Professional Documents
Culture Documents
May 2011
Table of Contents
List of tables...............................................................................................................................................3
List of figures..............................................................................................................................................4
Part 1: Introduction.....................................................................................................................................5
Part 2: AUN-QA Criteria Requirements......................................................................................................10
1. Goals and objectives; expected learning outcomes.......................................................................11
2. Program content............................................................................................................................15
3. Program specification....................................................................................................................18
4. Program organization.....................................................................................................................20
5. Didactic concept and teaching/learning strategy...........................................................................25
6. Student assessment.......................................................................................................................27
7. Staff quality....................................................................................................................................33
8. Quality of support staff..................................................................................................................44
9. Student quality..............................................................................................................................45
10. Student advice and support.......................................................................................................51
11. Facilities and infrastructure........................................................................................................54
12. Quality assurance of the teaching/learning process..................................................................58
13. Student evaluation.....................................................................................................................59
14. Curriculum design......................................................................................................................60
15. Staff development activities.......................................................................................................62
16. Feedback stakeholders...............................................................................................................63
17. Output.......................................................................................................................................64
18. Stakeholder satisfaction.............................................................................................................66
Part 3: Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis...............................................................................................71
Part 4: Appendices.....................................................................................................................................83
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List of tables
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Chapter III:
List of figures
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Part 1: Introduction
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Executive summary
Introduction to the International University, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City
www.hcmiu.edu.vn
Educational renovation is nowadays a global trend. Vietnamese education, especially higher education
must put a step forward in the process of renovation and integration. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are the
places to have key roles in being proactive in regional and global integration. We do this by providing
high quality human resources in the nationally oriented cause of industrialization and modernization.
Therefore, in planning universities and college operational activities for the years 2001 – 2010 along with
the Decision No. 472001 QD-TT issued on April 4, 2001, [Exh. 1.01. Decision No. 472001- University
establishment] , the Prime Minister demands the universities and colleges in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
to be the pioneers in the regional and international integration of higher education; to enhance the
national and international investment sources; to cooperate with the world prestige universities in
enhancing quality of education.
Vietnamese learners, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, have an increasing need of international quality
education for world standard degrees via instructional languages of English and others. There is currently
a big wave of people going abroad for their higher education, as well as of many overseas accredited
universities with 2 plus 2 programs. Some overseas universities actually have or are preparing building
grounds in Vietnam. Thus, in the medium-term strategy of development in the years 2001 – 2005,
Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City clearly states “International University is founded to be
cooperate with the overseas prestige universities in providing domestic education of studying-abroad
quality to learners; thus, to set sample of educating and training in Vietnam National University.”
After two years of project planning, the International University, which is a member of Vietnam National
University, has obtained the decision for establishment signed by the Prime Minister on May 12, 2003
[Exh. 1.01. Decision No. 472001 - University establishment].
International University – VNU is the first international university of Vietnam, and is a public university
with its legal status, its own authorized seal and account. It is fully empowered to award all degrees from
undergraduate to post graduate levels. Its internationality is reflected in international academic
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environment of IU – VNU as a whole, including all degree programs, teaching staff, languages of
instruction, academic and research infrastructure. Its publicity is reflected in the long-term support from
the government and other funding agencies and organizations at all levels – from local national to
regional and international.
IU – VNU locates in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City at the center of the Southern Key Economic Zone
and Southern Industrial Zone of Vietnam which are considered to be the engine of growth for Vietnam
and as important to the whole country. In the line with the vision to become a high quality, research-
oriented universityand to realize the responsibility of the university for society [Exh.1.02.IU Website], the
IU – VNU has been conducting excellent research which aims to serve the needs of the Southern Key
Economic Zone and Southern Industrial Zone of Vietnam as well as the economic growth of Vietnam.
School of Biotechnology
School of Business
School of Computer Science and Engineering
School of Electrical Engineering
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Industrial System Engineering
Department of English
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
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Introduction to School of Electrical Engineering
As a part of IU-VNU, the School of Electrical Engineering offers all courses in undergraduate and graduate
programs as well as for all related training courses and research disciplines fully in English.
The mission of School of Electrical Engineering (SEE) is to prepare its graduate for adapting a rapidly
changing technological field. These objectives were developed according to the regional, national and
industrial demands and needs and also the part of mission to be achieved by the IU-VNU and SEE.
(1) IU program: the program which is fully educated at IU-VNU. Students are awarded the IU-
VNU degree once completed the program;
(2) Twinning program: the program where students study the first two years at IU-VNU and the
other two years at the partner universities; once complete, students are awarded degree from
partner universities. Currently, SEE has twinning programs with following universities:
Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, USA (since 2008) [Exh.1.07]
Qualifications
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There are 2 kinds of awards which students can get when they completed their studies at the
International University, Vietnam National University, HCMC.
IU-VNU Degrees are awarded by Vietnam National University – International University for
students who complete learning programs in Vietnam. The degree title is Bachelor of
Engineering in Electrical Engineering.
Oversea degrees areawarded by partner universities for students who have completed the one
or the first two years at IU and the rest of their program at the partner universities.
Organization of the self-assessment
Self assessment report (SAR) of the Bachelor Program of the school of Electrical Engineering, IU-VNU, is
one of the first endeavors and efforts to bring the its program to become the certified program in ASIA
under the network of Asian Universities (AUN).
Special attentions and efforts have been made for the AUN self-assessment at the university level,
especially when the bachelor program of the school of Electrical Engineering of the International
University, Vietnam National University has been certified by AUN. Since then, the school of Electrical
Engineering, International University with strong advices and supports received from the center for
Educational Testing and Quality Assessment of VNU-HCMC as well as from the center for Educational
Quality Assurance of IU-HCMC, has been striving for having its bachelor program certified by AUN in the
time to come.
In order to meet the mentioned aim above, tasks have been promptly divided into different subgroups
(from a main group of the so-called AUN working group) acting on AUN self assessment at the School
level, since the year 2010 for researching & studying about AUN criteria, collecting facts, and writing the
report for self-assessment activities. [Exh.1.13. Decision – AUN SAR Committee]
The AUN working group has been collecting facts and evidences since early 2011, making everything
ready for writing the first draft of SAR and having its draft completed for possible external reviewers. As
planed and followed the required working agenda of Center for Education Testing & Quality Assessment
(CET&QA) of VNU, revised versions of AUN self assessment report of the SEE will have been made after
receiving feedbacks from the external reviewers as well as the suggestions and recommendations from
the CET&QA of VNU- HCMC and from the center for Educational Quality Assurance of IU-HCMC.
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Part 2: AUN-QA Criteria Requirements
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1. Goals and objectives; expected learning outcomes
1.1 Vision and Mission of IU-VNU
Vision: within five years, the IU-VNU to become a high quality, research-oriented university with:
Graduates who are well trained in using modern technologies and current, best practices
in industry, and also able to work in international settings;
The vision of the university has been translated into a mission statement as following:
To provide international quality undergraduate and post graduate education and training
in Engineering and Economics that can meet the development demands of Vietnam;
In the short term, the International University strives to become a moderately sized, research
oriented university, with an international work and study environment, where a strong faculty
and staff provide quality training in key subjects to a highly motivated student body of
Vietnamese and international learners and whose reputation as a top-level institute of higher
learning attracts top-notch learners, researchers and lecturers.
The International University will soon create a development strategy for the next 5 years and 10
years which will introduce and implement new policies on salary, clarify systems of process,
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provide work and functional descriptions for the whole university, and establish international
standards for the recruitment of staff and faculty.
The International University will also review and improve the training program with the goal of
providing our students with an international standard education, approaching the quality of
world’s top universities. The intermediate goal will be to match the academic standards of top
tier American universities, so as to permit transfers of credits and allow for future collaboration
to be based on the principles of equal cooperation and mutual benefit.
The International University will establish policies to ensure that 100% of staff and faculty will be
afforded the opportunity to receive domestic and overseas professional training, with the goal of
insuring that the training provided, research conducted and administrative support given are of
the highest possible quality. [Exh.1.02. IU Website]
Consistent with the stated mission of IU-VNU, the mission of School of Electrical Engineering
(SEE) is to prepare its graduate for adapting a rapidly changing technological field. These
objectives were developed according to the regional, national and industrial demands and needs
and also the part of mission to be achieved by the IU-VNU and SEE.
