▲ Wonkwang Digital University / Chancellor Kim Gyu-yeol

Learning is not a one-off event in life. We need it time to time as our job old or new require a certain level of competency. The problem however is that we are busy enough to spare a time to commute between work and school. Thankfully, the advent of remote learning makes no excuse. 

Wonkwang Digital University

Started as Uilhakrim in 1946, the academy was reborn as Wonkwang Digital University in 2002 under its philosophy of Won Buddhism. The 17 majors in 3 departments of wellbeing and health, Korean culture, and practical welfare in Seoul, Iksan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Busan and Daegu have fostered around 35,000 students so far.

Wonkwang Digital University is famous for on-off line lessons which it calls ‘blended-learning’. In 2018 and 2019, the university earned ‘adult learning contents development project’ two years in a row. In 2015 and 2018, the University News Network listed the university in ‘educational contents excellence universities’. 

Also, Wonkwang Digital University has earned top grades at competency appraisals in 2007 and 2013 and won the best prize at the Web Award Korea in 2017 and the Digital Innovation Awards in mobile category in 2019. 

It has been a member university of the Asean University Learning Support Project run by the Korea Education and Research Information Service for 4 years. Through this project, Wonkwang Digital University transferred its knowhow of online education contents development to National University of Laos.

90% re-enrollment rate

Wonkwang Digital University has proved excellence in oriental medicine and health, oriental medicinal cosmetics and arts, yoga and meditation, wellness and cultural tourism, tea culture management, oriental science, traditional performing arts, taekwondo and bodyguard, physiognomy management and language pathology. 

The university introduced WIND2.0, a next generation general information system, which provides reaction type web technology application, remote support and one on one coaching services. Students can re-take their choice of classes up to 6 years. 

Thanks to this step-ahead system, more than 90% students have re-enrolled. Video lectures and the fingerprint-based app ‘smart edu 3.0’ also played key roles. This all-in-one student administration app makes things simpler than ever. 

Kim Gyu-yeol

Chancellor Kim Gyu-yeol majored in oriental medicine and obtained master’s and doctor’s degrees at Kyung Hee University. He started serving as oriental medicine and health professor at Wonkwang Digital University in 2005 and was promoted to a dean of a number of departments before being the chancellor March 2019. 

Taking the steering wheel, Kim has drawn numerous MOUs with various organizations, hosted community-friendly events and recently is running a ‘mind quarantine’ program. 

“Mind quarantine especially is designed for those affected by COVID-19 to receive counseling from specialists in the field. The university also collected donation and sent it to those in need of help” says Kim.

Scholarship

Wonkwang Digital University is proud to run more than 30 scholarship programs that have benefited 89% of students every year from employees and housewives to specialized high school students and elderly learners. 

Apart from scholarship, the university helps students obtain national and private certifications as well as job seeking and startup. The university also runs exchange programs with University of Toronto Canada, Liaoning Medical College China and Patanjali University India. In addition, Wonkwang Digital University is linked with around 1,000 industry-university cooperation bodies to help students get a job or start a business more effectively and efficiently. 

Excellence in the field of natural health

It is encouraging that the university has been offering intensive and down-to-earth knowledge about herbal food, yoga, meditation and natural remedies through its graduate course for natural health care and therapy since 2011. Many graduates are being actively engaged in related industries from nutritionists to herbal specialists and yoga teachers.

Gathering decades of accumulated knowledge and experience, Chancellor Lee is keeping himself busy day and night to grow Wonkwang Digital University as a leader of remote learning.