Introduction
The face-to-face class was held in two years in Konkuk University. As most of the students are having full-faceto-face classes for the first time, students were excited. At the same time, they expressed concern that they would have problems related to COVID-19. And that concern is actually happening at our university right now. In fact, it is necessary to take into account that there is a certain amount of trial and error not only in universities but also in society as a whole. Nevertheless, the university did not show any efforts to prevent or actively solve the basic problems caused by face-to-face classes. As a result, students are living with inconvenience.
This Bullletin Comment would like to deal with various inconveniences that students experience at school after switching to face-to-face classes. Furthermore, in this regard, we will check the efficiency of the policy about COVID-19, whether the solution which school has established was the best method from the current view, and find out how to deal with future problems.
1. Infringement of the right to study
1.1. Lecture
The first problem that emerges when starting face-to-face classes will be the infringement of students' right to learn. When the daily number of confirmed cases reached 100,000, many students infected with COVID-19 were unable to at tend face-to-face classes. However, since the designated face-to-face class is not a hybr id lecture, it is impossible to open a zoom to conduct non-face-to-face classes simultaneously. Therefore, no further action was possible, except for acknowledging the students' commitment. During the quarantine period when face-to-face classes were not available for students, most of them could not receive supplementary materials as well as listening to classes. There was also an experimental class that runs non-face-to-face for a week when a confirmed case comes out. Is this method effective? It seems very confusing that the lecture method continues to change due to a small number of confirmed students since it already happened. There was also a problem due to the instructor's confirmation of COVID-19. The school left all measures to the discretion of the instructor even when the instructor was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19. Therefore, the method of running classes varies widely from lecture to lecture. Some classes take a week off, while others urgently switch to online classes. KU should present specific manuals to prepare clear solutions for both instructors and students in advance.
KU delivered a notice that the class, which was in principle a off line lecture, could be converted to a online lecture for the first three weeks as a reason for the installation of a sneeze guard. However, instructors were given to choose the way to deliver a lecture by their preference, and it was only applicable to some lectures. In addition to this period, face-to-face classes that were not converted to online lectures could not be recorded, so recordings were not provided. Therefore, students who were confirmed in April and May after March could not be fully guaranteed their right to study. Even if a recorded version is provided, there are many problems because the recorded version was already made a year or two ago. In the case of practical classes, there are many students who find it difficult to follow the contents as there are many classes where only the instructor's lecture materials are uploaded separately. Still, the school has not come up with a specific solution. If there is an accurate policy, there is no need to leave it to the discretion of the instructor. For students, it may be difficult to reject to the instructor's decision. Therefore KU should present well-organized guidelines.
Sookmyung Women's University converted all classes in the first semester of 2022 into hybrids. In other words, online zoom classes are conducted as a mixed class so students can autonomously choose between zoom lectures and off line classes. KU designates it as a hybrid class only when a professor applies in advance. Of course, there are cost problems to cover the equipment. It can be practically difficult to convert all classes into hybrids. However, as the face-to-face class was conducted earlier, it is necessary to be ready for a certain amount of preparation or countermeasures.
1.2. Place
In fact, in the case of theoretical lectures, not all face-to-face classes are conducted. In many cases, classes are conducted offline according to the instructor's decision. As a result, in the case of students who have mixed face-to-face and real-time zoom classes, there is a problem that there is not enough space to listen to lectures in the meantime. For example, three subjects are lecture courses, but there is a lack of places where students with face-to-face class, real-time zoom class, and face-to-face class can take lectures in schools. There are certainly facilities available on campus, such as K-Cube and Restio. However, there are classes where students have to speak in real-time lectures, so a space for them to speak is needed. In that case, the space where students can take real-time lectures is very limited, and K-Cube is also difficult to use because other student reserve fast.
In addition, the number of students in face-to-face classes should be limited to less than 80 percent of the number of students who can be accommodated in the classroom. However, there are many classes where professors receive more students. In one class, there was not enough space to sit apart on the exam day, so they used two classrooms to take the test.
1.3. The method of taking an exam
As mentioned above, the test method is also confused as off line and online classes are mixed. Students who were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 were gathered separately so that they could take the test. However, there is no supervision or systematic system to manage them while taking an exam via zoom, which led to the problem of equity. In addition to students confirmed with COVID-19, foreign exchange students but are not in Korea access by zoom when taking the test. Compared to students who took the off line test, would not this have any effect on the grade evaluation? In addition, there are classes where you cannot take an exam if you are confirmed. In one class, while other students took multiple-choice tests on the day of the test, a confirmed student took a descriptive test of all problems alone after the quarantine period ended. In another class, if a confirmed case occurs, the same test is taken next week or the week after the test. These parts are contrary to fairness in that confirmed students were given more time to study.
