성인학습자 특성을 고려한 교양 교육과정 개설 방안 연구 －Y대학 미래융합대학 사례를 중심으로

Abstract

Due to the sharp drop in the number of school-age students, the university crisis is rapidly accelerating. With support from the government, many universities have started to establish the College of Future & Convergence for adult learners. This was part of a self-rescue strategy among the universities as well, While the number of colleges for adult learners is increasing, their systems are still considered to be incomplete. Recently, research studies into this kind of issue, and studies on the development of the adult-centered education system, have been increasing. However, there is still a shortage of research studies, especially in regards to the development of liberal arts education for adult learners. This is because the majority of colleges for adult learners tend to simply take the liberal arts courses as they are. Therefore, this study tried to explore the whole process behind the development of the liberal arts curriculum for adult learners in Y University. First, the authors of this study examined available literature on the relevant issues. In doing so, the authors tried to look for some of the more salient characteristics peculiar to adult learners. After this, the authors conducted a survey to check the preference of adult learners concerning their liberal arts courses. Based on this survey, professors and staff members from the College of Future & Convergence, the College of Liberal Arts, and the Learning Support Center came up with the final lists of liberal arts courses for adult learners. The results of this study suggest that the college of Future & Convergence needs to consider the unique characteristics of each department, along with the characteristics of adult learners, when they develop and implement a liberal arts curriculum. Furthermore, they also need to consider the gap between the ideal goals found in education and the realistic needs of adult learners.