Growth of e-learning infrastructure in Korea

Education Law which governs the establishment and operation of higher education institutions. Instead it is part of the Lifelong Education Law which mostly governs the establishment of diverse lifelong educational institutions such as lifelong learning centers affiliated with universities. This is to facilitate the establishment of online universities, because the standards are less strict for educational institutions classified as lifelong learning institutions than those for higher education institutions. Once established, the online universities have played an important role in providing the adult population with opportunities to obtain a degree in higher education while working or remaining at home (Misko et al. 2004).

Another important government initiative aimed at promoting e-learning has been introduced by the Ministry of Labor in the form of internet correspondence training courses (ICTC). This has contributed to the expansion of e-learning in corporate training. The internet correspondence training courses are a part of the VCDP which is supported by Employment Insurance Fund. Under this scheme, companies that provide e-learning to their employees (either by providing training directly or by commissioning their training to other institutions), receive a financial incentive for providing such programs to their employees. As the amount of money companies receive is considerable, it can effectively serve as an incentive for them to expand e-learning. The implementation of this incentive along with the development of ICT infrastructure in Korea has increased the number of existing workers receiving e-learning instructions to meet the company training requirements.

the number of people who can take advantage of e-learning. It is also important that people can not only access the computer and the internet but that they have the knowledge and skills to use them, in other words, they must have ICT literacy. Dissemination of computers and internet, and the ability to use them constitute important conditions for e-learning.

Rapid growth in access to the internet

In 2002, there were almost 26.5 million (26,480,000) personal computers (PCs) owned by individuals in Korea. Given the size of the Korean population, this indicates that 56% of the total population in Korea has a PC. This can be compared with the situation in 1995, when the number was about 5.346 million. This indicates that the number of individuals owning a PC has quadrupled in only seven years. The rapid increase in the number of PCs owned by individuals shows how fast e-learning infrastructure and ICT in general have expanded in Korea.

The high degree of diffusion of ICT in Korea is also witnessed by the number of people who have a subscription to a digital subscriber line (DSL), which is the major means of access to the internet. This figure has reached over 11.6 million in 2004. This indicates that almost 80%

of all households in Korea have direct access to the internet. (Misko et al. 2004).

Altogether, the speed of growth in the number of people who have PCs or access to internet in Korea is worthy of attention. This period of rapid expansion of ICT infrastructure also helps to explain the rapid development in e-learning in Korea during the same period.

E-learning in corporate training

With a gradual upward trend in the number of internet users, e-learning in the vocational sector is also growing. This trend is particularly visible in large corporations, where both in-house programs and outsourced programs, supplied by e-learning companies, operate side by side. Corporate training divisions use blended learning approaches for target employees. By combining e-learning with traditional methods they seek to maximize learning outcomes. In

addition, they focus on designing a customized educational system that will contribute to the company's competitiveness, while meeting the needs and demands of individual learners.

In the corporate sector, companies tend to form alliances to better represent their interests. In addition to the Korea Alliance of Cyber Education, the Korea Federation of E-learning was founded in June 2003. The federation is primarily comprised of businesses specializing in e-learning, corporate training and education centers, and corporate departments in charge of e-learning. Its objective was to expand the base for e-learning and increase the competitiveness of e-learning-related businesses.

Currently, the Ministry of Labor provides policy and financial support for the enhancement of employees' vocational competency. In 1999, the Ministry of Labor added web-based training (known as internet-based training) to the ‘Act on Promoting Worker’s Vocational Training’ as a new form of vocational training and education.-The ministry has been subsidizing part of the training expenses to the employers who, in compliance with the Employment Insurance Act, have their employees take web-based training courses. Moreover, in August 2001, the ministry announced a plan to promote internet-based training, which is now being implemented. The Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), through its centre for e-learning, advises the Ministry of Labor regarding internet communications training, and promotes research and related projects for vocational and lifelong education. In 1998, the internet-based Training Project was implemented in seven companies, with 67 courses and 7,187 participants. In September 2000, there were 18 companies operating these training programs and a total of 206 courses offered, (Yi Su-gyeong et al. 1999).

Through full utilization of the Ministry of Labor's internet-based training, there have been positive results in terms of the cost-effectiveness of education. However, there have also been criticisms that the employment insurance reimbursement criteria has led to homogenization of internet-based training content (Digital Times, 10 July 2001) and that training subsidies have mostly been allocated to large corporations. In response to these criticisms, the Ministry of

Labor is making greater efforts in quality management and necessary revisions of relevant laws and regulations.

Within the area of corporate e-learning, there is much discussion addressing current critical issues and future development. There is a growing demand to expand blended learning to maximize teaching outcomes and to conduct more measurable and specific studies on the effects of e-learning. From 2003, research in such areas is expected to be in full swing, led primarily by e-learning companies and large corporations. Along with the concerns about inefficient information-sharing and resources due to a lack of consistent standards, there has also been a growing debate, since 2002, about the standardization of e-learning, which will be the top priority for future expansion and marketability of e-learning. Similarly, high-quality customized content, improvements of the internet-based training system, and the fostering of e-learning professionals have all been receiving much attention.