As the university took a online test for two years, the need to prevent cheating increased. Thus, various programs were created according to the demand. Other universities such as Sungkyunkwan University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Chung-Ang University are already trying to minimize the possibility of cheating by using certain programs. In order to prevent cheating, instructors had been reducing the test time to a minimum or requiring students to install multiple cameras in online test situations. KU has not come up with a specific plan and is sitting on the sidelines, even though this method may come as a burden for students. Since KU has also been caught cheating several times in online tests, it is necessary to introduce a system to prevent cheating for fairness.
2. Facilities
2.1. Sneeze guard
In order to prevent additional infections between students during offline classes, the school installed a sneeze guard between the desk and the desk. Even though the purpose was good, there are also inconveniences experienced by this. First of all, there is a problem that other students cannot hear well in the discussion class because the sneeze guard interrupts them. There is also a comment that the sneeze guard is ref lected by light or is too large to see the board. In addition, the effectiveness of the sneeze guard is questionable because it is only installed in front of the desk and not on both sides. Since it is a transparent plate, students have to endure the inconvenience of not being able to see the board well because there is nobody cleaning it even if there are fingerprints or other contaminated parts. Although it is mandatory to wear a mask indoors, students were confused with the installing of the sneeze guard for three weeks. In one class, there is a sneeze guard in the theory class, but no sneeze guard in the experimental class. The effectiveness of selective installation is questionable because it is a class with the same number of people while five to six students have to share one desk in the experimental class.
The sneeze guard seems to have a greater side effect than its effect. Not only is it important to install it, but more thorough management is also needed. In addition, if the sneeze guard is installed on both sides to prevent the problem of this semester's sneeze guard, it will be necessary to complete the installation during the summer vacation.
2.2. Use of building facilities
Just because classes have been converted offline does not mean that all buildings are available. It is understandable that the use of some buildings is limited to prevent further infections. However, it is unfair that it is difficult to use basic buildings which should be open to students. The school gym is an example. The school gym was opened for the first time in April this semester, but this is also not freely used by all students. Even when the organization rents, the hours of use are limited. Some of the colleges' lounge rooms have not yet been opened either. In addition, with club activities being resumed again, students must register to the KT to enter the club room. There is an inconvenience that everyone has to register because a large number of people participate in club activities. Therefore, to unify the overall method is necessary since each club uses complex methods of registering for the club rooms, such as collecting information of members and registering them at once, individual registration methods, or continuous registering.
Also, the school restaurant in the library is closed. Since the start of COVID-19, only restaurants in the Millennium Hall among the school's restaurants have been opened. However since this restaurant is for faculty members, the price is higher than other school restaurants, making it inconvenient for students to use it frequently. The school restaurant in the library has not been able to resume operation until now due to the bankruptcy of the company. As it is implemented as a face-to-face class, efforts to solve such problems as signing contracts with other companies should be operated quickly. Water purifiers from the school restaurant in the student council building is not available. Students cannot drink water freely even though the restaurants are open, so they have to deal with the hassle of buying water.
The same is true of studying space in the library. Social distancing in the library had continued since COVID-19 began. It was inevitable when the government's distancing guidelines were existing, but KU opened all studying space in the library from May 13 despite the social distancing being lifted on April 18. This was after the midterm exam, so students already had a period when they lacked places to study.
In addition, empty chairs and fever checkers still remain at the entrances in various buildings, including student council building and library, where fever checkers were employed due to COVID-19. Since it is no longer needed to check the temperature, it does not look good in appearance with the empty chairs and fever checkers. As offline classes were conducted clearly, the preparation of the school was insufficient from the use of the building.
Conclusion
As COVID-19 continued for a long time, universities eventually conducted face-to-face classes to bring back the vibrant campus that had stopped. Amid the expectations and concerns, our campus regained its vitality, and students visited the college with excitement in their first face-to-face class. However, we have to think about a few things. Despite everyone's concern about the transition to face-to-face that would have eventually taken place, did KU really do its best to prevent the problems that would arise? After offline classes, are students' rights fully guaranteed? Unlike other universities, KU should have shown thorough preparation for the risks of choice as it was one of a few universities conducted face-to-face classes. We need to criticize the process of accepting face-to-face classes rather than criticizing themselves. KU should actively listen to students' discomfort and take this problem seriously. Ultimately, it will have to work hard for the rights of students who are the owners of schools.