A Study on the Curriculum Satisfaction of Industrial Safety in Cyber University : Focusing on the Department of Industrial Safety Engineering at S Cyber University

Abstract

As the importance of lifelong learning expands, cyber universities have led a major transformation in the higher education environment through web-based distance education. Due to the nature of cyber universities based on autonomous learning, curriculum design, content quality, teaching-learning processes, academic administration, and student support services are critical factors that determine educational performance. Consequently, research on developing performance evaluation indicators and identifying factors influencing educational outcomes for distance universities has been conducted continuously; however, research analyzing specialized curricula and learner needs for departments of industrial safety engineering—which are currently being newly established and expanded due to the recent surge in demand for safety professionals—remains insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to verify how effectively the industrial safety curriculum within the cyber university system satisfies industry demands and learners' objectives. To this end, the enrollment motives and educational needs of 533 applicants for freshman and transfer admission to the Department of Industrial Safety Engineering at S Cyber University were analyzed. Furthermore, descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, and effect size analyses were conducted based on course evaluation data from 1,786 enrolled students. Based on the research findings, the following alternatives are proposed to achieve a qualitative leap in industrial safety engineering curricula and establish the identity of cyber universities as institutions of higher education: First, a two-track curriculum tailored by specialization should be established to simultaneously accommodate the demand for practical retraining focused on obtaining certifications and the demand for academic advancement. Second, to overcome content rigidity resulting from certification alignment, precision instructional design based on recent industry trends and the advanced standardization of education must be promoted. Third, a monitoring system and customized academic support for the small group of maladapted learners, hidden behind high quantitative satisfaction scores, should be strengthened. It is expected that the alternatives proposed in this study will serve as academic and practical foundational data, enabling industrial safety engineering curricula in cyber universities to transcend the uniform limitation of acting merely as certification exam preparation institutes and to establish a higher education paradigm for adult re-education that precisely accommodates the diverse needs of adult learners.