Milestone Seminar for Freshman - A Case Instruction and Suggestion

Min, Chun Gi

Korean Journal of General Education 2013;7(1):295-330.
Published online February 28, 2013.

Chun Gi Min

대학 신입생 기초교육

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the efficiency of the fundamental education for the first year students by proposing an instruction model which can be available to make provision for the freshman education in Korea and by suggesting some points to improve the course. For achieving this goal, this paper has tried firstly to review the literatures studying on the freshman education programs which are implemented in USA and Korea respectively. According to the research findings, some korean universities are providing the freshman with the courses in which students can partly learn and experience the basic knowledge or skills needed for the successful campus life, while the holistic and systematic courses or programs for the first year experiences are being offered in the United States. In oder to present an instruction model, it is conducted to demonstrate goals, contents, and methods which are utilized in the course. It is then followed by analysing the results of the course evaluation and the surveys conducted by students who had taken part in the classes offered one semester after another. The analysis shows that the second class is more effective in some aspects than the first, amending the contents and methods drawing on the first class participants feedback. As a result, it is especially critical in refining a program to reflect the students perception on the course. Additionally, it is suggested that the findings in the previous literature review can be taken into the consideration to improve the fundamental education for freshman. Given the long-term development of the foundational education, it is also important to conduct empirical studies such as longitudinal research parallel with the endeavor for developing the excellent instruction models to maximize the efficiency of the freshman education programs in the korean universities.

Key Words: freshman education, fundamental education, freshman seminar, first-year experience, case instruction, improvements