"College Students Frustrated with Repeated Theory Lectures in Poor Quality Online Classes"

University Areas Start Online Classes from the 16th Due to COVID-19
College Students Express 'Dissatisfaction' with Poor Online Lectures
Professors Conducting Online Classes Also Voice Discomfort

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection, universities are continuing with non-face-to-face classes known as 'online lectures.' The photo shows a university student attending an online lecture at a cafe in Seoul. Photo by Seulgi Kim, intern reporter sabiduriakim@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporters Kay Kim and Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] "I've been listening to only theory lectures repeatedly for weeks. If that's the case, why do they still charge such expensive tuition fees...?"

A(24), a student at a physical education university in the Seoul metropolitan area, said, "Due to the nature of the curriculum, there are many practical classes, but all these classes are being conducted online," adding, "Most of the classes have been replaced with lectures on exercise theory, the roles of muscles and bones, movements, or assignments that can be learned theoretically."

She continued, "If the semester had started as usual, we would have prepared for theory exams for just one or two weeks, but since we've been learning theory for over a month, it feels like the purpose of the class itself has been lost. Also, from the perspective of grade evaluation, practical skills are emphasized more than theory, so I'm worried about my grades," she lamented.

Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), universities began the semester with online lectures starting from the 16th. However, some universities are providing low-quality lectures, infringing on students' rights to education, leading to increasing student dissatisfaction.

On the 30th, the Half-Price Tuition National Movement Headquarters and 'COVID-19 University Students 119' held a 'COVID-19 Related University Student Damage Case Presentation' at the Neutinamu Hall of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The organizations stated that so far, 485 students from 44 universities and 6 graduate schools nationwide have voiced complaints about damage to their right to learn due to COVID-19 and have joined the demand for 'partial tuition refunds and full refunds of admission fees.'

They also criticized universities for extending online lectures without preparing measures for practical classes in fields such as arts and physical education.

They raised their voices, saying, "In the disaster of COVID-19, universities should not define themselves as victims but must prepare practical measures to guarantee students' right to learn."

Amid the impact of the novel coronavirus infection, universities are moving to online lectures, and requests for tuition refunds are continuing due to the decline in lecture quality. Photo by Yonhap News

An Jin-geol, Executive Director of the Half-Price Tuition National Movement Headquarters, argued, "Since classes have not been properly conducted due to COVID-19, it is educationally and common-sensically appropriate to refund one month's tuition."

Students in arts and physical education, engineering, and medical fields are reportedly unable to attend related classes despite paying expensive tuition fees that include practical and laboratory costs.

According to the '2019 National University Tuition by Department' submitted by Park Kyung-mi, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party, to the Ministry of Education last year, arts and physical education students paid more than 1 million won higher tuition than students in other departments.

The average annual tuition for arts and physical education was 7.74 million won, about 1.03 million won higher than the overall average tuition of 6.71 million won. The most expensive tuition was in the medical field, averaging about 9.6 million won, and engineering tuition was also higher than average at 7.18 million won.

B(22), a student at a pharmacy college in Seoul, said, "There is an experimental course among the required major subjects. However, since experiments cannot be conducted, it has been replaced with theory classes. They say experiments will be conducted once offline classes start, but I don't know when that will be, so it's frustrating."

B added, "I inquired about what to do if the entire semester is replaced with online classes, but the only answer I received was that nothing has been decided yet. The tuition is about twice as expensive as other universities due to practical and experimental courses, but I am dissatisfied that they took the full tuition without conducting these practicals and experiments."

C(24), a student at an engineering college in Jeonbuk, also said, "When online lectures first started, there were no lectures, only PPT materials uploaded, which was confusing. Also, instead of attending classes, we watched video materials and the rest was replaced with assignments. For subjects like physics and chemistry, experiments are replaced only with report assignments. The tuition is expensive, so I feel it's a waste."

D(25), a student at an engineering college in Seoul, explained, "Design classes that should be conducted in design labs are all being replaced with online lectures. Since practical training is important for these subjects, it's disappointing that classes are being conducted mainly on theory already learned in the 2nd and 3rd years." He added, "Although I am worried about attending classes in confined spaces after the semester starts, I don't have a strong aversion to wearing masks during classes."

The photo shows a university student attending an online lecture at home. Photo by Seulgi Kim, intern reporter sabiduriakim@asiae.co.kr

As student dissatisfaction grows daily, the Korean Council of Private University Presidents (KCPUP) announced on the 27th that among 193 four-year universities, 90 schools (46.7%) plan to start face-to-face classes from April 6.

Additionally, all 40 national and public universities plan to begin face-to-face classes on either April 6 or April 13. However, some students predict that even if face-to-face classes start, they will not be able to attend proper classes due to COVID-19.

E(26), a student at a physical education university in the metropolitan area, said, "I think online classes are very inefficient. It feels like I'm just listening to expensive online lectures, and I don't think the class content is being properly delivered to students." He added, "For practical classes, many require physical participation, so it's frustrating not to be able to do them, and I'm worried about exams."

He continued, "Also, after the semester starts, I am worried about having to take major subjects that require heavy breathing while wearing masks. I doubt whether students can properly attend practical classes while wearing masks. I don't know if I can concentrate well during practical classes with a mask on," he lamented.

G, a student at a theological university in Seoul, said, "The problem seems to be that all practice-centered classes are conducted online. Among the classes I am currently taking, there is a counseling class, but it's disappointing that we cannot actually conduct counseling." He added, "When counseling practice is conducted offline after the semester starts, it is expected to be inconvenient to wear masks, but I think it is inevitable until COVID-19 subsides."

'Recording video lecture'/Photo by Yonhap News

In response to these student criticisms, some professors said, "Both the school and professors must make efforts."

Professor F, who lectures at a university in the metropolitan area, said, "This is the first time I have experienced such a situation in my teaching career, so I was very unfamiliar and confused when recording the first lecture. However, since the COVID-19 situation is serious worldwide, I think it is necessary to accept some inconvenience."

He continued, "Especially, professors should not neglect online lectures and must strive to provide quality classes, such as not delivering lectures in a sleepy voice," he emphasized.

A professor at Kyonggi University, who requested anonymity, said, "The biggest part of lectures is communication between professors and students, but online courses inevitably reduce the completeness of lectures in this regard." He added, "To compensate, we encourage students to send questions via email, but it is regrettable that this is not going well."

He argued, "Online lectures are the most realistic response that can be implemented under the current circumstances. However, students should not be forced to sacrifice unconditionally, and universities should prepare measures to supplement the shortcomings of online lectures, even if it means extending the vacation period."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.