To educate students with complete basic knowledge and skills in electronic and
communication areas and for the needs of industries as well as academia.
To encourage and nurture students’ interest in doing research and link students with
industries in order to meet the challenges of this area. [Exh.1.14.Student handbook]
Electrical Engineer graduates are designed to be able to work as designer, planners and makers
in Electrical Engineering. The expected students learning outcomes of Electrical Engineering
program which reflect the demands and needs of all stakeholders cover generic skills and
knowledge, specific skills and knowledge as well as attitudes toward profession and society.
[Exh.1.15. EE Academic Curriculum]
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Graduates from SEE should have attained:
b. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;
k. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for
electrical engineering practice;
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Table 1. Expected learning outcomes grouped by knowledge, skills and attitudes
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2. Program content
Currently, SEE is managing Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering program of IU-VNU.
The program has been approved by the university academic and scientific panel [Exh.1.03. IU
Academic Panel].The minimum credit requirement for the whole program is 144, which is
generally distributed into 08 semesters. The average credit number is about 18 per semester
(maximum 21 and minimum 13 credits). One semester lasts for 18 weeks, which includes 15
weeks for lectures, 01 week for mid-term exams and 02 weeks for final exams. The academic
year starts at the beginning of September including 03 semesters: semester 1 (fall), semester 2
(spring) and semester 3 (summer). Semester 1 starts in September, and semester 2 starts in
February. Summer semester start in June and is optional for students. The program organization
is announce annually to students in Student handbook and published academic calendar.
[Exh.1.14.Student handbook; Exh.2.01. Academic Calendar]
This program structure is chosen in order to lead students to gradually gain electrical
engineering competencies. The general education such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and
political education are given by lecturers from different departments and schools in the
university and at the lower division of the curriculum. There are pre-requisite and co-requisite
requirements for specific courses, which guarantee students to study at the right level and have
enough knowledge to stay in that course. These requirements are set by the school academic
panel[Exh.2.02.EE Academic Panel].
After completing the first two years of the program, students are allowed to choose their major.
SEE offers two majors: Electronics major and Communications major [Exh.1.14. Student
Handbook; Exh.1.15.EE Academic Curriculum & Exh.2.03.Conditions to choose majors]
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Table 2. Curriculum specifications
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Students are educated with general knowledge of natural sciences as well as humanity and
social sciences. The basic and advance knowledge in mathematics, physics and chemistry, which
are required for engineering students, are included in the curriculum. On the other hand,
students are educated with proficiency English, basic economic, political, ethical and critical
thinking. The physical education is also a part of the general education. These knowledge forms
a good background for students to choose future career and start their major study.
Core major
requirement
General Education
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3. Program specification
The curriculum aims to promote active learning, learning to learn and life-long learning. The
courses are developed based on the student-centered point of view. The learning environment
which helps students to construct basic and electrical engineering knowledge is provided
through lecture hours, laboratory and professional practice. Students are educated generic and
specific skills (problem solving skill, critical thinking, reflective thinking, the ability to work in
team, communication skills, leadership skills, ethical and professional responsibility…) through
learning activities in classroom (class discussion, group discussion), in group (assignment,
students’ project), in professional practice (field trip, internship) and in interaction with
supervisor when doing personal research process.
In addition students are provided with opportunities to learn and apply knowledge into practice,
to work in a team with multi function, to learn from industry and understand the industry’s
needs. As a result, students can form their interest research topic and carry out the research
thesis for graduation enthusiastically and successfully.
The electrical engineering knowledge is divided into three categories in the program. They are:
(1) Core major requirements, which are the required basic knowledge of electrical
engineering program. These requirements include the career orientation for student
and introduction to electrical engineering. Students are also trained with basic skills
for major such as programming, conducting experiments and forming and solving
basic electrical problems.
(2) Specialization major requirement. Once completed the core major requirement,
students will choose their specialization in electrical engineering. Currently, the
program offers three major specializations, which are electronics, signal processing
and communications. Each specialization has both requirement and elective
courses. [Exh.1.14. Student Handbook]
(3) Internship and thesis. In the summer before senior year, students are required to
take a summer internship. This is an opportunity for students to learn in
professional practice and their first approach to industrial labor market. Students
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have two options (1) working in industry, preferred by those who want to find a job
after graduate and (2) doing project/research at SEE, preferred by those who want
to continue graduate program. Students are introduced the company which fits
their interest or they can find the internship place by themselves. Students have to
work at their chosen company for at least 08 weeks and are supervised by the
company. Once complete the internship, students have to write a report with
supervisor’s evaluation. The report not only shows the academic work but also
reflect student’s reception about the working environment/ working attitudes that
they have learnt during the internship. Then, the report is submitted to SEE and
students have to present their internship’s work/experience to review committee in
order to complete the internship process. The final assessment is based on the
supervisor evaluation and committee grade. [Exh.3.01. Student Internship;
Exh.3.02.Internship Evaluation; Exh.3.03.Internship Report]. After completed the
internship, most students have ideas for their final thesis and intention for future
career. The final thesis is required for graduation. It is divided into two sections: the
senior project and thesis. In the senior project, students will form a research idea
and review all related knowledge. They have to write a report and assessed by
senior project committee in order to complete the senior project. [Exh.3.04. Senior
Project Evaluation; Exh.3.05. Senior Project Report] Then, the idea will come up
with solution by proved theory, software simulation or hardware implementation
during the thesis. This procedure helps students experiment with new ideas and
practice, apply the knowledge and skills they have learned to solve a completed
practical problem, from theory to experiment and product. Meanwhile, they also
experience with critical inquiry, problem solving, research and reflection. As a result,
students acquire necessary knowledge and skill which prepare them for life-long
learning and professional development. [Exh.3.06. Thesis Students; Exh.3.07. Thesis
Committee; Exh.3.08. Thesis Schedule; Exh.3.09. Thesis Evaluation; Exh.3.10. Thesis
Report; Exh.3.11. Thesis Procedure; Exh.3.12. Senior and Thesis Plan]
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4. Program organization
Distribution of the curriculum
Freshman Year
Semester 1 Semester 2
EE049IU Introduction to 3
Electrical Engineering
Summer Semester
Sophomore Year
Semester 1 Semester 2
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Laboratory
General Elective 3
Summer Semester
Military Training
Junior Year
Semester 1 Semester 2
Summer Semester
Senior Year
Semester 1 Semester 2
EE114IU Entrepreneurship 3
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Total credits: 144
The contribution made by each course to achieving the learning outcomes is shown in
[Exh.4.01.Course vs. Learning Outcomes]. The network of subject courses of Electrical
Engineering program is shown in the following map.
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School Academic Board.[Exh.2.02.EE Academic Panel] SEE Academic board is established in
order to maintain a good quality of teaching and material in curriculum. Member of the board is
representative from specializations in school and senior lecturer of electrical engineering area.
The academic board meeting is organized at the end of academic year of by request. The
purpose of the meeting is to review curriculum in term of its content and implementation. SEE
updates or modifies the curriculum at least once every year based on three references:
(1) Student, alumni and industry’s feedback [Exh.4.02. Course Evaluation; Exh.4.03.
Alumni Feedback Form; Exh.4.04. Industry Feedback Form]
(3) The curriculum of prominent universities in USA, England, Australia and New
Zealand that have twinning programs with SEE such as Rutgers, the state university
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of New Jersey (USA), University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign (USA), SUNY
Binghamton (USA), … [Exh.4.06. EE Curriculum Comparison]
2007 – 2008 Open new course “Chemistry for To complete the general Exh.1.14
engineers” education section.
Exh.4.10
2008 – 2009 Review the whole curriculum With the ABET Exh.4.11
accreditation oriented and
Exh.4.12
the collaboration with US
university systems.
2009 – 2010 Open new course “ Special Topic in To provide more Exh.4.13
EE”, “VLSI Design Lab”, “Antenna experimental practice for
and Microwave Engineering Lab”, students.
“Image Processing Lab”
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5. Didactic concept and teaching/learning strategy
Active learning. The Electrical Engineering program is taught according to the student-centered
approach through lecture hours, laboratory, professional practice and research project. All
teachers have to submit SEE their course outlines which contain their teaching strategies before
the courses begin [Exh.1.15. EE Academic Curriculum]. Then, these courses outlines are
introduce to students at the first class of the courses. The teaching strategies in SEE aim to
enable students’ action learning which integrate reflection into learning process [Exh.4.01.
