Ilju Rha

A virtual university Trial project : Its impact on higher Education in South Korea

The Presidential Commission on Education Reform of South Korea defined the goal of the South Korean education system in the 21st century as an Edutopia, an education welfare society of open and lifelong education to allow each and every individual equal and easy access to education at any time and place. Responding to the Commissions recommendation, the government initiated a Virtual University Trial Project that was intended to operate until 2000. Its aims were to: (i) encourage partnerships among universities and the private sector, and the sharing of existing resources; (ii)create a cost-effective virtual education system without diminishing quality; (iii)identify appropriate policies and standards for running a virtual university; and (iv) share experiences. This paper examines recent government policies in higher education in South Korea, analyses changes, introduces the Virtual University Trial Project and discusses its impacts on higher education. Recommendations for improvement and future research are offered.

Optimal Flow Experience in Web-Based Instruction.

The purpose of this study is to explore learner engagement and motivation related toFlow particularly in WBI settings. In theFlow state people are absorbed in their activities while irrelevant thoughts and perceptions are screened out. In this article, we attempted to identify some of the critical elements of learner feelings and WBI features which relate to the experience ofFlow. Survey data were collected from 266 Korean cyber-university students and the data were subject to factor analyses and multiple regression to determine the best predictors ofFlow in WBI environments. As a result, six factors, including G-factor for flow, were found. Based on these findings, a theoretical model for Learner Flow within WBI was proposed