The Six-Module Method
With the start of the 2024 spring semester, three new learning methods were introduced at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU). These new learning methods include Six-Module, Flipped Learning, and Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The Six-Module learning method divides a school year into six modules, where each of the two semesters is composed of two modules, and the summer and winter break each consists of one module. There are four types of modules: A, B, C, and D. For module A, the first two months of the class are online, and the last two months are offline. On the contrary, module B comprises the first half offline and the latter half online. Module C delivers the whole class over the first two months, with three hours of offline classes and three hours of online classes every week. Module D is the same as module C; however, the lectures are held in the last two months instead. Modules C and D are utilized only for graduate school theory lectures, meaning that only modules A and B are open to SKKU undergraduate students. The merit of this six-module method is that students who registered for the lecture are not assigned a classroom over the online lecture period, meaning they can attend other lectures in the same time slot. In addition, the specific type of module that a particular lecture follows is notified under the class title on the course registration website. While it is true that the six-module method brings flexibility in learning schedules for both the student and professor, the concept of switching up classes during the semester may require a process of adjustment among the students.
Flipped Learning and PBL
The next type of new learning method is Flipped Learning, a lecture type where the method and environment of the elements of lectures and activities are, as the name suggests, flipped. The lecture is divided, making students individually study the material online through i-Campus prior to the offline lectures. During the offline lectures, students will focus on utilizing the information to participate in debates and activities. This method of lectures has existed at SKKU since 2014; however, starting this semester, the online period of flipped learning lectures does not have assigned classrooms for students, making it a more flexible and novel method. A senior in the Department of Business Administration who participated in a flipped learning lecture in 2022 told the SKT, “The flipped learning lecture is more comfortable and student-experience enhancing than the traditional lecture format.” On the other hand, PBL is a lecture method where students jump into actual experience-based learning, including group activities and debates. PBL lectures induce students to utilize their knowledge to solve real-life problems by cooperating with other students. Unlike the other two new methods, PBL assigns students a classroom like other standard lectures; however, it may involve online learning depending on the professor.
