此为英文文档-National distance learning programmes in response to the COVID-19 education disruption case study of the Republic of Korea

Nationaldistancelearningprogrammes

inresponsetotheCOVID-19

educationdisruption

CasestudyoftheRepublicofKorea

Educat·n

2030

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Publishedin2022bytheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO),

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ED-2022/WS/25

Nationaldistancelearningprogrammes

inresponsetotheCOVID-19

educationdisruption

CasestudyoftheRepublicofKorea

Acknowledgements—CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea

Acknowledgements

ThisdocumentisoneofseveralcasestudiesonnationaldistancelearningprogrammesinresponsetotheCOVID-19educationdisruption.ThecasestudiesweredesignedandconductedbyUNESCO’sUnitforTechnologyandArtificialIntelligenceinEducationwithintheFutureofLearningandInnovationTeam.FengchunMiao,ChiefofthisUnit,

conceptualizedthecasestudyseries,developedtheframeworkforthedatacollection,designedtheoutlineofthe

reportofthecasestudies,andservedastheprincipaleditor.MichelleSelingerfromConsultEduauthoredthecasestudyoftheRepublicofKorea.XiangleiZhengandGlenHertelendy,AssociateProjectOfficersoftheUnit,supportedthe

reviewandimprovementofthedraftsandcoordinatedtheproductionprocesses.

GratitudeisalsoextendedtoJennyWebsterforcopy-editingandproofreadingthetext.

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Tableofcontents

5

Tableofcontents

Abbreviations 7

Summary 8

Backgroundandchallenges 9

Governanceandimplementationstrategies 10

Governancemechanisms 10

Public-privatepartnerships 11

Distancelearningroll-outplan 11

Implementationstrategies 12

Fourroundsofpublicfunding 13

Plansforperiodicmonitoringandupdating 14

Plansforthereturntoschool 14

Distancelearningsolutions 15

Technologicalsolutions 15

Datamanagementandsecurity 18

Trainingandsupportforteachers 19

Socialcareforstudents 2

0

Supportforcaregivers 2

0

Strategiesforensuringinclusivenessandequality 2

1

Equitableaccesstointernetanddigitaldevices 2

1

Assistancefordisadvantagedstudents 2

1

Assistanceformulticulturalstudents 2

1

Supportforstudentswithdisabilities 2

1

Evaluatingdistancelearningstrategiesandprogrammes 2

2

Goodpracticesinsocialcare,teaching,learningandassessment 2

3

Onlinelearningandcaringprogrammesforkindergartenchildren 2

3

Theuseofonlinecommunitiesofpracticetosupportandcoachteachers 2

3

Solutionsforassessmentandnationalexaminations 2

3

Lessonslearnt 2

5

Adoptionofblendedlearningforpost-pandemiceducation 2

6

References

28

Listoffiguresandtables—CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea

6

Listoffiguresandtables

Figure1Timelinefortheimplementationofdistancelearningfordifferentschoollevels

11

Figure2Operationofonlineclasses

12

Figure3ScreenshotfromKindergarteninmyHome

23

T

able1

Proportionofstimulusbudgetallocatedforthemovetoonlinelearning 13

Table2

Centralonlineplatforms 16

Table3

Typesofonlineclasses 17

Table4

EBSTVprogrammes 18

Table5

Typesoftrainingcoursesforteachersbetween2017and2020 19

Table6

Topteninitiativesforfutureeducation 27

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Abbreviations

7

Abbreviations

EBSKoreaEducationalBroadcastingSystem

ICT

Informationandcommunicationstechnology

IT

Informationtechnology

KEDI

KoreanEducationalDevelopmentInstitute

KERIS

KoreaEducationandResearchInformationService

MOE

MinistryofEducation

MPOE

Metropolitanandprovincialofficesofeducation

MSIT

MinistryofScienceandICT

NIA

NationalInformationSocietyAgency

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Summary

8

Summary

Thisstudyaimedtocollectinformationonnationalorgovernment-led

distancelearningprogrammesthatwereestablishedinresponsetothe

educationaldisruptioncausedbyCOVID-19.Thekeyobjectiveistoenablereflectiononthesepolicyresponsesandtheireffectivenessinminimizingthedisruptionandlearningloss,andmaintainingcontinuity,quality,

inclusivenessandequity.

