Dongmyung University Student Wins Award at Oticon Challenge University Student Contest

Department of Speech-Language Therapy and Auditory Rehabilitation Lee Yoonjung and Bae Jina

Positive Response to Auditory Rehabilitation Application 'Jaldeutgo'

Lee Yoonjung and Bae Jina, fourth-year students in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Tongmyong University, received the Ambassador of Denmark to Korea Award at the 6th Oticon Challenge University Student Idea Contest for their hearing improvement application, "Jal Deutgo."

The contest, held on the 20th, is hosted annually by Demant Korea, the Korean branch of Demant, the parent company of Oticon, one of the world's top five hearing aid companies from Denmark, to discover future talents in hearing devices.

The award-winning "Jal Deutgo" app is characterized by making auditory rehabilitation easy.

At the final presentation held at the Embassy of Denmark on the 9th, Lee Yoonjung and Bae Jina presented the features of "Jal Deutgo," which can be used in conjunction with existing hearing aid applications.

They highlighted that "Jal Deutgo" allows users to easily and enjoyably perform auditory rehabilitation through a step-by-step rehabilitation program, and that hearing aid fitting (adjustment) is possible using stored rehabilitation data.

This improves upon the inconvenience users face with existing hearing aid rehabilitation apps, which are in English and require payment.

They also proposed the idea of allowing users to purchase or repair hearing aids and buy accessories using points accumulated at each stage of the rehabilitation process. This idea was evaluated by Oticon as something that could be incorporated into promotion and marketing.

Lee Yoonjung and Bae Jina shared their thoughts on winning, saying, "We will strive to provide better and more comfortable sound for the elderly and those with hearing loss."

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Tongmyong University is one of only five universities in Korea that offer a curriculum allowing students to obtain both speech-language pathologist and audiologist certifications. With a faculty rich in practical experience and a curriculum that integrates service learning and living labs, both in and out of the classroom, the department trains professionals with clinical rehabilitation skills. This year, a graduate program was also newly established.