NONFORMAL EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATION: PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR UNIVERSITIES OF KOREA

This paper examines planning considerations for universities' participation in nonformal education. The main purpose of the study is to help guide the policy-makers and planners in Korea who are engaged in the formulation of strategies which will lead to a greater involvement of Korean universities in nonformal education. This involvement is in keeping with the full intention of promoting nonformal and lifelong education in Korean society under the provisions of the new constitution as revised in 1980.;The survey of needs analysis, which is the most central aspect of this study, was designed for utilizing ideas and issues related to Korean universities' participation in nonformal education as major needs components for the formulation of the Nonformal Education Act. The several data gathering approaches suggest these major recommendations for increasing coordination between the Korean universities' and the nonformal education's efforts: establish a system for preparing specialists in nonformal education in universities; arrange for university representation in national nonformal education policy bodies; provide financial support to universities for nonformal education efforts; and increase the effective dissemination of university findings concerning nonformal education. This study supports the thesis that the tensions between formal and nonformal education in Korea can be a creative source of energy and ideas, building on the strengths of both systems.;The methodological approach combines a critical survey of literature, of three case studies and an analytical survey of needs assessments. The survey of literature incorporates a comprehensive review of educational dilemmas in the world context, the potentials of non-formal education in promoting people's lifelong learning, and the roles and values of higher education in the world as well as the Korean context. The case studies highlight the models appropriate for adoption within the Korean higher education system in order to maximize Korean universities' involvement in nonformal education.