Course vs. Learning Outcomes]. As learning is a social activity, all courses of EE program are
designed to encourage students to carry out individually learning together with peer learning.
Through communication, students help each other to reflect in their learning which consists of a
series of action: to identify their problems in learning, trial solutions to solve the problems, self-
regulate and get understanding about how to learn. To ensure a good environment for students’
active learning, the university arranges the average size of class about 40 – 50 students for lower
division and 20 – 30 students for upper division [Exh.5.01.Student lists of typical classes]. Each
classroom is well-equipped with computer, projector and board. These facilities together with
Blackboard system support lecturers in providing course materials to class. Lecturers and
students also have more time to discuss in class thanks to the support of multimedia.
Course syllabus introduces the course objective, learning outcomes, textbook, course content
and grading scheme to students [Exh.1.15. EE Academic Curriculum]. Then, students can have
good understanding and well preparation for the courses. To ensure the student centered
approach which emphasizes students as a subject of learning process, students are prepared for
self-learning and reflection. “Critical Thinking” course are taught at the first year. In the course,
students are encouraged to think actively, analyze and interpret data, formulate a problem.
Furthermore, activities such as classroom discussion, teamwork, writing paper, practice and
research project which are organized during the program enable students to construct
knowledge by themselves, learning how to learn and reflect on their own learning. As a result,
students improve the quality of their own learning as well as personal development as life-long
learners [Exh.5.02. Critical Thinking Syllabus].
To enhance the communication between teachers and students, discussion between them is not
limited to class hours; students are encouraged to communicate with lecturers via Blackboard
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system, emails and appointments. In order to provide students with continuous reflective
feedback on their learning process, the program uses different types of assessment such as quiz,
homework, students’ report and presentation, project, mid-term and final exam.
Tutoring. The school has a teaching assistant system, which is very useful for student support.
Teaching assistants can be a supporting staff or senior students. They help students outside class
by discussion regarding the lectures or sharing experience in learning and research.
Laboratory. Learning by doing is the strength of the curriculum. Almost all major courses have
co-requisite laboratories. The laboratory work enables students to apply theoretical knowledge
to solve practical experiments. Students are organized to work in group, discuss to define the
problem and propose the solution. Each theory concept is evaluated by simulation and/or
hardware implementation results. Students are also encouraged to design their own
experiment. Laboratory instructor helps students carry out the experiment as well as find the
connection between theory and laboratory work. The laboratory instructor also ensures the
student’s experiments be conducted properly before being activated for safety reasons.
Research. Students start researching by small project in class. With an assigned problem,
students are demanded to combine their own knowledge with proposed solutions. Students
have to write academic reports where all research activities and results are clearly described. By
doing this, they can self-assess their achievements and improve their work.
In order to graduate, students have to register for final thesis. Thesis is an independent research
project. Each student is allowed to suggest an interest topic and appropriate advisor. Research
topics are up-to-date and usually contemporary issues of electrical industry. With the help of
advisor, the student forms his/her research topic and accordingly, designs his/her research plan.
Student’s research topic and plan are evaluated by Thesis committee to ensure the research
problem can be solved by applying knowledge that the curriculum covers. Student is supervised
by advisor during his/her research process. Finally, he/she has to write a thesis report based on
the results of the research and orally defend it with the Thesis committee.
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6. Student assessment
The validity of the assessment of students learning is strongly depends on assessment methods
and grading system which must ensure that students’ learning outcomes are assessed
thoroughly, exactly and fairly. The EE program applies the assessment methods and activities
which are stated in the program specification to assess students’ learning. Then, students are
evaluated by the university grading system form the first time enrollment until graduated on
each course, semester, academic year and whole learning process [Exh.6.01. IU Academic
Regulations]
From the year of 2005, the IU-VNU has two ways for selecting new students, which are National
Entrance Examination (NEE) and Direct Apply (DA).
Selecting new students by NEE. This method is for high school candidates graduated from
Vietnamese high school. There is almost 100% of Bachelor Degree students of the school were
accepted through NEE tests that are taken place in July annually [Exh.6.02. Student Recruitment
Plan; Exh.6.03.Student Recruitment Board; Exh.6.04.Student Recruitment Process]. In order to
get admission for the EE program, students must pass the examination in three subjects:
mathematics, physics, and chemistry.
Selecting new students by DA. This method is for high school candidates graduated in
international programs. In this case, the applicant just needs to submit the application to the
University. The Student Recruitment Board will screen the application documents,
interviewselect qualified candidates.
After getting admission into the university, if students don’t have qualified international English
certification such as TOEFL or IELTS, they have to take the English test for categorizing students’
English level. Finally, each new student then participates in his/her adequate program.
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documents, and then interview the applicant to make admission decision. Next, the school
dothe course articulation for transfer students. They will know which courses and work they
need to complete in order to get degree [Exh.6.06. Transfer Student Profile].
Assessment Methods
In the IU-VNU, a variety of assessment methods for determining students’ performance during
their study are applied. Almost major subjects of EE program use various assessment methods
and tools such as mid-term exam, final exam, and other evaluation methods through
assignments, quiz, home-works, class discussions, attendant check, and laboratories. Classroom
assessment and examination evaluate students’ ability according to six major categories of
cognitive domains, which are: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create
(Benjamin Bloom, 1981; Anderson &Krathwohl, 2001). Students still have to remember relevant
information. However, it does not mean “rote learning” is a requirement of assessment
activities. [Exh.6.07. Midterm Exam Paper; Exh.6.08. Final Exam Paper]
Educational objectives of EE program are transferred into expected learning outcomes. Then,
teachers of SEE base on the expected learning outcomes of the program to build up the
objectives of their courses and criteria to assess students’ achievement in the courses
[Exh.1.15.EE Academic Curriculum; Exh.4.01.Course vs. Learning Outcomes]. These criteria are
referenced when teachers set up the assessment means to evaluate students’ learning. SEE
check if the assessment criteria of all subjects in the EE program cover the educational objectives
and expected learning outcomes of the program. To ensure all students study the same subject
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at the same time are assessed by the same criteria, problems of examinations for a subject are
discussed among teachers who teach that subject at that time. Teachers of SEE examine the
validity and reliability of each assessment tool after every time they get the results of its use. The
improvement of assessment methods and tools of a subject are discussed among the group of
teachers who teach that subject every year [Exh.6.09. List of courses and instructors in charge].
The necessary changes in assessment arrangements are made based on conclusive reasons.
By EE curriculum and students’ handbook, course outlines and classroom meeting, students are
clearly informed the objective of the courses, criteria to assess learners’ achievement,
assessment methods and university grading system.
Grading System
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Table 4. Grading Scale
Passing
Excellent 90≤ GPA ≤100 A+
Very Good 80≤ GPA <90 A
Good 70≤ GPA <80 B+
Fairly good 65≤ GPA <70 B
Fair 55≤ GPA <60 C+
Average 50≤ GPA <55 C
No passing
Weak 30≤ GPA <50 D+
Rather weak 10≤ GPA <30 D
Too weak GPA <10 F
To pass a subject, students must obtain a minimum of C grade. The grades that the students
obtain from each subject are accumulated to form the students’ grade point average or GPA for
each semester and for the whole period of study (cumulative GPA).
Students that do not pass the minimum criteria for the subject or get lower than the point of 50
must retake the subject in the following semesters.
Written Examination
IU-VNU has strict regulations about the mid-term and the final exams. For each group of
maximum 40 students, there are at least 2 proctors who check the student ID cards and sign
each student paper. There is a detailed set of rules for proctors during an examination.
There is also a well-defined process for making and approving the exam texts. Lecturers have to
submit the exam texts at least 03 days before the test date. Each proposed exam has to be
approved by the Dean of the School to ensure the learning outcome of the course. The approved
exam is copied confidentially for each student and all copies along with the original are stored at
School [Exh.6.07. Midterm Exam Paper; Exh.6.08.Final Exam Paper].
Laboratory Report
Assessment for each lab is carefully constructed by instructors. After practicing the lab, students
have to record the results into the laboratory report [Exh.6.10. Laboratory Report]. Each
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assessment is based on attendance check, pre-laboratory activities, lab activities and marking of
submitted laboratory report. Students also have to take the final exam for laboratory course. The
grading scheme is set by IU-VNU as follow:
Laboratory report : from 70% to 80%
Final examination : from 20% to 30%
At IU-VNU, most courses have quiz and homework assignments. Each assignment has to be
documented and submitted to the instructors. Depending on the instructor’s requirement, the
result of assignment can be presented in front of the class.
