Convergence Education Based on the Liberal Arts: Focusing on the Lecture-Pairing

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution calls for fundamental changes in education. Today’s society demands convergent thinking and problem-solving competencies. In order to respond to this need, I propose a new teaching-learning method, called “lecture-paring.” It is a platform for students to connect two classes that they have already taken to yield a converging result. If students take a lecture-pairing option, they are expected to hand in a research proposal to indicate which lectures they choose to connect, which converging ideas they have, and which results they expect. The Convergence Education Committee then examines the proposal and assigns an academic adviser. Although students have the help of the advisor, in principle, they pursue the research by themselves. In other words, their research is student-centered. The lecture-pairing is a form of “problem-shooting activities” in which students take two classes delivered in the university as a pair to yield intended research results. It is also an opportunity in which students engage problems passionately and accept the challenge to solve them without fear of failure.

Lecture-paring is an economical and efficient method for convergence education because it uses existing lectures as resources without the need to develop new integrated or interdisciplinary courses. Also, various connections through lecture-pairing strengthen the academic integrity of paired lectures. This results in reinforcing academic quality in an overall university education. In addition, lecture-pairing is good for fitting with social needs, especially the job market. Convergence education using lecture-pairings can be isomorphic to appropriate industrial structures and competencies developed through lecture-paring to meet the needs of future society.