e-Learning System

e-Learning System Going Global: Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development


e-Learning is an educational system based on information and communication technology. The system is meant to enhance education quality, boosting students' ability to learn on their own and facilitating cooperation in education by linking schools, parents and communities.

Korea's e-Learning System Recognized Worldwide

The fundamental goal of the e-Learning system of the Korean Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE) is to provide equitable opportunities via various media to anyone who wants to learn, regardless of social class or region of residence. The system offers quality online courses that complement schools' curricula, enhancing the quality of public education and improving the performance of the public education system. The MOE also encourages lifelong learning through the e-Learning system. To achieve these objectives, the ministry has established separate e- Learning systems for primary & secondary education, higher education and lifelong education.

The ministry has been working on the application of ICT in education for a decade. That effort has made possible the launching of an e-Learning system with individualized courses for primary and secondary school students. Since 1996, the MOE implemented the first and second phases of a project to create a computer-friendly education environment, laying the foundation for e-Learning. Personal computers and Internet access were supplied to and ICT-based courses were made available at primary and secondary schools.

In September 2004, the ministry launched a cyber homelearning service, letting primary and secondary schoolchildren take classes and courses that fit their academic abilities through video, chatting, and various other online media. This service supports students' after-school studies and encourages the participation of teachers and parents as well.

The pilot service was offered by three provincial offices of education, offering 241 cyber classes to some 4,000 primary and secondary school students in an after-school self-teaching format. The service was expanded in 2005 to school districts governed by 16 provincial offices of education, reaching about 5,000 cyber classes or some 1 million students. Cyber home-Learning Service provides diverse contents that supplement regular school curricula, improving public education quality. It also helps students to study using their own initiative so that parents can spend less money on private tutoring.

In addition, the MOE created an e-Campus Vision 2007 initiative to facilitate e-Learning in the higher education category. To this end, the ministry zoned the nation into ten districts and set up a University E-learning Support Center for each district, while linking enterprises, universities and research centers to a network promoting cooperation and joint research. Led by these support centers, all the participating colleges and universities now share useful information via a broadband network and have an effective support system for their students. This has promoted balanced development of universities and geographical regions.

In addition, the ministry has pushed ahead with a lifetime education support system to enable people to respond more capably to rapid technological development and social changes. The MOE has instituted the Lifelong Learning Information Network to promote the notion that learning is a never-ending process and to provide e-Learning as a means of lifetime education. The network offers access to cyber universities, regional lifelong education information centers and diverse online learning contents.

The new nationwide e-Learning system and other measures to promote e-Learning have been recognized internationally. Korea was ranked 5th in the world in terms of e-Learning readiness by the EIU, a British think-tank. The MOE designated e-Learning as a core HRD strategy in 2004 and has been upgrading the e-Learning system in stages.



Korea: Global e-Learning Leader

The MOE's successful national e-Learning system has heightened public awareness of e-learning domestically while bolstering Korea's image as an e-learning powerhouse internationally. Korea's national e-Learning system was widely publicized in diverse international conferences, prompting other countries to use it as a benchmark. France, Israel and various APEC member countries have asked Korea to work with them on e-Learning.

In 2004 alone, some 1,200 representatives from approximately 40 countries (including Argentina, Spain, Britain, Poland, China, Vietnam and Brunei) visited the MOE and Korea Education & Resource Information Service (KERIS) to learn more about Korea's e-Learning know-hows and related policies. At the same time, the Korean government has leveraged its advanced e-Learning system to establish education partnerships with developing countries. From 2003, the government has provided certain developing countries with personal computers and e-Learning contents. It has also invited teachers from those nations to receive ICT training in Korea and promoted the establishment of an international e-Learning consulting system.

In 2005, the Seoul government provided personal computers to 14 developing countries and invited education policy makers, government officials and teachers from 11 countries (the Dominican Republic, Laos, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Kenya, and the Philippines) to learn about Korea's e-Learning system and its experience in putting computers into education programs.

The MOE has promoted Korea's e-learning system at the Korea-France Joint Seminar on ICT & Education and the Innovative Teachers' Conference (co-organized by Microsoft and KERIS). The ministry also opened an IT Korea e- Learning Room during the 2005 APEC Summit at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) and provided state leaders, cabinet members, CEOs and journalists from 21 countries with a chance to observe and experience Korea's world-class e-Learning technology. The Korean government's diverse efforts to promote its e- Learning system abroad prompted the World Bank to seek an agreement to have Korea share its educational computerization and e-Learning programs with developing countries. A deal is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2006. Consequently, Korea's advanced e-Learning system is drawing growing attention from the rest of the world.


e-Learning System: a New Paradigm for 21st-century Education

The world is coming to realize the excellence of the Korean e-Learning system and is paying greater attention to Korea's experience and achievements. During the 2005 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, national leaders authorized the establishment of the APEC e-Learning Training Center in Korea. The center will help to share Korea's experience and know-how concerning e-Learning systems to APEC members. Meanwhile, more developing countries are requesting Korea's support for their educational computerization, and Korea has responded by developing country-specific e-Learning consulting models. The government is also working to provide better consulting to countries that want to share Korea's experience to advance their own education systems. Korea is now sending consultants and strengthening support projects. Korea will continue to publicize the excellence of its e-Learning system to the world by holding workshops, seminars and other elearning-related events in cooperation with other countries (France, Canada and Israel) and international organizations (World Bank, UNESCO, ASEM). e-Learning is being highlighted as a new educational paradigm in the 21st-century knowledge-based society, and countries need to promote e- Learning to strengthen their national competitiveness.

Korea remains committed to constantly improving its e-Learning system, applying the most advanced e-Learning technologies and thereby consolidating its status as a global e-Learning leader.


The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development contributed this article.