2022, Vol., No.19

The Journal of General Education 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.7

pISSN : 2465-7581
https://journal.kci.go.kr/davinci

This article proposes that the general education curriculum should include the science communication education. Today, the social influences of science and technology are greater than ever. Science communication education is a response for these social changes. It includes not only scientific thinking but also a communication problem from a viewpoint of pragmatics about science and technology issues in the public sphere. Also, science communication education is a way to increase students' interest to science and technology and encourage critical reflection on the social influences of science and technology. Based on these discussions, this article attempts to clarify the meaning and possibility of science communication education in the curriculum of general education.

As artificial intelligence is pointed out as the most important technology leading the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the world is sparing no effort to become an artificial intelligence powerhouse. Universities are also concentrating on nurturing professional talents centered on science and engineering through new and expansion of artificial intelligence graduate schools and related departments. But now, understanding artificial intelligence has become an essential element for anyone regardless of major. Therefore, the need for universities to provide various artificial intelligence basic liberal arts subjects to non-majors, especially non-science and engineering students, is emerging. Accordingly, this research team developed educational contents by selecting ‘Mathematics for Machine Learning’ as a necessary topic for non-science and engineering students to understand artificial intelligence, and operated it as a basic liberal arts subject at University A in Seoul. Based on the survey conducted for students before and after class, we analyzed the learning effects (study achievement, class satisfaction, change in perception of mathematics, etc.). In addition, based on the survey results, we would like to suggest points and tasks to be improved for the development of the curriculum.

Because higher education in Korea is grounded on the competitive system, it is limited to accept social demand for adult learners or lifelong education as welfare for learning or public goods. In 2016, as part of the government's project to support the lifelong education system in universities, Ewha Womans University installed a college for adult education. At that time, the internal members opposing to joining in the project continued demonstrations severely, which shows the limitation distinctly. To resolve side effects associated with the excessive social cost required for college entrance and the ordering of universities, the opportunity of higher education should not be ‘obtained through competition’ but be provided supportively when demanded. Although the idea of higher education as compulsory education is rather strange to us, in the US, presidential candidates, Obama and Biden, came up with the pledge to change college(technical college) education to free education repeatedly. Considering the reality in Korea that about 70% of high schoolers enter universities already and the Ministry of Education evaluates, authenticates, supports, and inspects private universities, too, we may find that compulsory higher education is no wonder. If higher education is changed to be provided to those in need from the perspective of welfare for learning, universities will be the field for realizing equal opportunity and alleviating polarization, and it will be possible to actualize true society for lifelong learning. What higher education should focus on to realize society for lifelong learning is the desirable connection of different educations in the life cycle: elementary education-secondary education, higher education, and adult education. If secondary education and higher education that existed separately in the past come to be associated with the prior and subsequent education, it will be needed to examine the achievements of prior education and plan the subsequent education. In this standpoint, it is important to investigate the current system of secondary education and decide the roles of higher education. Focusing on ‘Reading’, the subject positioned in a unique place of the secondary curriculum, this study has explored what to be considered to connect secondary education and higher education. This sort of exploration can be the foundation to connect secondary education and higher education organically within the lifelong education system that is being established rapidly.