In 2020, the students of Chung-Ang University did not attend classes on campus, save some exceptional classes. This was because the classes for both semesters of 2020 were held online for everyone’s safety due to COVID-19. But the problem is that the school notified the students about how the classes would be held, online or offline, after the semester started in 2020. It is understandable that the school schedule was altered with regard to the virus. Nobody can predict the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and if the virus spread in the school while having classes, the damage would be huge. Even so, many students are expressing their dissatisfaction about the notice for the method courses will be held for only 8 weeks of this semester. Why are the students so mad about the notice of 8 weeks of online courses, and what can be done about this situation?
1. About Chung-Ang University’s Partial Online Course Extensions Up till Now
Let’s take a look at how Chung-Ang University extended its online classes in the past. In the first semester of 2020, Chung-Ang University announced that it would postpone the start of the semester for two weeks and further extend the online class for two weeks and then another four weeks taking us to the midterm. When the situation did not improve after the midterm exam, the school announced that it would hold online lectures for the entire semester. In the case of the second semester of 2020, the school announced that online classes will be held on the first day of the semester until the midterm exam period. However, the situation of COVID-19 again, did not improve so the university decided to extend the online semester on October 13th for an additional 8 weeks until final exams. The university also announced a way to take the final exam on the 13th week, three weeks before the normal test period. Originally, both online and offline exams were possible with discretion of the professor but were converted to online exams. However, if professors wanted to have offline exams, they could do so by obtaining approval from the academic affairs office. This caused students to be annoyed by the unclear exam methods. In addition, students were confused because both the first and second semesters allowed offline classes for courses that require experiments, practices, and techniques, if approved by the university president at the discretion of the professor. After these situations, the plan for the operation of courses in 2021 was announced on January 18th this year through the <2021 President's Letter About the First Semester>. Since the school only announced plans for 8 weeks of the semester, some believe that the classes will be extended partially as time goes, not for the entire first semester, just like last year.
2. The Problems of Partial Extension of Online Courses
a. The Problem of Housing
What is the problem with this kind of partial online class extension? In principle, online classes for 8 weeks means that there is a possibility of offline classes after that period. Because of this, students are experiencing trouble. Students who are not from the capital area stay in dormitories, rented rooms, shared houses, and such during the semester. However, in case of online classes, since students do not need to go to campus in person and can take classes electronically, students do not have to stay in the capital area. Therefore, many students consider going home to save money and spend time with their families. However, since it is unclear how the classes will be operated after the 8th week, there are students who cannot leave their housing in the city area and students who have no choice but to extend their contracts. Some students already experienced these problems last year. They ended up spending unnecessary money for a year due to online classes that continued to be partially extended. Unlike early last year, when the COVID-19 situation was new to everyone, more than a year has passed since we lived through the virus. There is a better way than repeating last year’s problem of extending the online courses little by little.
CAH conducted an interview regarding housing problems caused by delayed notice for the whole semester. The interviewee is a Chung-Ang University student in the English Language and Literature Department. She said “I had been planning to live in a rented room for the 2nd semester of 2020. However, since the school only gave notice for the first 8 weeks of the semester, I could not rent a room, as the minimum period to rent a room is for a whole year. Therefore, I had no choice but to live in a shared house.” The interviewee said that since she was sharing a house with others, she experienced unnecessary problems that would not have happened had she lived alone in a rented room. She also said that the school could have given a notice for the whole semester last year.” There were no vaccines or cure for the virus last year, so the school could not have held offline classes with thousands of students on campus. So, the school could have given a notice for the full semester, but they did not.” She also expressed her wish that Chung-Ang University tell students about the class schedules for the whole semester this semester as well, as she believes that it is realistically too early for all students to take classes on campus.
Francesco Rocca, the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), commented that “the humbling reality is this pandemic is only gaining momentum, a stark reminder that vaccines alone will not end this fight,” saying that even in the hopeful situation of vaccines, COVID-19 will not come to an end soon. Therefore, Chung-Ang University must decide how they will run the courses for the whole semester and not only 8 weeks, and make sure that there are no more students who have problems related to housing fees due to the uncertain 8 weeks schedule.
b. The Possibility of Offline Exams
Chung-Ang University also did not clarify whether the exams were going to be conducted online or offline. Chung-Ang University uploaded a public notice on January 18th that “the midterm exam will be conducted remotely, and it will be conducted at the discretion of the professor,” leaving room for the possibility of taking an offline test. And in the case of the final exam, no announcement has even been made. Why is the online/offline method of the test important? In the case of exams, the method of taking the exam may not seem very important since it only occurs twice a semester. However, if the class is held online for 8 weeks and only the exam is conducted offline, students who do not live in the capital area must come to school to take the test. In addition, if one subject is done offline and the next is done online, students must take the test immediately after the previous test in a quiet environment. Except for libraries, such spaces are hard to find in school, and the number of seats that allow the use of computers in libraries is limited, which can be a problem. In addition, if the offline exam period is held for several days, students will have to prepare accommodations during that time. It is not only a major inconvenience for students but also a serious problem that can lead to inequality. It requires unnecessary time and money compared to students living in areas near Seoul.
3. Chung-Ang University Must Notify About a Full Semester of Online Courses
Then let's take a look at how other universities in Seoul decided to respond to COVID-19. Yonsei University announced on February 1st that courses for the first semester of 2021 will be done online. They also notified that if the COVID-19 situation improves, it will allow limited offline classes from April 26th for only pre-applied courses that need experiments and practical skills if social distancing falls below the first level as of April 12th. Dongguk University announced on December 31st, 2020, that all theoretical classes will be done online for the first semester, except experimental and practical classes that have poor learning effects when done online. And that both mid-term and final exams should be held online as well. Sogang University announced that the classes will be conducted offline, except for some classes. They also announced different grading methods according to whether the class was conducted online or offline. As such, many universities have announced how classes are operated and how they will take exams for the first semester. Therefore, Chung-Ang University, like the above schools, should provide information on class management notices and the methods of exams for the entire first semester.
Up till now, Chung-Ang University did not notify the students about how the university will run the whole semester. Even with the vaccines, the virus is not expected to disappear anytime soon, so the school can surely notify students for a whole semester of classes. If Chung-Ang University was a school that communicated with its students, they would have notified about the plans for the whole semester, not only for 8 weeks. In the current situation, where the semester has already started, the best solution is to notify the students about the plans for the classes and the exams for the remaining semester as soon as possible. CAH hopes that the school will handle the problem wisely so that no more students will suffer further from this lack of information regarding how the school will run the courses.