The Relationship Between Participation in Out-of-Class Activities and Cognitive and Social Outcomes of Korean College Students

In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, higher education institutions should change practices of educational programs and services, which are mainly based on traditional classroom-based instructions, to allow students to have more diverse experiences. Since college students spend relatively more time engaged in out-of-class activities than attending regular courses, it is necessary to examine how participating in out-of-class programs is related to cultivation of the competencies that the future demands. This study explores the relationship between out-of-class activity participation and perceived change in cognitive and social outcomes of Korean college students. Five out-of-class activities were examined: learning community, undergraduate research, service learning, internship, and residential college programs. K-NSSE (Korea-National Survey of Student Engagement) data were analyzed using hierarchical linear model analysis. The study findings are consistent with the results of previous research that demonstrated a positive association between participating in out-of-class activities and students’ cognitive and social outcomes.