ACBS : Open Learning System

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ACBS Open Learning System in the Tertiary
Sector - Possibilities and limits of the
Academic Credit Bank system -
Eun-Soon Baik
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Contents

• What is the ACBS?
• Background of the ACBS
• Beneficiaries/Target Participants
• How does ACBS Work?
• 1. Acquiring Credits
• 2. Accreditation of Various Learning Outcomes
• 3. Various Types of ACBS Affiliated
  Institutions
• 4. Standardized Curriculum
• 5. Student Application Registration
• 6. Degree Conferment
• 7. The Administrative Organization of ACBS
• Current Status - Statistics.
• Positive Outcomes Challenges

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What is the ACBS?
The ACBS
- Is an open education system established by
the Korean government - Aims to provide all
citizens with greater access to a variety of
opportunities for pursuing higher education.
- Seeks to innovate, diversify and maximize
the educational opportunities for adults
with the vision of fostering life long learning
society. - Approves diverse types of learning
outcomes acquired not only in- school but
also out-of-school. - Recognizes
qualifications such as Vocational certificates,
and Bachelors Degree Examination Program
for the Self-Educated. - Confers a degree on
its learners based on an accumulation of ACBS
approved credits. . Currently, 463
ACBS affiliated institutions and 150,000 students
participate in ACBS.
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What is the ACBS?
The ACBS Degree
- Is entitled to legal effect equivalent to
either the associate or bachelor's degree.
For example, if a student successfully
completes a minimum of 140 credit though the
ACBSs affiliated institutions and programs,
he or she can acquire a bachelor's degree.
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Background of Academic Credit Bank System
? A great social demand for diversifying the
higher education sector - Education was viewed
as the sole domain of the formal school system.
- Non-formal modes of higher education were not
given official recognition. ? The PCERS vision
of promoting a lifelong learning society -
The introduction of ACBS was proposed in 1995 by
the Presidential Commission on Education
Reform as a driving force to realize this vision.
? Emergence of ACBS in 1998 - ACBS obtained
government endorsement through Law on Credit
Hour Recognition and Such, passed on January
13, 1997. - The accreditation system the
standardized curriculum were developed, and
the first group of 61 educational institutions
were accredited for being ACBS affiliated
educational institutions(May,1998). - The
center for ACBS in Korean Educational Development
Institution(KEDI) gained the Ministry of
Education Human Resource Development
(MOEHRD)s endorsement in administrating ACBS
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Who are the beneficiaries?
? High school graduates who were previously
unable to attend post-secondary educational
institutions. ? Those who dropped out of
junior college or university. ? Workers who
hold professional certificates but have not
acquired university degrees. ? College
or university graduates who wish to commence
studies in different fields. ? Persons
who have studied at private institutions or
junior colleges and wish to transfer into
the university system. ? Persons who have
acquired the skills or arts that belong to the
category of the important intangible
properties, or completed training in inheriting
those skills or arts.
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How does Academic Credit Bank System Work?
? In accordance with its mandate, ACBS accredits
a variety of educational programs, with the
goal of guaranteeing open and flexible access to
continuing education of high quality. ACBS
also grants recognition to learners'
diverse learning experiences, including prior
course credits and other diverse forms of
learning. ? Credits are acquired primarily
through ACBS affiliated institutions,
part-time enrollment in colleges or universities,
certificate acquisition, bachelor's degree
examination program for self-education, and the
training to inherit the skills and arts of
the intangible cultural properties.
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How does Academic Credit Bank System Work?
Acquiring Credits

