Kookmin University (KMU)’s Institute of International Education has developed new e-learning content for international students. Although the majority of international students at KMU have no difficulty communicating with others in Korean in their daily lives, Korean academic terminology is one of the biggest challenges they face in their learning process. The recently-developed e-learning content targeting international students is self-study educational content intended to help international students strengthen their Korean language and communication skills based on learning key vocabulary associated with their majors, making it easier for them to pursue their career paths.
 This smart learning tool was created through cooperation among KMU’s Institute of International Education and professors of the College of General Education, Global College of Humanities and Area studies, and College of Social Science.
According to Professor Jung Yon-Hee of the College of General Education, international students at KMU faced various problems in their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, as all classes were conducted online. To prevent international students from losing the motivation to study Korean, she felt that learning activities in which students can participate independently and autonomously were required.
This e-learning content, aiming to decrease the gap between virtual and offline learners, was created to enable international students to acquire Korean vocabulary associated with their majors through explanations of terms, step-by-step problem solving such as true or false questions, multiple-choice questions, and comprehensive questions. All these online learning activities are offered in different languages, including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian, so that foreign students can select the language with which they are most familiar.
 So far, various types of content have been created such as Korean language proficiency assessment content, Kookmin Voca 365, advanced Korean learning content, and K*-major Korean. First, the Korean language proficiency assessment content, aiming to provide quality Korean language education for international students, consists of 45 listening questions and 45 reading questions. This gives international students a chance to assess their own Korean language proficiency. Second, Kookmin Voca 365 consists of 10-week sessions, with each week containing seven sessions. In each session, students are given an opportunity to learn 20 new Korean words and review 20 other words they have learned previously. In the last session of each week, the students get the opportunity to review all the words they have learned during the week.
Third, the advanced Korean learning content, also called “hybrid advanced Korean”, applies the method of flipped learning, which is a methodology of assigning students lecture materials to be viewed outside the classroom. With such reversal of learning technology, the advanced Korean learning content allows students to actively read and write in the Korea language about a specific topic in diverse fields such as society and the environment. Lastly, K*-major Korean helps students learn Korean terms that are used in their own majors. It allows students to strengthen their Korean vocabulary in their major by presenting them with words and their explanations in English.
 Professor Jung, who has played an active role in creating this online learning tool, said that the biggest factor she kept in mind while developing the content was the learning of Korean academic terms. Although international students enter KMU with a certain level of Korean proficiency, which allows them to communicate with others in their daily lives, they actually face difficulties learning academic terms in their own majors.Since it is hard to keep up with a course without understanding the basic vocabulary of the subject, she focused on developing a self-study tool. Another factor Professor Jung bore in mind was keeping the content interesting so that foreign students can acquire knowledge in an interesting way through various types of problem solving.
 Professor Jung added that it was highly meaningful to cooperate with professors from different academic disciplines.She said that although it was challenging to explain specific academic concepts at a level that satisfies professors in the field, spending time thinking about how to help each other achieve great outcomes was invaluable.
 According to Professor Jung, international students at KMU are pleased by the fact that they are able to study Korean in their own language, based on the feedback they have provided on existing Korean e-learning tools such as Kookmin Voca 365. As this e-learning content is planned to be actively used starting this semester, Professor Jung and her fellow professors are expecting to see an increase in the satisfaction of foreign students. She stated that this e-learning tool for international students will be a distinguishing feature of KMU compared to conventional Korean learning content.
Professor Jung added that KMU’s Institute of International Education is planning to develop more e-learning content for international students in all majors at KMU, including the College of Economics and Commerce, College of Design, and College of Creative Engineering. She added that she hopes this e-learning content helps international students pursue their chosen careers.

Kim Seo-Hyun
Editor-in-Chief

aprilkim404@kookmin.ac.kr