Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI)

Global Trend Analysis on University Educational Capacity Enhancement Policy

As academic analysis and political debate on the quality of higher education and the competition between universities has consistently been explored, it has precipitated a considerable shift in the field of higher education. Many countries with well-developed education systems have put political effort into regaining and strengthening the functional role of higher education. The South Korean government has also supported the Educational Capacity Enhancement Project (ECEP) of universities since 2008. This has served as a momentum to switch the focus of national policy from research-based universities to education-based universities and student-centered education. Although the Korean government and universities have acknowledged the significance of educational functions and have sought to improve the quality of higher education, there still seemed to be a long way to go. At this point, it was worth looking at the educational policies and strategies in other leading counties where they have already been concerned with these issues in order to address potential challenges on the ECEP of universities’s policies.