One Year After the Challenge Semester
△Nam-Taek Kwon (Statistics), Eun-Ju Sim (Statistics), Dong-Young Kim (Statistics)
What changes have the students who participated in the challenge semester experienced over the past year?
Last July, the Center for Teaching & Learning selected and awarded students who have experienced changes and growth through challenge semester at the <2020 Challenge X Live Contest>. Before this year’s challenge semester, the Center for Teaching & Learning interviewed seven winners of 2020 to hear about their experiences.
Winners: Ji-Yeon Kim (Global Business Administration), Seok-Hoon Kang (Bio-mechatronic Engineering), Jieun Nam (Business Administration), Yeawon Choi (Korean Literature in Classical Chinese), Nam-Taek Kwon (Statistics), Eun-Ju Sim (Statistics), Dong-Young Kim (Statistics).
Regarding the most satisfying part of the participation process in the challenge semester, most students mentioned about the classes they took. Nam-Taek, who took <Machine Learning and Deep Learning> said “It was fun to learn by using tools unlike major classes that mostly focused on theory.” Yeawon who took <Phono Sapiences, created by smart phone> said “I was able to form a team with other students from both campuses and participate in a startup project. I was very rewarding because we won the Grand Prize at the contest.” Ji-Yeon who took <Fourth Industrial Revolution and Startup Business> said “It was interesting to learn the connection between the fourth industrial revolution and startup business that I always wanted to know.”
△Yeawon Choi (Korean Literature in Classical Chinese), Jieun Nam (Business Administration), Seok-Hoon Kang (Bio-mechatronic Engineering)
Looking back on the year after the challenge semester, students said the challenge semester provided a foothold for “start, possibility, and certainty”. Challenge semester was the ‘starting point’ for Ji-Yeon. She said “I was passive due to lack of experience in many ways, but I thought I should have practical experience while taking classes during the challenge semester. Through the challenge semester, I gained confidence and it led me to apply for an internship.” Starting with the internship, she continues to challenge herself by taking a number of start-up classes on campus, working at digital marketing startups and winning the Startup CEO Challenge organized by the department.
△ Ji-Yeon Kim (Global Business Administration)
Seok-Hoon Kang who took <Applied AI> opened his ‘possibility’ through challenge semester. He said that “The challenge semester was the only opportunity to learn about AI technology and knowledge needed in the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution. I was able to achieve a lot by utilizing the knowledge I learned at the challenge semester in various situations such as writing a business plan.” Also, he earned a chance to get a consultation from incumbent for the S-hero contest that he participated during the challenge semester through <Applied AI>. He said he was able to understand practical contents during the consultation because he learned basic knowledge from the class. It seemed like the challenge semester became a stepping stone for ‘bigger challenges’ for students.
Dong-Young Kim gained “certainty” through the challenge semester. When he took classes of challenge semester, he was in the 4th year of university which was the important time for him. Through <Machine Learning and Deep Learning> in the challenge semester, he realized his interests in data analysis. So, he went to graduate school and continue to study areas of interest.
Ji-Yeon said, “I had a lot of concerns about my career path when I took the challenge semester, but I was able to expand my thoughts through various experiences. I especially want to recommend it to students in 2nd - 3rd years.” Jieun said that “I liked the challenge semester because I had more time and it costed less than the regular semester. In addition, it was a great opportunity to meet nice people during the project.” She also mentioned that it would be nicer if there are more subjects or programs in various fields that non-major students can take.
For the 2021 challenge semester, there will be offline internship and international exchange programs. The Center for Teaching & Learning plans to get applications from the end of May to early June and hold the challenge semester contest.
* Reference: 2020 Challenge X Live Award Video: https://youtu.be/BKbTvTa52V0
* Reference: 2020 Challenge X Live Award E-book: https://ibook.skku.edu/Viewer/6T7YSFBFEXCO
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