ThiscasestudyisontheRepublicofKorea.ItisbasedoninformationandrelevantdocumentssuppliedbytheKoreanGovernmentforscrutiny,andreflectsacentralizedmodelwheretheexecutionofpolicyisdevolvedto17metropolitanandprovincialofficesofeducation.

Koreawaswell-preparedforpandemic-relatedschoolclosuresintermsofinfrastructurewithalmost100percentofitspopulationhavingaccesstohigh-speedbroadbandandanexcellentmobilenetwork.Ownershipofdigitaldevicesstandsat118percent,andallteachershaveaccesstodevicesbothathomeandinschool(Kemp,2021).Collaborationamongteacherswaswidelyencouragedfortheproductionofresources.Severalimportantlessonswerelearnt,whichhaveresultedinfurtherplansto

strengthenonlinelearning.

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Backgroundandchallenges

9

Backgroundandchallenges

BeforetheoutbreakofCOVID-19,Korea’seducation

systemfeaturedinthetoptenforreading,mathematics

andscienceinthelatestPISAstudyfromtheOECD

(Schleicher,2019).Thecountry’sdigitalinfrastructureis

well-established;however,thedigitaldivideisanissue

particularlyinrelationtotheonlinelearningenvironment.In2020,householdinternetconnectivitywas99.7percentnationally,butforlow-incomefamiliesitwasonly

87.9percent(MSITandNIA,2020b).Thismeansthat

somedisadvantagedstudents,whorelyexclusivelyon

publiceducationandhavenoaccesstoprivatetuition,

wouldhavehadreducedinteractionwiththeirteachers

andtechnicaldifficultieswhenengagingintheirlearning,therebywideningtheeducationachievementgap.

TeachersinKoreaarefamiliarwithusingdigitaltechnologyintheclassroom,butfewhadexperienceteachingwholeclassesonline,whichposedfurtherchallenges.

TorespondtothedisruptionscausedbyCOVID-19,severalobjectivesweresetbytheMinistryofEducation(MOE):

Toensurethecontinuityoflearning:

1Theprovincialofficesofeducationandschoolsshould

ensurethatthetimefordistancelearningisequivalenttothatofregularschoolhours.

2Theprovincialofficesandschoolsshouldexamine

students’readinessfordistancelearningandtryto

preparetheinfrastructure,includingresources,accesstoplatforms,asmart-devicerentalservice,andthecreationofasupportiveenvironment.

3Schoolsshouldensuretheparticipationofeverystudentindistancelearning,andpreventlearninglossby

preparingalternativeorsupplementarylearningplansforanystudentswhowereunavoidablyunabletoparticipate.

Toensurethequalityoflearning:

4Theprovincialofficeswillmonitorthestatusofeachschool’spreparationforandoperationofdistance

learningandprovideconsultancyservicestosupporteffectiveteachingandlearningandhelpteacherstomanagetheironlineclasses.

5Teachersshouldprovidestudentswithpersonalizedfeedbacktomaintaintheirinterestandachieve

learningoutcomes.

6Thedistancelearningplanshouldreflectthe

objectives,directions,andcontentofthenational

curriculumwhileguaranteeingstudents’participationandrighttostudy.

7Studentsshouldbeallowedtoexpresstheirthoughtsandpresenttheoutcomesoftheirlearningactivities.

Toensureequityandequalityindistancelearning:

8Theprovincialofficesandschoolsshouldensurefairmanagementintheoperationofdistancelearning,

includingconsiderationforvulnerablegroupssuchasmulticulturallearnersandstudentsfromlow-incomefamilies.

9Theprovincialofficesshouldconsiderthetypeand

extentofstudents’disabilitiesand,ifnecessary,devisesupportmeasurestomakesuretheyhavegoodandequitableaccesstolearning.

10Inthecaseofthelowergradesinelementaryschools,ahomeroomteacherwillassiststudentsintheir

growthbygivingfeedbackthroughvariousmethods,suchascounsellingwiththeircaregivers.

