University Students' Satisfaction and Evaluations of Distance Education for General Elective (GE) Subjects in a Korean University

Abstract

Globally, distance education has become one of the most popular trends in higher education after COVID-19. However, there is still a lack of research on how distance education can be applied to diverse higher education. This research focuses on General Elective (GE) subjects at a Korean university. Furthermore, this research focuses on Korean university students' evaluation of distance education. This research implemented a mixed method, including surveys (n=184) and interviews (n=4). Study results showed that distance online education for GE courses provided a flexible learning environment for students. In addition, Korean university students were highly satisfied with distance online education and were willing to take these GE courses. Korean university students further evaluated distance education as an effective way of providing GE subjects. However, the interview analysis showed some challenges of distance education. For example, a lack of real-time interaction between university instructors and students was one of the challenges. Also, a few students had difficulty completing online tasks when the course instructor did not provide regular announcements about assignment due dates. Finally, several implications are discussed for effectively implementing asynchronous online education for GE subjects in higher education.

Received: 13 April 2023 / Accepted: 15 July 2023 / Published: 5 September 2023