Universities are increasing the number of English-only lectures to “go in step with the globalization trend,” but students and professors are uncomfortable with the plan. They complain that learning efficiency decreases rather than increases in classes where teachers and students are supposed to speak only English.

Since the innovative Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology president Suh Nam-pyo declared “all-English” lectures at the state-run university five years ago and the decision was highly appraised by university ranking services, Korean universities began requiring professors to give their lectures in English, giving some incentives to those who complied. Students who took English-only lectures had advantages in applying for scholarships.

International and domestic ranking organizations include “globalization” as a major criterion in assessing academic qualities, comparing how many foreign students are enrolled and how many professors are exchanged with foreign institutions. English lectures are a must in providing “borderless” higher education through credit sharing and joint research programs. Universities have also stressed the use of English in classrooms in an effort to develop students’ proficiency in the language, a vital requirement in the job market.

However, the indiscriminate application of the “English-only” principle soon exposed problems. Only instructors who had undergraduate courses in English-speaking zones and who lived abroad at a younger age were comfortable lecturing in English, while those who earned their MA and Ph.D. degrees overseas after graduating from domestic universities mostly experienced limitations in delivering knowledge to students in English. Giving lectures in English in Korean studies courses also involved many difficulties.

At present, English-only lectures account for about a third of the total in most universities, which, however, are trying to increase that portion. But, it is generally recognized that more preparation is needed on the part of both students and professors to ensure better communication in English-speaking classes. English proficiency programs should be provided not only for students but also for instructors.

More and more students are coming from China, India and other Asian countries. Students from Europe and Africa are not rare in Korean universities. Korean institutions need to offer more Korean language learning programs for the international exchange students to pursue “borderless and creative” education as the goal of the new age.

The clear trend is to diversify Korean institutions’ faculties and student populations, but they should better prepare themselves to improve the quality of teaching and learning before trying to achieve globalization by numbers.