BELLKAPANG/S

Governanceandimplementationstrategies—CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea

10

tkyszk/S

Governanceandimplementationstrategies

TheMOEthenproducedpolicyguidelinesandmonitoredprogressineachprovince,whiletheMPOEsappliedthosepoliciessotheywerecontext-sensitivetotheirlocality,

andsharedinformationabouttheirschools’readinessandplansfordistancelearning.

Toensurethecontinuityandqualityoflearningduringtheschoolclosures,thedifferentpublicbodiesworkedtogethertosupportthisstrategy,eachtakingonrelevantresponsibilities.

TheVice-PresidentservedastheHeadoftheSchool

InnovationSupportOfficecomposedofthreeSub-Offices,namelythe:

1DistanceLearningSupportOffice:headedbythe

DirectorofLifelongFutureEducationBureau,whichhoststheDistanceLearningSupportTeam.

2QuarantineControlandManagementOffice:headedbytheDirectorofStudentAffairsBureau,which

includestheGeneralSupportteam,GoodsSupplyTeamandSituationMonitoring.

3eand

Governancemechanisms

TheRepublicofKoreabegandealingwithCOVID-19in

January2020whentheMOEformedapandemicresponse

teamtoworkcloselywiththeCenterforDiseaseControl

andPreventionandtheCentralDisasterandSafety

CountermeasuresHeadquarters.Asthevirusspreadacross

thecountry,theresponseteamwasexpandedsothat

anintersectoralapproachcouldbedeployedunderthe

leadershipofthedeputyprimeminister.Thisinvolvedthe

followingdepartments:

1KindergartenandPrimary-SecondarySchoolResponse

Department

2HigherEducationandInternationalStudentsResponse

Department

3FinancialResponseDepartment

4SocialAffairsCooperationDepartment

Thespringsemesterwaspostponedfrom2Marchto9April

2020asapre-emptivemeasuretocontrolthespreadofthe

disease.Thisdecisionwasbasedonconsultationbetween

thegovernmentandthemetropolitanandprovincial

officesofeducation(MPOEs).Thevice-ministeroftheMOE

anddeputysuperintendentsoftheMPOEsformedagroup

tohelpprepareforthenewsemester,holding17meetings

toagreeonadistancelearningpolicyandhowitshouldbe

implemented.

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Governanceandimplementationstrategies

11

Figure1

AlongsidetheMOEandauthorities,fourotherministriesprovidedadditionalsupportinApril2020asfollows:

Technology:TheMinistryofScienceandICT(MSIT)providedarentalsystemfordigitaldevicesandfreeinternetfor

distancelearningforthosewhoneededit,withthesupportoftheprivatesector.

Pastoralcare:FromMarch2020onwards,anemergency

child-caresystemwassetup.WhiletheMinistryofHealth

andWelfarecontinuedtooperatelocalchild-carecentresasnormal,theMinistryofGenderEqualityandFamilyprovidedanextendedchild-careservicebetween9a.m.and7p.m.

Duringtheschoolclosures,morekindergartenandprimaryschoolstudentsneededtheservice,especiallyfor

emergenciesandsituationswhenparentswerenotallowedtotakeleavefromwork.

Somecaregiverswerealsoprovidedwithallowancesto

covertheirchildren’stuitionfees.Inaddition,guidelinesforemergencychildcareweredistributedtokindergarten,

primaryandspecialschoolstoupholdthequalityofservice.TheMinistryofEmploymentandLaborextendedflexible

workinghourstoallowparentstoleaveworkearliertocarefortheirchildren.

Supportingteachingandlearning:TheMSITandMOE

developed‘10rulesforsuccessfulonlineclasses’tobesharedwithteachersandstudentstoensuresmoothoperationandsecurityinonlineclasses,whiletheMOEfocusedon

managementandestablishedtwonewdivisionsfordistancelearning.