Thesis Defense
A thesis committee is set up by the Dean of School and approved by the Rector of IU VNU
[Exh.3.07.Thesis Committee].For each thesis, an assigned reviewer carefully reviews the report
and discusses the result of the thesis with the students. At the defense date, student(s) presents
the results in the present of Thesis Committee, which are assigned by the university, for around
20 minutes. The Thesis Defense Committee members ask questions to clarify the results of
students’ research and evaluate students’ insight of the thesis. Then, thesis’ advisor and
reviewer publicly inform their evaluation reports. These evaluations contribute equally as the
assessment of each member from the Thesis Committee to the final grade. The defense ends
with marking done by the committee members [Exh.3.09. Thesis Evaluation]. The final grade is
the average of all committee members, thesis’ advisor and reviewer grades. The student has to
earn at least 50/100 for passing the thesis defense.
Graduation Assessment
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satisfactory performance and thus is eligible for the degree award [Exh.6.11. Graduate Student
Decision].
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7. Staff quality
Recruitment process
All engineering programs in IU-VNU which refers to ABET criteria, benchmark to prominent
universities in USA, England, Australia and taught in English. Thus, to ensure a high-quality
human resource to develop these programs, IU-VNU has a strict regulation for recruiting new
lecturer [Exh.7.01. Recruitment Criteria]. The competence and qualification of the lecturer
candidates are measured based on six components: [Exh.7.02. Recruitment Procedure;
Exh.7.03.Recruitment Evaluation Form]
Academic qualification
Place of training
Teaching experience
Teaching methodology
English ability
Professional experiences
The recruitment is done regularly by announcing on the University’s website, newspaper and
recruiting sites. The first requirement to be recruited as a lecturer is that candidate at least holds
a Master degree in Science or Engineering. A University Recruitment Committee that is formed
to consider candidate applications consists of the Rector, Head of Personal Office, Head of
Academic Affair and Dean of SEE. In addition to teaching competence, previously conducted
research and publication, industrial experience and academic standing are used to assess the
applicant’s qualification. In the recruiting process, an applicant’s competence to teach is
assessed based on a teaching demonstration in front of the recruiting committee. During the
demonstration, the applicant’s teaching and English skills, mastery of the subject, classroom
management, and student-teacher communication are evaluated [Exh.7.04. Teaching
Demonstration Evaluation Form].As a result of this strict process, SEE has successfully recruited
high-quality lecturers. Almost of the lectures in the School are trained in foreign universities.
While international characteristic is seen as the main characteristic of IU-VNU, SEE gives the first
priority for international recruitment. As a result, SEE has three foreign lecturers (two Americans
and one Germans).
Page | 33
Quality of Academic Staf
SEE has 13 permanent lecturers currently working at IU-VNU (07 of them with PhD degrees and
06 with master degrees) [Exh.7.19. SEE Faculty CV], 01 researcher,04 teaching assistants, and
another 04 faculty members have been working towards their PhD degree in developed
countries [Exh.7.08. Decision for SEE faculty study abroad].The main characteristics of SEE
lecturers are enthusiastic, creative and experienced in teaching and research. [Exh.7.05. List of
SEE faculty publications]
Experience in
Number of
No. Full Name Degree Age teaching (in Position
publications
year)
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According to the nature of the subjects in EE program, lecturers are grouped into three divisions:
Communications, Electronics and Signal Processing (Table 6). In order to create a scientific
communicative environment for SEE lecturers, SEE has invited visiting experienced lecturers
from well-known Vietnamese and oversea universities. Visiting lecturers also have to pass the
strict recruitment process as mentioned above.
Permanent 4 4 5
lecturers
Visiting lecturer 2 1 1
Total 6 5 6
Permanent lecturers X 7 6
Visiting lecturer 2 1 1
Total 2 8 7
It can be seen that the distribution of lecturers at SEE is balanced in term of major, certificate,
experience and work status.
Quality of teaching and learning is affected by the ratio between the number of students and
lecturers. According to the regulation of Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training, the ratio
between students and lecturers in university in Vietnam is 25. SEE has the ratio between
students and lecturers shown in Table 7, which can be seen as an ideal condition for university
education.
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Table 8. The ratio between EE students and teachers
Permanent lecturers 10 12 14 15
Visiting lecturer 5 4 3 3
To remain the high-quality human resource, SEE makes a commitment in developing its human
resources by several activities:
Page | 36
Management, by Dr. Christopher
Schmitz, UIUC [Exh.7.09 ]
To improve the quality of lecturer, IU-VNU and SEE strongly encourages lecturers to attempt PhD
program in high-quality universities in Vietnam or abroad [Exh.7.08. Decision for SEE faculty
study abroad].
In the SEE, workload distribution refer to competency and total load (teaching, research and
administration/community work) and balance distribution among lecturers. [Exh.7.11. IU
Internal Expenditure Regulation; Exh.7.12.Faculty Evaluation Form; Exh.7.13.Teaching Plan 2008
– 2011; Exh.7.14.SEE Research Project 2008 – 2011; Exh.7.15. List of Academic Advisors;
Exh.7.16. EE Teaching Workload]
Lecturers are assigned to teach a course corresponding to their expertise. Each full-time lecturer
who holds Master degree is required to cover 240 teaching periods per year for lectures. It is
about 180 teaching periods for researchers and 225 teach periods per year for full-time lecturers
with Doctoral degree. For the faculty in a management role, the requirement of teaching periods
is reduced a half. Each theory credit course is equivalent to 15 teaching periods (one teaching
period is equivalent to 50 minutes). One lab period is considered equivalent to a half of a
standard period, and equivalent to 30 – 45 laboratory hours [Exh.7.11. IU Internal Expenditure
Regulation].
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In running the program, the average number of opened courses in one semester at SEE is around
20courses; each course is organized in one or two classes [Exh.7.17.School Schedule]. Thus, each
lecturer of SEE is only required to teach maximum two classes and supervise one or two
students to do research thesis per semester. Each course is equivalent to 3 credits (45 period
hours) in general and the workload for one research thesis is 10 period hours. The workload of
each lecturer is from 75 – 110 period hours per semester. With this reasonable workload,
lecturers still have enough energy and time for research and administration/community services.
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School members have different duties depending on their roles. The roles of school faculty with
their duties are summarized in Table 10.
Roles
Faculty X X x x
Researcher X x x
Laboratory manager X x
Workshop supervisor X x
1 Dean/Vice Dean o Manage and control activities involving staffs and faculties in
schools.
o Plan and develop operations in school.
o Do training activities.
o Look for research fund from industrial areas
2 Lecturer o Do teaching and research
o Take duties of academic advisor
3 Researcher o Support student as Lab instructor
o Do research
o Take duties of academic advisor
4 Laboratory manager o Manage devices (hardware and software)
o Support activities for studying and teaching
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o Maintain devices and network systems
o Repair, re-install and fix all problems of laboratories.
5 Workshop supervisor o Support student for doing hardware
6 Staff o Support the Dean to manage materials involving students, training,
administrative works.
With small number of 20 staffs, the closed contact between faculty members is easy to create
and it forms a good environment for cooperation between faculty members. Each faculty
members can contact to discuss with the Dean and Vice Dean of SEE about the issues of their
work whenever needed.
Duties allocated are appropriate to qualifications, experience and skills. Two months before each
semester, the Dean and Vice Dean of SEE plan the list of courses for the next semester [Exh.7.13.
Teaching Plan]. Based on this list of opened courses and the expertise of the permanent
faculties, the Dean assigns appropriate courses for available faculties. If there are some courses
left without lecturers, visiting lecturers will be invited. Visiting lecturers with teaching
experience, lecturers with industrial experience and foreign lecturers will be considered first.
Time management and incentive systems are designed to support the quality of teaching and
learning.
Faculties and researchers normally teach from 2 to 4 classes per week. The labs begin after the
first three weeks of theoretical lectures. In the lab, the instructors help students to apply
knowledge from the lectures. Beside the class time, students can meet the lecturers and
instructors at the office and ask about anything involving his or her lectures. Students can find
the office hours of faculties on the notice board or in the first lecture. They can also see teaching
assistance whenever needed.
