Hyein Kim

 

Class of 2023

 

 

"Be a voice, not an echo."

 

 

Taejae University is an innovative university established in September 2023. The university conducts civic projects in five different cities related to South Korea: Seoul, Tokyo, New York City, Hong Kong, and Moscow. These projects aim to enhance problem-solving skills and proactivity, which are essential for this new era.

 

I was one of the first students at Taejae University. Before coming here, I studied business administration for three semesters. I decided to restart my university life at this brand-new school because I believed it would provide me with unique opportunities. My expectations were confirmed after reflecting on my first semester. I want to share five main learning outcomes with you.

 

 

1. Zero to One: A Tale of Building Blocks

 

 

Making new clubs

 

 

Being a new school, we didn't have any clubs, so I started a Christian group and an artist's group with a group of interested friends. There were less than 30 of us, but we had a lot of like-minded people, so I felt it was a good environment for us to do things. We meet every morning at 8 a.m. to read the books of Daniel, Romans, and Matthew, play QT, and plan art projects together. We're going to start doing more active activities next semester.

 

 

 

 

Self-Designed Asian University Tour Program

 

 

Taejae University is offering a program this winter break. Students are invited to find an innovative education program at a university in Asia, submit a week-long itinerary and budget, and receive an all-expenses-paid trip. The program aims to explore other universities and find benchmarks for Taejae University.

 

I planned to visit NUS (National University of Singapore) with two friends. We started with a blank slate because we had no connections. To finalize our itinerary, we reached out to NUS students, professors, and companies via LinkedIn and email and completed a proposal for the trip that focused on three main categories: Yale NUS, School of Computing, and Metaverse. We created a plan to achieve the program's objectives by identifying and linking relevant points to Taejae University for each subtopic.

 

This process was challenging, but it also enhanced my problem-solving skills. Previously, I had only participated in pre-organized programs, but now I have experience planning, contacting people, and preparing for programs independently.

 

I am excited about the interviews with Urban Studies students and professors at Yale-NUS. Initially, I contacted them because of their relation to Taejae University, which is conducting a civic project exploring five cities. However, as I learned more about urban studies, I became increasingly fascinated with the field. I found the combination of research results in urban studies with data to be particularly interesting.

 

Four professors have reviewed my thesis, and I am currently revising it based on their feedback. One comment stated that it shows a lot of thought and reads like a well-organized comparative study.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Beyond Boundaries: Expanding Horizons

 

 

Meeting new friends

 

 

I had the chance to interact with students from Minerva University, a school similar to Taejae University, and made friends from Japan, India, and the Philippines. As my interest grew, I talked in English for three to four hours, met with the same friend three to four times, and discussed my innermost thoughts. We shared experiences at Metaverse conferences, exhibitions, and various locations such as Iksun-dong, Jongno neighborhoods, and Hongdae. I always enjoy meeting new people, but having a meaningful conversation with a friend from a different culture was refreshing and boosted my confidence in speaking English a lot.

 

I was shocked to witness many things around me. For example, their stories of starting their own business before entering university and balancing it with their studies. Additionally, their experiences of finding their expertise and doing internships at leading companies and schools as early as their first year of university. Finally, they confidently explained their interests and humbly asked for help when they approached executives they had never met before.

 

At first, I felt inferior and behind, but then I became grateful for their friendship and determined to find my niche and create my content and stories. The semester was valuable.

 

 

Christian Fellowship

 

 

Additionally, the Christian groups from Taejae University and Minerva University held two unity gatherings together. During a prayer meeting with friends from Nigeria, Japan, Brazil, and other countries, we prayed for each other's schools, the Korean church, and the world. It was an inspiring and stimulating experience.

 

 

 

 

Multi-Ethnic World Cup

 

 

I served as a coordinator for the Ugandan soccer team at the Multi-Ethnic World Cup, which is organized by my church every two years. I spent the entire day with them and became interested in the more than 2.5 million foreign workers in Korea. I met a friend who is a master's student in urban planning at the University of Seoul. We worked together on a future final project.

 

 

 

 

Drawn Journalism

 

 

I had a chance encounter with friends from Zimbabwe and Nigeria. We went out to study at a cafe and talked for hours on end about various topics. I found Drawn Journalism, which combines my childhood passions of drawing, writing, and talking. I organize our conversations on a page with pictures. I will develop this more in 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Spotlight Moments: Showcasing Self and School

 

 

Firstly, I volunteered to appear in the school's promotional video and participated in an hour-long talk show where we discussed my motivation for applying and school life in a relaxed atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

Additionally, I gave an impromptu speech in front of about 150 people at an event organized by a media startup called . Later, a reporter contacted me, and we discussed Taejae University and my background.

I have to explain what Taejae University is about wherever I go, so I feel like my marketing and communication skills are improving :)

 

 

4. Knowledge in Action: Bridging Classroom and Reality

 

 

During this semester, I took several discussion and debate-oriented courses taught in English. For each course, I had to write 1000 words every two weeks and complete assignments in various formats, such as videos, podcasts, and infographics. This experience significantly improved my ability to speak, write, read, and listen in English.

 

 

1) Creative Thinking and Problem Solving

 

We studied a problem-solving technique called CPS in detail. At the end of the semester, we wrote an essay on using CPS to solve a real-world problem. I collaborated with a Metaverse Work Study student on a final project. Our project focused on the question, 'How can we create engaging and practical activities within the Metaverse for students to participate in regularly?' We designed a platform within the metaverse for students to showcase and share their work. Later in the Metaverse Work Study section, I will explain this further.

