Launch of One-Stop Service for Contactless Online Education

- Providing a Standard Platform for Contactless Online Lectures

in Response to the Post-COVID-19 Era -

The school has installed the Center for Distance Education Support Task Force and started a one-stop service to provide a standard platform for contactless online instruction. The Task Force, located in POSCO Francisco Hall, supports all relevant departments, such as the Institute of Information and Communication, the Center for Teaching & Learning, the Communication Center, and the Office of the Registrar, in order to offer prompt responses to various inquiries on contactless online lectures. In the post-COVID-19 era, distance learning is expected to emerge as a new standard for university education. Accordingly, since February 19, Sogang University has operated the Task Force to reinforce the efficiency of online education services and foster the required expertise by redistributing the scattered support staff and redundant resources on campus.

• Website Operation for One-Stop Services

The Task Force supports the cyber campus, real-time Zoom lectures, and non-real-time recorded lectures through its website. The website's integrated services include rentals of lecture equipment (laptops, microphones, tablets for writing, etc.), reservations for facilities (video/audio recording studios, etc.), and support for contactless online meetings. In particular, the cyber campus has online lecture rooms operated in conjunction with the SAINT registrar system. It provides a smart learning environment that enables various class activities, such as sharing class materials, discussions, assignments, and tests. This semester, a system for unifying lectures and attendance management has been operated by linking Zoom lectures with real-time lecture options in the cyber campus.

▶ Go to the Center for Distance Education Center Task Force website (click)

In addition, the Task Force has newly established real-time Zoom lecture rooms (eight locations) equipped with digital camcorders, webcams, and speakers, and has additionally expanded its studio to operate a space capable of recording high-quality sound sources and broadcasting in real-time. The Task Force also provides nine types of Sogang University background images to be used as virtual backdrops to make Zoom class environments more inviting. Furthermore, Lecture Space, an online content-creating tool, is available as a pilot service for contactless online lectures. (▶Download the Lecture Space manual) All of these programs are available through one-stop services on the Task Force website.

▲ Real-time Zoom Lecture Rooms

▲ Real-time audio/sound-source recording studios

▶ Background image guide for Zoom lectures (click)

• KakaoTalk Chatbot Services Opened

As distance education users mainly make inquiries by phone, call waiting times have increased. In searching for a solution to this problem, the Task Force has launched KakaoTalk Chatbot Services to provide quick and convenient answers to users' inquiries. Previously, the average number of distance-learning users per week (59,968 people) and the number of agents responding to inquiries (an average of eight people per day) showed a severe imbalance. The introduction of Chatbot has significantly improved the efficiency of responses to user inquiries.

In addition to the advantage of Chatbot's easy accessibility – made available simply by adding the KakaoTalk channel – its automated answering system has reduced users' waiting times by solving many inquiries with pre-registered answers to high-frequency questions.

▶ KakaoTalk Chatbot Services Guide (click)

• Providing a Manual for Blocking Outsiders during Real-Time Lectures 

Recently, some other universities experienced unauthorized intrusions by outsiders during real-time online lectures. Concerning these examples, the Task Force has posted a manual that guides users on how to block outsiders from accessing real-time Zoom or YouTube lectures. Such a preemptive response provides an environment where lecturers and students can focus more fully on the class at hand.

▶ Outsider-Blocking Function Manual (click)

Meanwhile, the Task Force distributed this semester's attendance guideline for contactless online lectures in collaboration with the Office of the Registrar. In addition, the Task Force is conducting a review and testing of its solution in order to guide the plan to secure the fairness of contactless online tests in line with the midterm-exam period. Furthermore, the Task Force plans to gradually expand its infrastructure, such as by providing a space for lecture content production support, equipment, dedicated organizations, and human resources, and to reorganize contactless online education regulations and related systems. Future development plans include opening contactless online lectures to the general public and alumni and creating a contactless online industry-academic cooperation model for family businesses.

 ▲ Exemplary notice for students entering a contactless online test

Park Seong-yong, Director of the Institute of Information & Communication, said, "In the future, we will continue to develop a standard platform with the production of contactless online lecture content and will ensure fairness in contactless online tests and attendance." Director Park also mentioned, "In preparation for the post-COVID-19 era, we will create environments for optimal distance education. By providing this value, we will increase the level of satisfaction with learning while sharing in the effort to carry out the university's social responsibilities."