Public-privatepartnerships

InApril2020,thegovernmentheldaconsultationmeetingwithprivatecompaniestogathertheirviewsondistance

learningcontentandtheonlineplatform.Whilehigh-qualitypubliccontentwasmadeavailablethroughtheplatform,

privatecompanieswantedtoprovidetheircontentfree

ofchargeduetotheneedsrelatedtotheunprecedented

large-scaletransitiontodistancelearning.Forexample,

in2020,Naver1hosted3,000audioclipsand306videos

validatedbytheMOE.Manycompaniesalsoparticipated

byofferingtechnicalsupportanddistributingdevicesto

ensurethesmoothoperationoftheplatform.Forinstance,companiessuchasLGCNShelpedtooperateanonline

classmonitoringteam,andSamsung-LGprovided36,000

digitaldevicesin2020.Also,mobilephonecompanies

supportedcommunicationexpensesforstudentswith

financialdifficultiesstartinginApril2020(MOE,2020b).

Inthesamemonth,theMOEheldcoordinationmeetings

withprivateacademiestoprovideguidelinesonpreventivemeasuresandwiththeAssociationofEducationTechnologycompaniestoshareopinionsonthesmoothimplementationofonlineclasses.

Distancelearningroll-outplan

On9April2020,final-yearstudentsinmiddleandhigh

schoolsbegantoshifttoonlineclasses,andon16April,theirfirst-andsecond-yearpeersdidaswell,alongwithfourth

tosixth-yearstudentsinelementaryschools.Thefirst-to

third-yearelementaryschoolstudentscompletedtheroll-outtofullyonlineeducationforallK-12studentson20April.Figure1showsthetimelapsebetweentheschoolclosuresandthemovetodistancelearning.

Timelinefortheimplementationofdistancelearningfordifferentschoollevels

YearLevel

(KeyGrades)

April6-8April9-10April13-15April16-17April20~

High

School

3

(K12)

Break(3days)

Adjustmentperiod

Onlineclasses(April9~)

1,2

(K10-11)

Break(7days)

Adjustmentperiod

Onlineclasses(April16~)

Middle

School

3

(K9)

Break(3days)

Adjustmentperiod

Onlineclasses(April9~)

1,2

(K7-8)

Break(7days)

Adjustmentperiod

Onlineclasses(April16~)

ElementarySchool

4-6

(K4-6)

Break(7days)

Adjustmentperiod

Onlineclasses(April16~)

1-3

(K1-3)

Break(9days)

Onlineclasses

(April20~)*

Source:MOE(2020b),p.4

*Kindergartenswerecloseduntilphysicalattendancewasallowed,duetothenatureoftheirhighlyinteractiveteachingandlearningactivities.

1See

Governanceandimplementationstrategies—CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea

12

Figure2

Implementationstrategies

WhiletheMOEdevelopedageneralpolicytoguide

thedirectionofdistancelearning,theMPOEswere

responsibleforimplementingitandadaptingitfortheir

localcontext.TheMPOEsprovidedinformationtothe

MOEontheirdistricts’readinessandplanfortheroll-out,includingloansofdevicesforstudents,sothateacharea

couldbeequippedwithresourceswhenrequired.The

MOEmonitoredtheprogressofdistancelearningineachprovincetoensureasmoothpolicyimplementation.

KoreanEducationalDevelopmentInstitute(KEDI)planned,conductedandsupportedtherolloutofonlineclassesaswellasmanagedonlinesubject-specialistteachers.Schoolswereresponsibleforprovidingguidanceandenrolling

studentsinonlineclasses,managingandevaluatingstudentsandpreparingaschoolrecord(ifnecessary),

anddispatchingco-teacherstostrengththeteachingforceduringthedistancelearningperiod.

Toguaranteestudents’righttostudy,thetimeallocated

fordistancelearningwasmandatedtobeequivalentto

regularschoolhours,andteacherswereexpectedtoprovidestudentswithpersonalizedfeedbacktomaintaintheir

interestandmotivation.TheMOEimplementedsomepolicyresearchontheeffectivenessofdistancelearningsothat

theycouldmakeinformeddecisionsonamoreresilientandeffectivedistancelearningsystemforthefuture.

TheflowchartinFigure2illustrateshowpolicieswere

adopted.Onlinedeviceswerenotusedwiththeyoungeststudentsinthefirsttwoyearsofelementaryschool.

