The UOS recently participated in the Korea National Survey of Student Engagement (K-NSSE), which was adapted from the National Survey of Student Engagement used in Canada and the United States. This survey was conducted under the Advancement of College Education (ACE) program.

K-NSSE targeted undergraduates within every college, and its purpose was to evaluate current educational conditions before making future plans, including ones for ACE. The questionnaire, which was provided in Korean and Chinese, consisted of questions asking students about their experiences in several areas, including pre-entrance background, financing, learning experience, and involvement in programs. The period of the survey was set throughout October at first, but it was later extended to November 21. According to Eun-kyeong Choi, an officer in the Educational Service Division, the survey needed at least 400 respondents in order to be useful. However, the number of respondents was not sufficient, leaving officials worried about the low involvement.

Administrators and educators say that solving this kind of problem is not easy. It costs approximately one million won to send a text message to more than 8,000 undergraduate students in the school. Given that the school has a tight budget as a public university, spending that much for every project is not an option.

Choi said that they also contacted the Student Council to ask for assistance in fostering student involvement, but that there still was not enough. This situation is nothing new since poor participation of students has been a chronic issue whenever there is an event which needs it, including the General Student Assembly. Last September, the General Student Assembly was held, with several issues on the agenda, but it failed to reach the quorum. It seems that further radical solutions to improve student awareness are needed.

By Shin-ho Ahn