A Study on the Development and Effectiveness Subject for Character Education Focused on Experiential Learning : A Case of ‘Creative Community Problem-Solving’ Course at A University

This study aims to develop a curriculum for ‘Creative Problem-Solving in Community Issues’ as a character education program to expand students' knowledge acquired at university to discover and effectively address real problems inherent in the local community, thereby fostering their practical character. Specifically, This study introduces cases of developing practical and experiential character education courses at ** University. The 2024 general education curriculum at ** University requires the development of related courses by distinguishing the character education area into ‘theoretical education’ and ‘problem-solving/experiential education.’ The following step-by-step research was conducted to achieve the research objectives. First, the university's character education courses should be designed to transcend a mere ethical dimension and align with the university's founding philosophy, vision for human resources, and the objectives of university education and general education. In this context, the objectives and core competencies of the character education course were designed to align with the university's founding principles of Truth, Faithfulness, and Love, and to ensure relevance to university education and general education. Second, this study focused on ‘problem-solving/experiential education’ and designed the ‘Creative Problem-Solving in Community Issues’ course, proposing suitable teaching methods, educational content, and evaluation methods to enhance the course's purpose and the learners' engagement level. Lastly, discussions and implications were presented so that the ‘Creative Problem-Solving in Community Issues’ course could be advanced and expanded in line with the university's innovation direction.