Instead,printedlearningmaterialswereprovidedandtheKoreaEducationalBroadcastingSystem(EBS)TVchannelstransmittedprogrammesforthesestudents.

Operationofonlineclasses

Feedback,Evaluation,andRecord-keeping

*Evaluationand

record-keepingshouldonlyreectwhathasbeenobserved

.PublicLMSplatforms

■KERISe-LearningSite

-From1styearelementaryschoolstudentsto3rdyearmiddleschoolstudents(K1-9)

■EBSOnlineClass

-From1styearelementaryschoolstudentsto3rdyearhighschoolstudents(K1-12)

Teacher-StudentInteraction

Real-TimeInteractiveClass

Content-OrientedClass

Task-OrientedClass

Others

Teacher

Student

StudentAttendance,Evaluation,

Record-KeepingGuidelines

*Variousotherinformation

GradesandSubjects

Weeklyplanforonlineclasses

Classes

Operationofonlineclasses

OperationStandardsofOnlineClasses

Schools

Planforonlineclasses

School

1Participation1

Public

1Private1

LMSPlatforms

MOE

Source:MOE(2020b),p.9

Phasingtheroll-outplanhelpedallagenciesinvolvedtofocusonthekeygrades,sothatstudentsinexaminationyearsmissedaslittleeducationaspossible.Providing

child-caresupportreducedanxietyforparentsandcarersofkindergarten-agechildrenandallowedthemtime

tohelpwiththeirchildren’seducation.Ofthenation’s

elementary,middle,andhighschoolstudents,5.34millionor98.9percentwereparticipatinginonlineclassesby

20April,andsincetheytookplaceinschoolhours,there

wasnolossoflearningrecordedapartfromthefewdaysbetweenschoolsclosingandmovingtoonlineprovisionasshownearlierinFigure1(MOE,2020b).

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Governanceandimplementationstrategies

13

Fourroundsofpublicfunding

Toenabletheprovincesandregionstoallocateadditional

fundsaccordingtotheneedsoftheirpre-,elementary,middleandhighschools,localeducationgrantstotalling253.4billionwon(US$220million)wereagreedinearlyMarch2020,asanexpansionofthe2019budget,tobeusedinresponsetoCOVID-19.Afurthersupplementarybudgetof287.2billionwon(US$245million)was

approvedataplenarysessionoftheNationalAssemblyon17March2020underthejurisdictionoftheMOE.

Additionally,anoperationalfundof32billionwon

(US$2.8million)wasdeployedtoeasethefinancial

burdenonworkingparentsofkindergartenerswhose

schoolreopeningwaspostponedfrom23Marchto6April2020(KEDI,2020a).

Table1indicatestheallocationsinfourroundsof

governmentfundingtosupportschoolsanduniversities,thedigitalinfrastructure,students’homelearning,andteachercapacitybuildingforteachers,andprovide

personalprotectiveequipment.

Table1

Proportionofstimulusbudgetallocatedforthemovetoonlinelearning(inmillionUSD)

Rounds

TotalAmount

ofStimulus

Education-

relatedAmount

Descriptions

1stround(17

March2020)

9,396.55

29.14

Supportforkindergarten

Supportforonlineuniversitycourses

2ndround(30April2020)

6,896.55

Cashtransferstofamilies(max1millionwon

per4-memberfamily)

3rdround(3July2020)

13,620.69

435.60

Deploymentofdigitalinfrastructureforprimaryandsecondaryeducation(connectivity,replacementofolddevices,etc.)

Supportforuniversities’remotelearningprovision

Strengtheningofonlineeducationfornational

universities(replacementofconnectivity,distanceeducationcentres)

Strengtheningofteachers’capacitiesforremotework

Supportforuniversitystudents’tuition

DevelopmentofKMOOCs(onlinecontent)

PurchaseofmasksandpersonalprotectiveequipmentforK-12

Recruitmentofonlinecoursesupportstafffor

universities

4thround(22

September2020)

6,724.14

1,095.60

Supportprotectionandcareof5.32millionchildrenandstudents(outofschoolduetoclosures)

Remotelearningsupportfor1.38millionmiddleschoolstudents(aged12-14),at150,000wonperstudent