 

 

2) Critical and Rational Thinking

 

In this course, I learned about basic logical fallacies, cognitive biases, and other knowledge related to critical thinking from a logical and psychological perspective. During the 100-minute class, we spent approximately 30–40 minutes listening to the professor's explanation after reading articles and papers related to the course content in advance. The remaining hour was dedicated to small group discussions and debate activities. Through these activities, I was able to apply my knowledge by identifying logical fallacies in newspaper articles and analyzing cognitive biases used in real-life advertisements.

 

 

3) Diversity, Empathy and Global Citizenship

 

The course also covered global citizenship, the significance of empathy, international cooperation, and global issues such as poverty, health, and the climate crisis, all centered around the UN SDGs(Sustainable Development Goals).

 

In this class, I learned about diversity in various aspects, such as religion, sexuality, neurodiversity, and socioeconomic status. The course also covered global citizenship, the significance of empathy, international cooperation, and global issues such as poverty, health, and the climate crisis, all centered around the UN SDGs. The course also covered global citizenship, the significance of empathy, international cooperation, and global issues such as poverty, health, and the climate crisis, all centered around the UN SDGs.

 

During the class, we analyzed our statistics on international issues, discussed macro trends, and conducted a mock UN to represent each country's position. We also addressed questions that arose during the course. Although some parts of the class were a bit clumsy due to it being my first time at school, overall, I gained a lot from it by actively participating. I experienced a different type of learning from traditional classes through various types of classes, which were not just one-sided lectures by professors. I enjoyed the assignments in this class, particularly two that stood out in my mind.

 

 

(1) An analytical essay about the ‘Minari’

 

'Minari', which explores the lives of Korean immigrants in the U.S. After learning about multicultural societies, citizenship, global citizenship, and the state of immigration, we were tasked with answering five out of eight questions related to the movie. The experience of thinking deeply about these questions and writing a lengthy essay using what we learned in class was valuable.

 

 

(2) Podcast with a friend from Uganda

 

For my final school project, I recorded a podcast with a Ugandan friend who is pursuing a master's program in urban planning in Korea with support from KOICA. The podcast discusses the state of higher education in Uganda. It was a fun experience. We utilized concepts learned in our diversity class to write scenarios and improvise with our friend from Uganda. I became interested in KOICA's support programs and want to learn more about the economic situation and entrepreneurship in developing countries. I hope to engage in related activities in the future.

 

 

 

 

4) Motivation and Self-Directed Learning

 

In this class, I learned about the importance of self-directed learning and lifelong learning. I learned how to find a topic of inquiry and draw conclusions. This knowledge will serve as the foundation for a lifetime of study. We had a semester-long research project on an open-ended topic, which we presented at the end of the semester.

 

This semester, I decided to learn about religions other than Christianity. I became curious about them after meeting friends of different faiths. Fortunately, my professor is an expert in world religions. He uses videos of his visits to places like the Gobi Desert and Myanmar temples from the early 2000s in his classes to provide experiential learning. He is a unique and passionate person. During office hours, we often chatted to further our exploration.

 

During my time in Seoul, I visited a mosque and attended a Hindu cultural performance. I also read various religious books, which helped me break down my preconceived notions about other religions and explore them more seriously. This experience allowed me to recapture the joy of experiential learning and intellectual exploration, all thanks to my professor's emphasis on 'Make it Real.' As a result, I was able to adopt a more active attitude towards learning.

 

 

 

 

5. Embracing Our Project: Ownership and Pride

 

 

In my metaverse work & study from the end of September, I had meetings with the Dean of Data Science. The Dean had been working on UX at Samsung Electronics for 20 years. We discussed how to revitalize Taejae University's Metaverse Campus. Taejae University offers online classes, but students face challenges interacting with each other and professors due to the global rotation of instructors.

 

To address this issue, the university plans to create a metaverse campus to facilitate intimate interactions and expand learning opportunities. The Metaverse Campus is modeled after the main building of Taejae University. It has already been developed, but it is unclear what kind of activities students can do in the space. The professor asked me and two students to survey students' opinions and propose unique activities that can only be done through the Metaverse Campus.

 

We surveyed students and met with a metaverse development company called 'Dikerik' that is working with the school. We also had many meetings among ourselves. However, in the current situation, students do not feel the need for a metaverse campus because they are all living together in a dormitory. Therefore, it was difficult to come up with an effective proposal. Additionally, we found that students still have a lot of resistance to using the metaverse and VR for learning.

 

We changed our perspective and decided to use Metaverse to archive students' creations after class instead of using it for the class itself. This approach requires more interactive tasks, so we created an example: We not only created the class but also developed a simple example to showcase the results of civic projects carried out by Taejae University students in five different countries on Metaverse.

 

In January, we plan to continue this work-study program and collaborate with professors to explore new Metaverse platforms and create concrete examples for archiving. We plan to visit the company that developed the university's Metaverse in Singapore this February to learn more about their experiences. While I remain unconvinced about the validity of a metaverse campus, I am grateful to participate in this project and will strive to produce meaningful results.

 

 

 

 

It has been a semester full of new experiences and self-reflection.

I am grateful for everything that has happened by God's grace.

Thank you, Lord!

 

 

Original Source: https://cozyspaceofhyein.substack.com/p/my-inaugural-semester-as-taejae-universitys