolio are expanded, and classes based on excellent infrastructure from industries and research institutes will be provided.

In addition to contract departments, industries form a regular curriculum with universities, and a new route is established to nurture talents with field adaptability by utilizing in-house facilities, equipment, and manpower. can be obtained.

Institutions, organizations, and individuals who have opinions on some amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act can submit their opinions on the website of the Integrated Legislative Preliminary Center by August 8.http://opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) or by post, fax or e-mail.

The Ministry of Education plans to finalize some amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act after collecting opinions during the legislative notice period and begin the revision process.

Lee Joo-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, said, “We will break down the walls inside and outside universities and boldly remove regulations that stymie them so that universities can boldly innovate based on autonomy and creativity.”