Total

36,637.93

1,560.34(4.26%)

DataSource:UNESCO(2020),p.13

Governanceandimplementationstrategies—CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea

14

Plansforperiodicmonitoringandupdating

Whenonlinelearningbegan,EBSandKERISdeployed

on-sitetroubleshootingteamstorespondtotechnical

problems,andtheMOEandtheMPOEsoperatedtechnicalhelplinestogiveimmediateassistancetoteachers,parentsandstudents.Theprovincialandlocalofficesofeducationweretaskedwithensuringthequalityofdistancelearning,monitoringprogressandreportingtotheMOE.These

officescommunicateddirectlywithteachers,studentsandparents,coveringissuessuchasschools’disease-preventionpolicies,curriculumimplementation,onlineclasssupportandtheoperationofITequipment.

Additionally,aconsultativebodywascreatedbetweentheMOEandprovincialofficestoreportonurgentmattersandresponsemeasures.TheMOEheld37meetingswithall17provincialofficesfromMarchtoSeptember2020,where

theydiscussedandmonitoredhoweachregionhadbeenrespondingtolocaltransmissionsintheirowncontexts(MOE,2020b).

Theconsultancywasprovidedonteachingandlearning,andonstudentmanagement,aswellasreviewingthe

appropriatenessandqualityofonlineclassesforeach

subjecttoensuretherewasnolearninglosscausedbytheshifttodistanceeducation.Multiplemethodswereusedtogatherfeedback,supportfutureplanning,anddeterminethebestcalendarfortheacademicyear:

1Eachschoolselectedateacherrepresentativeto

communicatedirectlywiththeprovincialofficesofeducationandhelpinsolvingproblemsquickly.

2On-siteinspectionswerecarriedoutsothatanyareasrequiringimprovementcouldbeaddressed.

3Asurveywasconductedamongteacherstogathertheiropinionsandconcerns.

4Webinarsandmeetingswereheldwithteachersandparentstolistentotheirchallengesandconcerns

regardingdistancelearningandassistinprovidingsolutions.

Plansforthereturntoschool

Withthegovernment’sdecisiontoeasesocialdistancing

measuresindailylife,theMOEorganizedaphased

approachtoreopeningschools,startingwiththird-year

highschoolstudentson20May2020.By8June,allschoolshadreopenednationwide.Datesforreopeningwere

staggeredindifferentregionsdependingoncircumstancestominimizestudentcontactinschools,andblended

learningwasputintooperation.Anefficientmanagementsystemledbyapan-governmentteamwasestablished

toprovidesupervisionandassistancetointernational

studentsbeforetheirarrivalandpreventthemfrombeingdeniedentryintothecountry.

Casezyideas/S

CaseStudyoftheRepublicofKorea—Distancelearningsolutions

15

Distancelearningsolutions

Technologicalsolutions

Schoole-readiness

SchoolsintheRepublicofKoreawerebetterpreparedthaninmanycountriesduetotheintroductionofthepreviousnationalmasterplan’s‘SMARTEducation2011–2015’

initiative,whichhadastrongfocusontheintegration

ofdigitaltechnology.‘SMART’inthetitlestandsforself-

directed,motivated,adaptive,resource-enriched,and

technology-embedded,whichreflectthegoalsofthe

strategy.Theinitiativeenhancestheagendaforschoolsandeducationalpoliciesbypromotingdigitaltechnologyasaprimarysourceoflearning,ratherthanasupplementary

one(UNESCO,2019).Itconsistedoffivekeytasks,which

aimedtoaddtothepreparednessofschoolsforpandemic-relatedschoolclosures:

1Developmentandapplicationofdigitaltextbookstoovercomethelimitsofprintedtextbooks,

improveteachingintheclassroom,andsupporttheimplementationofpersonalizedlearning.

2Institutionalizationofonlineclasses,whichweretobeasrecognizedasin-personclasses,andtheintroductionofonlineevaluationsystemstoensurethebestlearningoptionsforstudents.

3Creationofanenvironmentforthepublicuseof

educationalcontentandreinforcementofmedialiteracyandICTethics.

4Strengtheningoftea