Teaching assistants support lecturers to review basic knowledge or complement the background
for the students. For classes with large numbers of students, lecturers can have one or two
teaching assistants who are senior or master students who have good knowledge about those
courses.
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To support students in their study, the academic advisor system is established [Exh.7.15. List of
Academic Advisors]. All lecturers and researchers are expected to be academic advisors for
around 80 students. The academic advisors are responsible for helping students to understand
the major they are learning, for advising students on choosing and registering their courses.
In support of teaching, an assessment system is also used. At the end of each course, student
feedback is taken [Exh.4.02. Course Evaluation]. The feedback result will be sent to the Dean of
the School and he will privately work with each lecturer to improve his/her teaching
methodology.
The accountability rules for all staff members are clearly defined. There are four groups:
faculties, researchers, teaching assistants and administrative staff. Faculties are recruited to be
lecturers. Their responsibility is doing research, teaching, being thesis supervisor and academic
advisor. Researchers are recruited to be lab instructors. Their responsibility is doing research,
helping students to do lab sessions, being thesis supervisor and academic advisor. Teaching
assistants assist lecturers in class, and help students whenever for academic issues. When
students have any problems with administrative formalities, they can ask the administrative staff
for help.
After each semester, faculties are evaluated by the management and the students. Full-time
faculties who have missed classes have to conduct make-up classes, and those with low
students’ evaluations are asked to improve their teaching methodology. Contracts of part-time
or visiting lecturers that have attendance or teaching problems are not renewed for the next
semester.
The faculties are also assigned to teach many different courses to improve their major
knowledge, and trained in teaching methodologies at foreign universities. There is also a system
of reviews and proposals for potential candidates to be nominated or arranged in suitable
positions.
Termination, retirement and social benefits are planed and well implemented
Page | 41
The IU-VNU manual specifies all possible reasons for termination of faculty members. The IU-
VNU ensures that there is a due process in such cases, so the board of rectors and the
recruitment group review the cause of termination. The IU-VNU provides the faculty members
with the following benefits: health care plan, maternity/paternity leaves, service leave, research
incentive, longevity benefits, sick leave, disability benefit, death benefit, faculty development,
and other benefits as mandated by law.
The IU-VNU provides faculty members with a financial retirement package that is specified in the
University Manual. Furthermore, retired faculty members still enjoy access to the university
library, sports facilities, clinic and computer facilities. They are still invited to teach classes,
research and other activities.
Annually, the Appraisal Committee considers and selects the outstanding candidates and school
to receive the awards such as: Lecturer of the year, the Academic Unit of the Year, etc. Beside
these awards, the faculties will be evaluated once every semester for a raise or reduction of the
salary [Exh.7.18. SEE Awards].
Page | 42
8. Quality of support staff
Library Staf. The number of library staff is 05 and they support for the whole university. IU-VNU
also hires part-time students for library service.
Computer Facility Staf. At the school level, all lecturers have been facilitated by in-connected
PC. Maintaining the IT system is assigned for staffs of Computing Service Center and staffs of
Office of Facilities Management [Exh.8.01. Report of Facilities].
Administrative Staf.The function of administrative staff in the school level is to plan short term
and long term programs of the school. It has the role of organizing, conducting, carrying out,
supervising and supporting all the teaching and studying work. Total of the supporting staff of
SEE are 6.
Moreover, the administrative supported staffs should be counted from Office of Academic Affair,
who is responsible for coordinating with SEE to help students in academic issues, organize
teaching schedule, register testing and evaluating studying results. Total of the supporting staff
are approximated 4 (in total of 19 staffs support 4 schools and 6 departments).
Technicians.The tasks of technician are to maintain equipments and tools in a good condition
and assist laboratory services, including research by students or lecturers. There are 2
technicians working at 2 (two) laboratories and 1 technician working at electrical workshop.
The relationship between SEE and other schools/ offices are presented in Figure 5.
School
School
Office of Electrical
Electrical Center of quality
Personal Engineering
Engineering management
administration
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Figure 5. The relationship between SEE and other schools/offices at IU-VNU
Page | 44
9. Student quality
Student Number
The number of students of SEE in last five years is shown in Table 12 and Table 13.
Table 13. Total Number of Full Time Students (last 6 academic years)
The number of student intake is decreasing for EE major in recent years. There are three possible
reasons which can cause this problem as follows:
Page | 45
(1) In 2010, when the economic and financial crisis have many negative effects on
Vietnamese families’ incomes, the Electrical Engineering programs at IU-VNU with its
tuition fees is about six times greater than those of other public universities could not
become the first choice of Vietnamese students.
(2) In recent years, business and financial programs in higher education have a strong
attraction to Vietnamese students. That caused the decreasing number and quality of
candidates for other programs including engineering programs.
(3) The IU-VNU is located in Thu Duc District, which is 30 km far from the center of HCM
City. Meanwhile, the transportation system from the center of HCM City to Thu Duc
District is overloading, students tend to save their time to go to school by choosing
universities which locate in the center of HCM City instead of IU-VNU.
This situation leads IU-VNU and SEE to have many efforts to introduce the EE program to
applicants [Exh.9.01. Student RecruitmentInformation ; Exh.9.02.EE Leaflet]. To increase the
quality of students, the IU-VNU annual scholarship program which aims to attract the best new
students to IU-VNU and nurtured IU-VNU gifted students are published. [Exh.9.03. Scholarship
for freshmen; Exh.9.04.Scholarship for IU students; Exh.9.05.Scholarship for engineering
students; Exh.9.06. IU Scholarship Policy]
Besides, the university and SEE continuously improve the quality of lecturers/staffs, academic
facilities and student services. In addition, SEE puts many efforts to innovate the EE curriculum
to meet the demands of industry and society in order to increase good job opportunities for
graduates. Accreditation according to AUN and ABET criteria become educational objectives to
be achieved by SEE in order to insist on providing students with the high quality education.
For the EE program admission, two sets of criteria are applied as follows:
(1) If the applicant is a graduate from Vietnamese high schools education, he/she has to register
for the EE program at IU-VNU and pass the national university entrance examination that is
organized by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in July annually. To prepare for
the exam, the university provides the information of training degrees in the handbook that is
delivered to each high-school student. Besides, IU-VNU also opens campaigns that are
organized in well-known high schools, to introduce the university to students [Exh.6.02.
Page | 46
Student Recruitment Plan]. This plan aims to attract bright applicants to apply to the
university. As a result of this, students from all over the country can know about and apply to
IU-VNU. Only applicants with higher mark than the pass mark, which is set by the Student
Recruiting Committee, can get an entry to the university.
(2) If the applicant has international high-school certificate, he/she has submitted the
application to the university. The Student Recruiting Committee considers case-by-case and
selects applicants whose academic ability is relevant to the EE program to interview. Only
applicants who pass the interview can get an entry to the university.
Students, who have passed the entrance exam, will be arranged into different classes according
to their English levels. Students who do not have any English certifications (TOEFL or IELTS)
required by IU-VNU will take an English examination for class classification. This exam is similar
to the TOEFL. Three levels are considered [Exh.1.14. Student Handbook]:
Score < 430: Students cannot study any courses of the academic curriculum
immediately. They have to take the intensive English classes at IU-VNU or they can
learn English at any English center outside until their TOEFL score reach 500 or
equivalent.
430 Score < 500: Students can only register for few general courses of the
academic curriculum and have to take the intensive English classes at IU-VNU until
their TOEFL score reach 500 or equivalent.
Score 500: Students can study courses of the academic curriculum immediately.
Intake policy
There is a quota set for IU-VNU by MoET. This means that the number of students who get entry
to the HCMIU every year is limited by this quota. Based on this quota and the result of the
university entrance examination, the Student Recruiting Committee decides the pass mark for
each program at IU-VNU. The quota for SEE program is 60 students per year.
Quality of incoming students playsa very important role in the educational process. Logically,
with better incoming students, the University would able to produce the better graduates.
Page | 47
The pass mark (for SEE) and the base mark (set by MoET) from 2005 to 2010 are shown in Table
14. The base mark is the minimum mark for degrees using Group A (Mathematics, Physics,
Chemistry) in the university entrance examination as their test. These marks are varied
dependent on the difficulty of the university entrance examination. From this table, the pass
mark of SEE is always higher than the based mark of MoET. This means that SEE only recruits the
upper tier of high school applicants.
