INTERVIEW Namseoul University leads adoption of innovative IB education programs

Park Hee-suk, dean of the International Graduate School at Namseoul University / Courtesy of Namseoul University

The International Graduate School (IGS) at Namseoul University has taken the lead in bringing innovative International Baccalaureate (IB) education programs into Korea by operating the International Baccalaureate Educator Certificate (IBEC) course.

Park Hee-suk, dean of Namseoul University IGS, said during a recent interview with The Korea Times that the school became the first among domestic universities to have been certified by the International Baccalaureate Organization to train IB educators for the IB DP (Diploma Program) — an assessed program for students aged 16 to 19 — in March 2020.

Since then, the school, located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, has obtained additional certifications to train IB educators for MYP (Middle Years Program) in December 2021 and PYP (Primary Years Program) in January this year, which were also firsts for Korea. MYP is for students aged 11 to 16, while PYP is for children aged 3 to 12.

The International Baccalaureate Organization is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, that was founded in 1968. The organization offers four challenging education programs for schools worldwide, aiming to enable students to direct their own learning pathways and develop skills and confidence.

“IB programs have come to the fore in recent years as they have been recognized as the innovative alternative that could contribute to the country’s education reform,” Park said.

“At the beginning, skepticism existed, with critics denouncing the programs as expansive classes for aristocrats. But more interest arose for their innovative way of teaching that was compared to the country’s uniform education system.”

Amid growing interest, education authorities have also begun to pay attention to the IB programs, as evidenced by an increasing number of candidates running for recent superintendent elections offering pledges of adopting the programs in local schools, according to Park.

Students taking Namseoul University International Graduate School's IBEC course participate in the summer workshop held at Seoul Foreign School on July 28. Courtesy of Namseoul University

The IBEC course at Namseoul University IGS is led by the International Baccalaureate Educators’ Network (IBEN) and Korean assistant lecturers, thus the course aims to provide educational excellence for students from all over the world.

The 30-week course is offered in two semesters mainly online, using a real-time non-face-to-face Zoom system and learning management system Moodle.

“Anyone who has a teaching certificate can apply to study in the IBEC course,” Park said. “Since the IBEC course began operating in 2021, a total of 65 students, most of whom were grade school teachers and private institute instructors as well as international school teachers, have taken the course, seeking to play a key role in the education sector.”

In January 2022, the IBEC course at Namseoul University IGS was recognized by the International Baccalaureate Organization for its excellent online curriculum and recommended as a model case for other schools in Canada and Australia preparing to operate the IBEC course.

In May this year, Namseoul University IGS signed an important memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education, under which the education office entrusted the school to train 50 elementary and middle school teachers at its IBEC course.

“The one-year course for these 50 teachers — 30 for MYP and 20 for PYP — began on June 15,” Park said.

“We are proud of this MOU as it means our course was recognized by the education office.”

Park said the school will expand cooperation with other education offices, noting that talks have been already underway with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and South Chungcheong Province Office of Education.

Other than the IBEC course, Namseoul University IGS offers five career-focused, full-time master’s degree programs, including Global Techno Entrepreneurship, Global Addiction Rehabilitation Counseling and International Education.

“The number of students studying at these departments has more than doubled from 34 in 2019 to 100 this year,” Park said, attributing the achievement to the school’s consistent efforts to publicize its programs around the world by, for example, actively participating in international education fairs.

Park noted the school plans to add two more departments — International Business and Orthopedic Manual Physiotherapy and Contrology — next year.

“We will continue working to expand our IBEC course,” Park said. “We will also make efforts to diversify the nationalities of students coming to study at Namseoul University IGS.”