Ulsan Office of Education to Open Ulsan Online School on March 1... Supporting High School Credit System Implementation

41 Courses Offered in the First Semester
Expanding Learning Options with Subjects Not Available at Regular Schools

The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Cheon Chang-su) will open the ‘Ulsan Online School,’ a future-oriented advanced online school centered on student choice, on March 1 and begin full-scale operation.

The Ulsan Online School was established to support the stabilization of the high school credit system and to provide students with diverse learning opportunities. Its purpose is to expand students’ learning options, including subjects that are difficult to offer in regular schools, and to strengthen self-directed learning.

The online school is located on the 4th and 5th floors of the annex building of Hogye Elementary School in Buk-gu, Ulsan. It was authorized on December 27, 2024, and operates with six classes.

Like regular schools, it has classrooms and staff, but students do not attend in person. Students participate in non-face-to-face classes from their home schools’ classrooms, while teachers conduct lessons at the online school.

Once or twice per semester, online school teachers plan to visit the schools where students are enrolled to provide face-to-face classes such as career and learning counseling.

Going forward, the online school aims to realize student-tailored education under the vision of “A school that opens the future through learning I choose.”

Its key project, “Interdisciplinary Integrated Classes,” offers learning that connects various subjects beyond single courses. It activates communication between students and teachers through a combination of face-to-face and online classes.

Additionally, it plans to establish an “electronic library-based platform” to foster an online reading culture and enhance self-directed learning and creative thinking skills.

In the first semester of this year, about 700 students from 16 schools will participate, with 41 courses offered including Geometry, English-speaking Cultures, Basics of Artificial Intelligence, Spanish I, Carbon Neutrality and Energy, and Health.

From the 2026 academic year, specialized subjects such as Secrets of Genes, Environmental Integrated Inquiry, and Current Affairs Chinese will be added to further expand the range of choices.

The Ulsan Online School follows the joint curriculum evaluation method among schools and operates with either a five-level or three-level achievement system or a pass/fail system depending on the subject group. It does not apply relative ranking grades, allowing students to freely choose subjects suited to their career paths and aptitudes without grade pressure.

An official from the Ulsan Office of Education said, “We expect that the Ulsan Online School will expand students’ subject choices by offering various courses that are difficult to open in schools and contribute to reducing educational disparities between regions. We will spare no effort to support students in proactively designing their career and learning goals.”