8th batch Marta Amezquita and Claudia Cardenas interviewed Director Dr. Joon-ho Kang about the Dream Together Master and how he coped with stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
How do you think DTM has dealt with the pandemic?
I do not think DTM is an exception in terms of the impact that COVID-19 has made on education. However, I do think we did a better job than others. When COVID-19 started one year ago, I thought that this situation would last at least one semester or a year. Although the university met and the administration was agonizing whether to shut down or not shut down, we instantly decided to convert at least one semester to online classes. We are very swift in terms of adjusting ourselves to the pandemic crisis.
Until when do you think we will continue with online classes?
Seoul National University has a policy that most of the classes during the pandemic should be conducted online except for classes that are based on practical learning. We will keep our online education for at least for one semester. Perhaps, in the second semester the vaccine will spread, allowing us to return to offline education, but it is not likely.
Is there any plan to convert or adapt the DTM Program to an online master program?
Permanently? No, not at all.
How have you coped with COVID-19? What are some changes that you have personally experienced during this time?
Until recently, I was the Dean at the SNU Office of Planning and Coordination, and my daily work routine was not heavily influenced by COVID-19. I continued to develop strategies, make plans, and discuss with the management or president of SNU. Of course, I had to wear face masks, and social interactions of having dinners and luncheons were restricted, but the fundamental characteristics of my job were not affected. As a professor, the method of teaching changed as I had to teach online, but again the fundamentals of teaching did not change.
Planning during ambiguous situations can be stressful, so how did you cope with stress this past year?
I re-directed my focus on other tasks to prevent myself from thinking that I was stressful. I had to mentally tell myself that this situation in my life was nondetachable. There is a proverb, “You better enjoy it if you cannot avoid the situation.”
Have you felt discouraged during this pandemic?
The best way to fight discouragement is mental gratification. I perceive this COVID-19 situation as war. We are conducting a war against the virus, and during a war crisis, you are content with yourself, family, and friends being alive. Being alive is the objective, nothing else. During war, if your friends and family come back alive, that is victory. Being alive is a victory.
Although the promise of a vaccine is a hope that many of us are waiting for, we must constantly remind ourselves to find gratitude every day to help us keep going until we can gradually return to what we considered normal.
(contribution by Marta Amezquite and Claudia Cardenas)