Table 14. Pass mark and base mark for entry of SEE
Year
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Grade
Base mark
15 13 15 13 13 13
(set by MoET)
From Table 14, in the years of 2008, 2009, and 2010, the quality of incoming students decreased.
However, this decreasing trend is common in most engineering programs of Vietnam higher
education.
Based on the admission score, the number of students passing the entrance exam of SEE
programs is presented in Figure 6.
Page | 48
Figure 6. The number of applicants and students passing the entrance exam vs. years
All undergraduate students are full-time. The number of intake students is taken each year based
on the quality of students and the available lecturers at the time.
Study load
The educational program in the SEE follows the program managed by the IU-VNU. The study load
of each student is measured in credit. The accumulation credit is clearly declared in academic
handbook [Exh.9.07. Academic regulation under credit system] or student handbook
Page | 49
[Exh.1.14.Student Handbook]. It is also explained to the first year students during the orientation
programs of OAA and SEE, as well.
For the bachelor of engineering degree, study load is converted into credit with total of 144
credits distributed in 8 academic semesters.
Electrical engineering students can choose one of these three majors: Communications,
Electronics and Signal processing. All three programs have 144 credits. A student is allowed to
learn a minimum of 14 credits and a maximum of 24 credits per semester [Exh.9.07. Academic
regulation under credit system].The study load of a course is designed based on the academic
demands of the course and credit system. To learn one period hour in class, a student has to
work 3-4 period hours at home for materials preparation and homework. According to this rule,
the program administrators allocate appropriate and balance study load for students on
semesters. If a student has difficulty in learning including complying with the credit
requirements for a semester, his/her advisor will provide him/her with relevant counseling until
he/she goes over the challenges or at least can cope with his/her situation.
Students can drop or add courses in the first weeks of the semester. During this week, they can
come to the classes freely, listen to the content and requirements of the course, and decide
which courses they want to take in the semester.
Evaluation of the ongoing course in a semester is done by fill out in a series of open
questionnaires for students [Exh.4.02.Course Evaluation Form]. Regularly, this process is carried
out within the last week of the course. The course evaluation gives chance to students to give
feedback of the ongoing teaching and learning activities in the SEE in particular and at IU-VNU in
general. Therefore it helps SEE and IU-VNU enhance the quality of students’ learning.
Page | 50
10. Student advice and support
10.1. Student Counseling
To guide and assist student during their studying, several lecturers of SEE have been assigned as
academic advisors [Exh.7.15. List of academic advisor; Exh.1.14.Student Handbook]. Those
advisors are responsible to explain curriculum and help student in any academic issues such as
study plan or course selection, etc. or any problem that student may have during they study at
SEE until they graduate. In SEE, all advisors have to have schedule for meeting student weekly.
They also have to organize at least one meeting with his/her student’s group in every semester
during academic plan. Besides, students are freely to meet their advisor whenever he/she needs
advice by making appointment or via telephone or email systems.
With these two societies, the students would be able to get better care during their study in the
University. Whether student is a member of these two societies, he/she can take part any
activity [Exh.10.01 – Exh.10.07. Student Activities] opened by the societies. In other hand,
students with problem will be helped by mentioned societies. In case of students who have
specific problems often find difficulties to continue their study, these societies could help them
to solve problems in the smart ways.
Student academic progress is recorded and fully administrated through web-base academic
information system called EduSoft managed by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). Before each
semester, the school will announce the list of opened courses. Thus, a student can consult the
program checklist to identify which subjects are available the following semester and can check
the required pre-requisites. A student who has not studied a prerequisite course will not be
allowed to enroll in a downstream subject. Therefore, academic advisors play an important role
in helping student in course registration. Student progress through their program of study is
monitored by the OAA. Students can obtain their printed studying result at any time.
Page | 51
At the end of each semester, each faculty submits the subjects’ grades to the secretary of SEE
and the secretary records and sends it to the OAA. Finally, the scores in each subject are
announced to the students.
Students can sign in website http://ee.hcmiu.edu.vn, managed by the Computing Center, to see
their studying result and manage their progress. Besides, the university sends the official student
performance to their family once a year. Student advisors also track the progress of each student
and contact the parents if necessary.
The system of academic advisor is established to support students during the time they study at
the university. Therefore, in the first semester of the first year, the new students can get advice
how to study and keep up with the academic advisors. Moreover, the seminars are opened for
students before beginning of the first semester [Exh.10.08. Agenda of welcome new students].
Seminars consist of orientation on studying in university, orientation about majors… and some
sample solutions or suggestions to help student to be able to response to certain problems in
the society using various knowledge in the future.
10.5. Scholarship
Scholarship is available through various schemes and varies sources of fund and distributed to
the University or directly to Faculty. The sources of funding are from the University, foundations
and industries. The scholarship is based on academic and covers wholly or partially the living
costs, tuition fees, and final project research fund [Exh.9.06. IU Scholarship Policy].
SEE, Student Association and Youth Union that together help students in their career planning.
Via these helps, SEE’s students having many chances to interact with industries [Exh.10.10. –
Exh.10.12. Industrial Relations]. SEE or Student Association or Youth Union may invite companies
to introduce their line of business as well as to recruit graduates [Exh.10.09. Industrial relations –
TI seminar]. Especially, SEE has developed a good relationship with the industry by organizing
“Alumni Meeting” and industry’ involvement in SEE’s activities. Those help students to
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familiarize themselves with the labor market. Other effort is sending students to take
internship/practical training course program, both at national and international levels.
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11.Facilities and infrastructure
Teaching Rooms. Class-rooms are managed by the University and shared among 4 (four) schools
and 6 (six) departments. Capacity of class room is varied from small classes of 29 m 2 for 17
students and big classes of 395 m 2 for 150 students. The building is a 7-storey building where 1 st
and 7th floors are used for library and university headquarters. The rest are for school office and
class-rooms. Currently, IU-VNU has total of 6550 m 2 for classrooms and laboratories. The ratio of
classroom area to the student body is about 2.78 m 2/ student.
Lectures are scheduled from 08.00 to 16.00 for five days per week. Depend on number of
credits, session is 135 and 180 minutes for 3 credits and 4 credits subject respectively. The
department of Electrical Engineering runs about more than 20 subjects for each semester .Class-
room and lectures schedule centrally managed by the OAA.
Computer Centre & IT. The main function of Computer Centre is to manage IT system and to
serve courses that require computer facility and also as supporting facilities for students.
Courses in Electrical Engineering Study Program that use computers are Introduction to
Computer for Engineers, Programming for Engineers and many software-used laboratories. The
Computer Center also serves the school activities related to IT development, lecturing,
researches and academic administration. EE have been provided internet and local networks
within the school with network capacity up to 100 Mbps. Wi-Fi points are also available for
internet access at 2 different locations in the school area and can be accessed 24 hours. The SEE
shares 05 computer laboratories with other schools/departments with total 200 computers and
has its two own laboratories equipped with computers and other equipments (Lab601 and
Lab602).
Didactic Aids & Tools. All teaching rooms are equipped with PC, LCD projector, loud speaker,
blackboard and air conditioner. The Blackboard system and internet can always be accessed from
class, which support lecturer and student a lot in teaching and learning.
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The Electronics laboratory has 3 modules [Exh.11.01. List of equipments in Electronics Lab]:
Modelling& simulation
Modulation and transmission
The laboratories are mainly used for: laboratory works of electrical engineering bachelor degree
program, final project and academic researches.
(1) Central Library is under the management of the Vietnam National University – HCM city
(2) IU Library
The collection of books and journals are considered satisfactory for bachelor and master but not
for doctoral program. At IU library, to serve school of Electrical Engineering, there are total 1078
book titles with 2158 copies. The library adds more collections every semester based on the
study program proposals [Exh.11.03. Annually Textbook Purchase Plan]. In addition, study
programs also regularly spend some funds for books and journal and keep some of them under
the study program collections.
Circulation; loan, return and loan extension of library collection for members
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References: like dictionaries, encyclopedias, manuals, annual books and others teaching
materials
Magazines and Journals which can only be read or copied at the library
The Library is open five days a week from 8 am to 4 pm. Service facility from the library can be
accessed though the website: http://csc.hcmiu.edu.vn/TraCuuSachEN.aspx . Instead of using the
Faculty Library, students can also go to the Central Library, during working days at 8 am – 4 pm.
