"Please Just Choose One"... Confusion Over In-Person and Online Classes at Universities

Major Universities in Seoul, Face-to-Face Classes as a Principle or Allowed Policy
Students "Inconvenienced by Confusion Between Face-to-Face and Online Classes"

On the 2nd, students who started the new semester at Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, are moving forward./Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] Universities that started the new semester amid the Omicron variant surge have largely allowed in-person classes. This was to reduce side effects such as learning loss and social maladjustment caused by remote learning. However, since the policy on in-person classes is not uniform, students have expressed dissatisfaction.

Among major universities in Seoul, Seoul National University and Hanyang University have made in-person classes the principle. Seoul National University has recommended in-person classes since the second semester of the 2021 academic year to normalize university functions, and Hanyang University requires in-person classes for courses with 50 or fewer students. However, both universities also conduct some remote classes depending on the nature or size of the lecture.

Korea University, Ewha Womans University, and Kyung Hee University partially allow in-person classes based on the number of enrolled students. Korea University permits in-person classes for courses with fewer than 100 students, Ewha Womans University for fewer than 70, and Kyung Hee University for fewer than 30. Whether classes are held in-person is left to the discretion of the professor or decided through consultation between professors and students.

Given this situation, students inevitably face a semester mixed with both in-person and remote classes. Due to fierce competition for course registration, it is difficult to apply exclusively for either in-person or remote classes. Moreover, many courses did not specify the mode of instruction (in-person or remote) in the syllabus at the time of registration, so it is rare for students to attend classes solely in one mode.

Near Kyung Hee University, Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Wooseok, intern reporter beedolll97@asiae.co.kr

Students find this inconvenient. A 20-year-old freshman at Kyung Hee University, A, who entered university this year, said, "The class is tomorrow, but the professor did not inform us whether it would be in-person or remote, which was confusing. The syllabus also did not specify (the mode of instruction)." She added, "Whether the class is in-person or remote often depends on the professor, and if the professor does not notify us in time, students feel anxious and find it difficult to prepare."

Lim, 26, a junior at a university in Seoul, said, "With the number of confirmed cases increasing exponentially, I do feel somewhat uneasy about preparing for in-person classes, but if the university has to promote in-person lectures, I think it would be better to have all classes in-person." He added, "Given the rapid worsening of the pandemic, I think it would be better to monitor the situation with remote classes for a certain period and then switch to in-person classes (uniformly) later."

There is also the opinion that attending classes is awkward when remote classes follow immediately after in-person classes. Lim said, "For individuals who have consecutive in-person and remote lectures, they have no choice but to attend online classes in empty classrooms or lounges on campus." He continued, "If a lecture is suddenly scheduled in the empty classroom, they have to find another suitable place again. I have actually experienced this."

He added, "When attending remote classes in lounges or cafes, the distracting surroundings reduce satisfaction."

In response to such student inconveniences, some universities have introduced measures such as officially setting days for remote classes. Korea University and others have assigned specific days and times in the morning and afternoon for 'remote classes only,' considering the proportion of remote lectures at the department level.

There are also concerns that switching between in-person and remote classes may occur during the semester at the school or class level. For example, when the mode of instruction is at the professor's discretion, classes originally conducted remotely may switch to in-person depending on the COVID-19 situation. Conversely, worsening COVID-19 conditions may cause originally in-person classes to switch to remote. Yonsei University, for instance, plans to switch all courses to remote if more than 10% of enrolled students test positive.

B, a student attending a university in the metropolitan area, said, "I do think about the possibility of switching between in-person and remote classes during the semester depending on the COVID-19 situation. That possibility seems quite real." He added, "Since I don’t have many in-person classes, I didn’t rent a room near the school, but if in-person classes increase, it will be very difficult."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education announced on the 7th of last month the 'Omicron Response 2022 First Semester University Quarantine and Academic Operation Plan,' recommending "expanding in-person classes based on thorough pre-semester preparation and striving to implement in-person classes at least partially when unavoidable."

The Ministry stated that it reflected survey results showing "emotional and social isolation and the weakening of school community culture due to reduced interaction between professors and students and among students," as well as "field opinions that learning loss among university students has deepened and that the trend of expanding in-person activities should be maintained to address this loss."

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