Small and Medium Universities Also Join Software-Centered Universities... Expansion of AI New Technology Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] Starting next year, small and medium-sized universities will also be able to participate in the 'Software-Centered University' program and receive 1 billion KRW in government support annually. Education in new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will be expanded to cultivate outstanding software talent, and cooperation among universities will be strengthened. A path has also been opened for universities previously designated as Software-Centered Universities to be re-designated and receive various support benefits.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 3rd that it held the 'Software-Centered University Presidents' Meeting' and the 'Public Hearing on the Reorganization Plan for the 2nd Phase of the Software-Centered University Project' online.

Launched in 2015 with the goal of nurturing software talent equipped with expertise and convergence capabilities to lead the digital economy, 40 universities have been selected as Software-Centered Universities to date. For six years, each university has received an annual budget of 2 billion KRW. Through this, a total of 17,485 software major personnel and 9,674 convergence personnel were produced over five years until last year. Industrial satisfaction with employed graduates also increased from 75.3 points in 2015 to 87.5 points last year, confirming the program's achievements.

The presidents' meeting, attended by Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT, was held to share past achievements and future operational directions, and to hear opinions from the educational field on promoting the 2nd phase of the project and innovating software education at universities. Eight universities whose support period ends this year, including Gachon University, Kyungpook National University, Korea University, Sogang University, Sungkyunkwan University, Sejong University, Ajou University, and Chungnam National University, which were first selected in 2015, as well as five universities newly selected in the second half of last year?Hoseo University, Dongseo University, Sangmyung University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Paichai University?attended the meeting.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced through the subsequent public hearing on the reorganization plan for the 2nd phase of the Software-Centered University project that it will advance and disseminate the innovative educational model of Software-Centered Universities that have shown innovation results so far, and pursue as core strategies the expansion of university autonomy for software education innovation and strengthening joint efforts among universities.

The reorganization plan for the 2nd phase aims to spread the excellent achievements so far across universities in general, including small and medium-sized universities, and to respond to new talent demands such as AI and big data.

First, the Ministry of Science and ICT will expand education in new technologies such as AI to meet new educational demands. To this end, advanced education and practical courses on new technologies such as AI and big data will be expanded, and a standard educational model for AI majors and convergence majors reflecting industry demand will be jointly developed and utilized by Software-Centered Universities.

From next year, a 'specialized track' will be newly established to expand participation of small and medium-sized universities in the Software-Centered University program. Until now, to be selected as a Software-Centered University, requirements such as securing an admission quota of 100 or more for software and mandatory operation of graduate software departments have been applied, making it difficult for small and medium-sized universities to participate even if they have the will to innovate software education.

For the specialized track, half of the current support scale, 1 billion KRW annually, will be provided, and selection requirements will be relaxed. It is planned to operate specialized convergence education courses on regional industry and software convergence, and specialized fields within the software industry.

Along with this, a support system will be established to help students grow from basic to advanced talent. For the current basic software education for all students, customized courses differentiated by department characteristics and student levels will be developed to enhance students' convergence capabilities, and a dedicated organization will be established at the university headquarters to systematically promote convergence education through interdepartmental cooperation within the university. University-undergraduate and graduate school linkage will also be strengthened, such as allowing undergraduates to take AI graduate courses to shorten graduation periods.

Furthermore, the support period will be extended, and existing selected universities will be allowed to be re-selected to create conditions for stable continuation of software education innovation. The current maximum support period of six years (4+2 years) will be extended to eight years (4+2+2 years), and performance evaluations will be strengthened to achieve substantial educational outcomes accordingly. Therefore, universities previously selected as Software-Centered Universities can be re-selected, and in such cases, considering that initial infrastructure is already established, the support period will be six years instead of eight.

In addition, university autonomy will be expanded to support universities in designing and operating their own software education innovation models. To strengthen cooperation and linkage among Software-Centered Universities, lecture content and curricula will be jointly developed, and a system for sharing achievements with other universities will be established. Regulations that currently allow payment of personnel expenses only for full-time employment of industry experts as adjunct faculty at Software-Centered Universities will be revised to allow payment even for part-time employment.

Minister Choi Ki-young, who attended the presidents' meeting, said, "The Software-Centered University program is a representative talent cultivation project that has led innovation in university software education and dramatically expanded software professionals needed by industry. It is necessary to spread the excellent achievements so far to more universities and further advance the software education model reflecting environmental changes," and urged, "For the success of the 2nd phase project, universities should actively promote strengthening mutual cooperation and sharing achievements."

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