Students can visit the website of the Central Library at http://www.vnulib.edu.vn and access
books, final project reports, theses and others.
Dormitory. IU students can use Dorm system managed by Vietnam National University – HCM
city. Currently, there are 25 students of school of Electrical Engineering living in Dorm.
Sport & Arts Centre.IU is so young and on developing process. As the result, there are not much
sport facilities available at this moment. As per April 2011, there are 1 table tennis room with an
area of 200 m2 in 4th floor, 1 standard volley ball and 1 standard basket ball yard provided free
of charge.
Beside, IU students can hire sport facilities from University of Sport which take about 10 minutes
walk from IU. Some EE’s lectures and staffs organize football match weekly and encourage
student to attend. To enhance and promote sportsmanship, 2 compulsory subjects of 3 credits
on Physical Training are offered as part of curriculum. Students may choose type of sport on
their interest.
Student Activity Centre. To facilitate various students’ activities, the University provide a center
named Student Affair in 2nd floor and Youth Union office in 1st floor.
Cafeteria. Student Cafeteria or canteen is available at the University and all other faculties within
IU at affordable prices. New canteen with an area of 1071 m 2 with 432 seats hasbeen serving to
students and staff since 2010. Besides, there is a coffee shop with an area of 200 m 2 in 2nd floor.
Page | 56
IU-VNU also provided with drinking water machines for free in every floor. [Exh.11.04. Canteen
Contract]
Books Stores. Book store (200 m2) is in the 3rdfloor.It sells not only books but also offers other
services, such as photocopied- and binding services.
Shuttle Campus Buses. Shuttle buses are provided to serve all university members between
campus area and downtown. The total number of shuttle bus is 45 with air-condition.
Operational hours are from 5:35 to 17:35 from Monday to Friday, and from 07.00 to 14.00 on
Saturdays. Bus timetable is designed to meet student’s need and the interval of services is
approximately 15 minutes during normal hours [Exh.11.05. Bus Schedule].
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12. Quality assurance of the teaching/learning process
Curriculum is designed based on (1) MOET accredited criteria [Exh.12.01. MOET Engineering
Program Framework], (2) ABET-accredited criteria [Exh.4.05. ABET Criteria], (3) reference from
top ranking US universities [Exh.4.06. EE Curriculum Comparison], and (4) Vietnamese industry
needs. The curriculum is constructed by all members of the School, reviewed by external
examiners, approved by the Academic Committee of HCMIU and the VNU-HCM. It is periodically
updated based on the feedback of faculty, student, alumni, and industry and professional
organizations. After being approved, it is printed as an official document, published on the
School website and handbook for students [Exh.1.14.Student Handbook].
All lecturers have a clear understanding of the syllabus and have to follow its content in teaching.
All course teaching is carefully checked by different ways including discussion with lecturer and
students, class attend and course evaluation.
Students can report direct to the Dean for any opinions related to the course. The auditor system
from Office of Academic Affairs frequently checked for class regulation. Any issue related to the
class will be reported to the Dean for correction.
All the mid-term and final examination topics have to be approved by Dean[Exh.6.07. Midterm
Exam Paper; Exh.6.08.Final Exam Paper].All the original test topics are stored in the Office of
Academic Affairs and School for further reference. The examinations are strictly organized by the
Office of Academic Affairs. Examination papers, after being marked, are stored in the School
office. If students have questions about grading, they can submit the re-evaluation form
[Exh.12.02.Exam Re-evaluation Form]to the School. The re-marking of examination papers is
carefully carried out by the lecturers and approved by the Dean.
International University has the Quality Assurance Center [Exh.12.03. Decision of Establishment
of QAC] working independently with school/departments to improve the quality of teaching and
services. The center can access to all corners of teaching and learning to ensure the highest
quality.
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13. Student evaluation
Frequently, students are given a chance to participate in teaching-learning evaluation processes
at the end of every course, right before the final examination [Exh.4.02.Course Evaluation Form].
Students are asked to write their overall feedback towards any aspects of the course that they
would like to comment feedback as well as recommend further development of the course. The
results of course evaluation will be used for improving the course and evaluate the performance
of lectures. Since it is anonymous, the lecturers may receive clearer description on positive and
negative points of their performance and then figure out the way how to improve for the next
time. Furthermore, students also are required to assess the training activities of the School such
as services and facilities. The feedbacks of student provided through evaluation become the
basic process of reviewing and improving curriculum.
The forms are designed by HCMIU including 12 criteria. These criteria can be grouped into three
components: (A) Teaching materials, (B) Teaching methods, and (C) teaching evaluation system.
The result of evaluation is ranked into five levels with the scale of 1-5. Since Academic Year
2009-2010, the result of student evaluation from previous semester is currently used as one of
parameters to determine variable allowance for lecturers to continue collaboration with school
on the next semester.
All evaluation and comments are delivered to corresponding destination [Exh.13.01. Reports on
Course Evaluation ]:
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14. Curriculum design
The program is built with the contribution of the all lectures of SEE [Exh.4.09. MOM – Annually
Academic Panel – 2006; Exh.4.10.MOM – Annually Academic Panel – 2007; Exh.4.13.MOM –
Annually Academic Panel - 2009]. The lecturers, managers, and enterprises are invited to review
to ensure that training program satisfying the demand of workforce. During the curriculum
design, the evaluation of the training program is sentto stakeholders such as scientific council of
the university, students, and enterprises [Exh.4.03. Alumni Feedback Form; Exh.4.04. Industry
Feedback Form].The end of academic year, all feedbacks will be collected to improve the
curriculum by Academic Committee.
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SEEMISSION, VISION
5 YEARS
SEE EDUCATIONAL GOALS, AIMS
STUDENT-
3 YEARS EE PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL CENTERED POINT
OBJECTIVES OF VIEW
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
ABET CRITERIA
ANUAL
INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT
LECTURER
DIRECT
MEASUREMENT INDIRECT
LAB
MEASUREMENT
ORAL TEST
EXIT SURVEY
PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
LAB REPORT
ENTRY SURVEY
ALUMNI
ACTIVITIES REPORT
EMPLOYER
RECOMMENDATIONS (Updates to program outcomes, EVALUATION
Updates to curriculum, courses, lab facilities, students
activities) EXAMS
ADVISOR EVALUATION
THESIS
STRENGHTS & WEAKNESS ACCREDITATION
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15. Staff development activities
New faculties have to undergo training on teaching for at least one semester. They can audit
some courses, take part in lab sessions, prepare lectures for the next semester, and research as
well. As a result of the training, new faculties master the teaching methodologies and standards
to become a true sense of lecturers.
In order to keep up with the new developments in their field of expertise, the faculties are
encouraged to attend seminars and conferences locally and internationally. Some awards are
given for the faculties having papers or articles annually. There are promotions (such as
promotions in salary, tenured-track, and professorship) and training in teaching methodologies.
Moreover, all faculties with only Master of Science or Engineering are encouraged to obtain PhD
degree (currently, 04 lecturers are studying abroad) [Exh.7.08. Decision for SEE faculty study
abroad].The faculties with doctorate degrees are considered for the title of Associate/Full
Professor (by the Ministry).
All faculties with teaching experience can be considered for Senior Lecturers positions (by the
National University) or manager (Dean or Vice Dean) of the school (by the Board of rectors).
To update with emerging technologies and encourage research, the school also organizes many
seminars for students and faculties (see Table 15)
1 (by Prof. Nguyen Cam, Texas A&M, USA) Seminar 2009 InternationalUniversity
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16. Feedback stakeholders
Feedback from stakeholder is conducted through student progress and alumni evaluation and
labor market.
Student feedback [Exh.4.02. Course Evaluation]: Student evaluations of courses are organized by
the Academic Affair Office in the end of the course. There are also some various channels where
students can voice their concerns about teaching and learning, such as report to the Dean or the
Rector, make an official comment to the School or Academic Affair offices, and Rector Board.
Feedback from labor market [Exh.4.04. Industry Feedback Form]: Stakeholders’ feedbacksare
necessary for improving the quality of teaching and learning activities. The stakeholder is
representatives from companies such as training and recruitment department. Discussion and
meetings with representatives from companies and associations give illustration on the quality
of graduates and expected competences.
