- P-ISSN2287-1608
- E-ISSN2287-1616
- KCI
ISSN : 2287-1608
Technological Innovation in Public Education in the Era of COVID-19: Focusing on Distance Education Policy in South Korea
Abstract
As the COVID-19 continues spreading, Korea’s Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that all public schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, must begin on April 9, 2020, via online teaching for the first time in the nation’s history. There were opposite views among educators regarding the unprecedented attempt to start school online. This study intends to analyze the strategies and policies of distance learning in the public education sector using the experiences in Korea, which has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past six months, and thus presents educational implications that may be of interest other countries in the post-COVID-19 era. This study first conceptualized the distance education policy in two domains: technological infrastructure and technological teaching and learning, and then examined what specific policies have supported distance education in school settings. For the analysis of policies supporting distance education in Korea, this study analyzed the relevant documents that include the annual plan and press release uploaded on the website of MOE from early March until early August. Accordingly, 13 documents that contain the distance education policy were analyzed in this study. To provide equal opportunities for all students and ensure fair resource allocations, technological inequality should be discussed in the context of educational inequality. Finally, this study looks at how strategies and policies could be related to educational equality and equity.
- keywords
- Distance education, Technological innovation, Educational innovation, Equality and Equity, COVID-19
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