Acquiring National certificate or officially
recognized private certificate
Completing courses from ACBS affiliated
institutions
Credits from recognized prior colleges
universities
Passing bachelor's degree exam for
Self-educated, Completing courses for exam
exemption
Taking non degree courses programs from
colleges universities (on/off-line) on a
part-time basis
Holding or Completing a training in
acquiring skills of important intangible
cultural properties
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Accreditation of Educational Institutions
Programs
Non-formal educational institutions are formally
evaluated and, if successful, given approval as
ACBS affiliated institutions offering
accredited programs and courses, which can be
counted as the credits equivalent to university
or college credits. These institutions are
evaluated in terms of the qualities of their
instructors, facilities and curricula ?
Instructors must possess the qualifications as
full-time professors of junior college or
beyond. There must be a sufficient number of
instructors and the total teaching hours per
instructor should not exceed 1824 hours a
week. ? ACBS affiliated institutions should
have enough number/size of classrooms and
facilities such as a laboratory, administrative
office, counseling office, and library. ?
Offered programs must comply with the
standardized curriculum for each subject,
as regulated by the MEHRD and KEDI.
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Process of Accrediting Educational Institutions
Programs
? Course based accreditation ? Evaluation
rubric (evaluating competence of individual
course) 1) legal appropriateness of
facilities, instructs (pass/fail) 2)
stability of administrative organization 3)
quality feasibility of lesson plan class
management ? Application documentary
evaluation - review based on evaluation
rubric - field specialists educational
experts ? Institution visit evaluation -
evaluating data from documentary data to
observation - field specialists
educational experts ? Once passed course based
accreditation - becoming ACBS affiliated
institution, eligible to run the
accredited courses.
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Process of Accrediting Educational Institutions
Programs
? Major based accreditation ? Evaluation
rubric(evaluating competence of a major) 1)
legal appropriateness of facilities,
instructs(pass/fail) 2) stability of
administrative organization 3) quality
feasibility of lesson plan Class management
? Documentary evaluation institution visit
evaluation(concurrently) - review based on
evaluation rubric - evaluating data from
documentary data to observation - field
specialists professional educators ? Once
passed major based accreditation - becoming
ACBS affiliated institution, eligible to run the
whole courses of the accredited major
listed on standard curriculum.
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Various types of ACBS affiliated institutions
? Adult and continuing education institutions or
private education institutions as set forth
in the Continuing Education Law ? Vocational
education and training institutions as set forth
in the Vocational Education and Training
Law ? Universitys or Colleges Centers for
extension programs ? Advanced technical
training schools or special schools with
relevant departments ? Mass media agencies and
Culture centers which perform adult
continuing education ? Other continuing
education facilities or vocational education
training institutions recognized by the MOEHRD,
including business affiliated universities
or vocational training centers
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Standardized Curriculum
? Standardized curriculum refers to a
comprehensive learning plan which is
customized for each subject major. On the one
hand, it provides instructors with specific
guidelines for curriculum preparation,
while on the other hand, it gives learners a
detailed description of possible learning
paths and educational goods and outcomes.
? The standardized curriculum is being jointly
developed by the ACBS affiliated
institutions KEDI, with the assistance of
related experts. It is updated based on
social change, academic and technological
development, and the demands from the
institutions offering accredited educational
program and students. ? The standardized
curriculum concretely addresses educational
objectives subjects and required credits for
general courses, core courses, and elective
courses graduation and degree requirements
and evaluation and quality control.
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Student application and Registration
? Students who wish to receive a degree must
apply for registration by completing a
Student Registration Form and a Credit Approval
Application Form. Each of these forms must be
submitted to either KEDI or a Provincial
boards of Education. Once registered, each
student accumulates credits in credit bank until
the points become eligible for graduation.
? ACBS is equipped with a comprehensive
information service system which enables
learners across the nation to gain access to ACBS
information and materials on the internet.
This Web-based system provides learners
with access to their personal record and ACBS
credit history. Additional information on
accredited courses and standardized
curriculum are also provided.
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Degree Conferment
After completing the necessary credit
requirement(140 credits for a bachelor's
degree, 80 credits for three-year associate
diploma), graduation candidates may submit a
Degree Application to either KEDI or their
Provincial Boards of Education. These
applications are reviewed by the Screening
Committee for Academic Credit Accreditation at
KEDI, and then forwarded to the MOEHRD for
final approval. Candidates can be conferred a
degree by the MOEHRD or they may receive a
degree directly from a university or college.
In the latter case, candidates must meet the
specific degree requirements of the conferring
institution(e.g., over 85 course credits for
universities and over 50 course credits for
colleges).
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The degree acquisition process

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The Administrative Organization of ACBS
The following institutions are involved in the
administration of ACBS the MOEHRD, KEDI,
Provincial boards of education, etc. ? The
Lifelong Learning Policy Division of the MOEHRD
formulates all policies related to ACBS,
approves the educational programs offered by
education and training institutions, proclaims
the standardized curriculum, and confers
degrees to individual learners. ? KEDI is
responsible for student registration and credit
approval, review and approval of degree
requirements, accreditation, reevaluation
of education programs, and management of the ACBS
service. ? Provincial boards of education, as
ACBS information centers, not only collect
and forward the Learner Registration Forms and
the Credit Approval Forms to KEDI, but also
provide students with practical information
and advice.
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Current Status
Registered Learners
(2005. 10. 1, unit person)
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Current Status
Degree Holders
(2006. 10. 1, unit person)
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Current Status
Degree holder by age
(2006. 10. 1, unit person)
(2006.10)
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Current Status
Approved Credits
(2006. 10. 1, unit credits)
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Current Status
ACBS Affiliated Educational Institution
(unit number)
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Positive Outcomes
? ACBS guarantee each learner's right to access
learning any time and any place, through a
variety of methods, means and media. It also
assists those who could not afford to attend
university by providing opportunities to
pursue learning and self-development through
alternative forms of continuing education. ?
Under ACBS, diverse educational institutions,
across both formal and non-formal domains,
vertically as well as horizontally are linked.
The eventual goal is to build mutual
consensus regarding educational forms and
outcomes, and thereby maximize the utilization of
human and educational resources.
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Challenges of the ACBS
1. Maintaining quality control while allowing
increased autonomy 2. Establishing a
collaborative relationship between formal higher
education system ACBS 3. Advancing as
one of the major alternative higher education
systems that can be recognized by many
nations.