News

In the hills and valleys of Korea, spring has sprung, as flora and fauna have emerged from their winter states.  On campus, though, while the waters of Ilcheongdam and the crisp air of North Gate begin to warm, the usual excitement of the new semester is noticeably absent this time around.  The outbreak of coronavirus in and around Daegu has kept this campus quiet, and young learners away from their classrooms.  The 30,000-person population, the 26,000 graduate and undergraduate students, the 6,000 classes and 1,500 experiments and research projects expected to bring about the start of the 2020 school year are eerily quiet.  The cherry blossoms are blooming for no one.  Administration is continually brainstorming and working to protect our students, professors and staff from COVID-19.  One solution that was turned to was the surprisingly robust KNU Learning Management System (LMS), and oh, what a success it has been.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in and around Daegu, this region was designated a Special Disaster Area.  As a response to this designation, after deferring the start of the semester by two weeks, classrooms stayed closed and non-face-to-face, online lectures took place via the LMS.  Those measures were expected to remain in place for two weeks, but they have ended up being necessary for much longer.  As this was a safety measure for our students, staff and all citizens, the entire KNU community has been actively cooperating despite the initial inconvenience.  The LMS had been largely unused in the past, and professors and students alike were understandably curious about if it could rise to the occasion once it was responsible for all of the learning by every student in every class.  Special tutorials were hurriedly distributed to the student body, and for those who needed English versions, the staff at the Office of International Affairs, quickly got to work translating.  The campus held its collective breath for the first week, hoping for the best.  That was three weeks ago.

Cut to today and students and professors alike are seamlessly using the LMS.  According to survey results, the overall satisfaction rate for the LMS is extremely high.  Students are rating the system’s homework functions, quiz functions and overall usability at around a 90% satisfaction rate.  There are still some hiccups such as load-time, and some students studying from abroad are finding inconvenience with the live lectures due to time difference, but overall the LMS has risen to the challenge it was given, and students are accessing the education they need.

Despite the success of the LMS, students are left pining for social interaction.  Going outside, seeing peers and interacting face-to-face with professors cannot be replaced by any LMS.  Kyungpook National University understands that the betterment of a student happens holistically, with both academic education, and social maturity.  So, while we are pleased with the success of the KNU LMS, we look forward to the day when it is no longer needed, and the campus becomes alive again.