Feedback from employers and professional associations are usually done in the revision of
curriculum in an each year period by labor market’s feedback form.
Feedback from Alumni [Exh.4.03. Alumni Feedback Form]: Feedbacks from alumni are obtained
from survey annually by summer time. Method to obtain feedback is done by sending the
alumni rating form to each. This survey consists of facilities and services requirements,
evaluation of the level of stability of the job within the 3 next years.
Some suggestions raised are the content and the richness of subject thought, relevance of
knowledge and information during study and real word of civil engineering industries and
profession.
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17. Output
17.1 Achieved Outcomes (graduates)/ Graduate Profile
The first class of Electrical Engineering Program is class of 2005 and the first graduate batch is
graduated in 2009. At the moment, the SEE has total of 79 graduates [Exh.6.11. Graduate
Student Decision]. The specific number was shown in Table 12.
Academic year Enter year 2005 Enter year 2006 Enter year 2007
2008-2009 31 X X
2009-2010 25 23 X
The average percentage of subject pass rate in each semester is presented in Table 17 (data
were collected from EduSoft)
Academic Size
% first degree after % dropout after
year Cohort
3 years 4 years > 4 years 1 year 2 years 3 years > 3 years
2005/2006 89 X 31 25 15 8 2 0
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2006/2007 51 X 23 x 8 5 2 0
2007/2008 65 X x x 10 6 3 x
2008/2009 51 X x x 4 1 X x
2009/2010 51 x x x 3 x X x
2010/2011 30 x x x 1 x X x
Graduate-rate and drop-out rate in the last 05 years is shown in Table 18. Student is declared as
drop out from university because of two reasons:
As shown in Table 16, the graduates in each semester come from different batches. The average
time to degree for the last 02 years is between 08 to 09 Semester. It is expected that 08
semester would be the closest target to be achieved. The shortest is 8 semesters and the longest
time to graduate is 12 semesters.
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18. Stakeholder satisfaction
One of the main jobs of School of Electrical Engineering is to assure high quality of graduates
that satisfied stakeholders as much as possible. Hence the SEE try its best to develop and
improve its academic quality. Generally, stakeholder is the combination of students, alumni,
public and industries. There are two keys factors that are used for measuring the level of
stakeholder satisfaction: the process and the outcomes of the educational activities.
Students’ satisfaction is recorded through their educational process that consists of learning,
teaching, academic services, and social activities happened during their study. In SEE, all the
lecturers are evaluated their level of performance by students. In other hand, students are
required to evaluate the lecturers, teaching and learning methods, course materials, etc. in every
semester. The evaluation forms provide a menu of choices, such as a satisfaction rating scale
including the options “1 : strongly disagree”; “2 : disagree”; “3 : uncertain”; “4 : agree”; and “5 :
strongly agree”. In addition, these forms also allow students to write down their views through
free comments
Option
Content Criteria 1 2 3 4 5
Lecturer’s delivering method make the
1 0% 0% 24.2% 57.6% 18.2%
course more interesting
Lecturer encourages the student to
2 0% 9.1% 18.2% 66.7% 6.1%
outperform themselves
Lecturer spends time on correcting and
3 0% 6.1% 45.5% 39.4% 9.1%
commenting on students homework
Lecturer gives necessary and timely
4 0% 6.1% 33.3% 57.6% 3%
feedback to students
Lecturer has profound knowledge on
5 0% 0% 15.2% 66.7% 18.2%
the courses
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Lecturer conveys the content of the
6 0% 6.1% 33.3% 45.5% 15.2%
course clearly and easy-to-understand
Table 19 shows the average evaluation of teaching method of EE students in the time from 2006
to 2010. In general, the highest percentage of student selected the option “4 : agree”. As a
result, the teaching delivery method get the average above 3 and most of lecturers get the score
above 4.
The figure 8shows the course materials’ satisfaction of EE students in the time from 2006 to
2010. Here, the criteria number 1 is “The textbooks are up-to-date and appropriate to the
course” and 2 is “The content of the courses requires student to think independently, not just
memorizing”. Evidently, the largest student number decided to give score 4.
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percentage of students give the scores of 3 and 4 for criteria 16, 17, and 19 seem equal each
other. 54.5% student highly sastified with those extracurricular activities during those years.
Option
Content Criteria
1 2 3 4 5
The extracurricular activities are
16 3% 9.1% 36.4% 39.4% 12.1%
announced widely to students
The extracurricular activities are
regularly organized and best-fit with 17 3% 9.1% 39.4% 39.4% 9.1%
student curriculum
The extracurricular activity meets
18 3% 3% 27.3% 54.5% 12.1%
students’ need
The extracurricular activity helps
19 9.1% 9.1% 9.1% 9.1% 9.1%
students develop personal skills.
18.2.Opinion – Alumni
The alumni are an important bridge that connects students and fresh graduates to the industry.
Thus, SEE considers relationship with the alumni as an important part of its educational program.
The School regularly contacts with alumni in several ways such as sending the survey forms,
meeting events and so on…From those contacts, SEE could get from alumni’s views and also
suggestions about the curriculum. The data collected from alumni’s feedback includes the
“waiting time” to get the first job after they graduate (Figure 9), the evaluation about the job
orientation activities opened by University as well as the evaluations of the job consulting and
supporting activities after graduation. Besides, the satisfaction of trained soft-skills for student
during 2006-2010 that are useful for student after graduate is also collected and tabulated in
table 21.
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Figure 9. “Waiting time” versus percentage number of student get the first job after graduation
Option
Content Criteria
1 2 3 4 5
Evaluationof the job orientation 25 0% 12.1% 18.2% 63.6% 6.1%
activities opened by University
In order to receive opinions from the labor markets, SEE has selected several companies
employing the EE graduatesOf course, these companies are very well-known in electrical
engineering field. Consequently, the companies’ feedbacks are considered as industry general
opinion. The feedback data was gathered by sending the “Labor Market’s Feedback Form”
directly to the selected companies.
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Another method to have opinions from society regarding the quality of education in the program
is by recognizing from media highlights. Various articles[Exh.18.01. News about SEE] in the
media have highlighted the role of SEE’s students/ lecturers concerning their contribution to the
environment in the societies.
Opinion about the students/lecturers from society or public is one of important parameter that
reflects the educational quality conducted by the School. However, because of very young
University, the SEE has not yet set a systematic method to gather general view and perception
from the society. Nevertheless, at present, the School has taking seriously consideration that any
achievements of the students/lecturers would gain some insight of the opinions when exposed
to the public.
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Part 3: Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis
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Goals and Objectives; Expected Learning Outcomes
The IU-VNU has a clearly formulated mission statement for its academic training, research activities and
role in society. These are published on website and other documents such as brochure and student
handbook. Consistent with the stated mission and vision of IU-VNU, the goal and objectives of EE
program are clearly stated and translated into the curriculum.
The program also has clearly learning outcomes which inline with outcome set by ABET. The expected
learning outcomes cover appropriate both skills and academic knowledge and they are based on the
contribution make by each course.
Program Specifications
The program specifications are published formally in website, hand book, curriculum and leaflet. It is
informative for students and stakeholders.
The curriculum reflects the mission and vision of IU-VNU and SEE. Curriculum is up-to-dated and
compatible with EE curriculum of well-known universities. EE curriculum is articulated and approved by
all partner universities. 22 courses of the curriculum is used in ACTS (Asian Credits Transfer System).
The content of the program is balanced between general and specific skills and knowledge. It clearly
shows the basic courses, intermediate courses, specialist course and the final thesis activities.
Program Organization
The program organization is clearly stated and introduced to all students at the beginning. Based on this
organization, especially the difference between English levels, students can prepare for their study plan.
The relationship between courses as well as the pre-requisites is clearly shown in the network program,
which leads students to choose the appropriate courses with their levels.
Various didactic concepts such as lectures, tutorials, laboratory etc. are being used for teaching and
learning. The student centered approach is emphasized for lecture hours. However, it takes times for
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new student to be acquainted with these methods since they are different from the high school teaching
methodology. The SEE will organize more seminars on didactic methods for students.
Student Assessment
Various student assessment methods are being used such as quizzes, homework, project, mid-term and
final exams. Assessment criteria are clearly stated in course syllabus and introduce to students at the
beginning of the course.
Staf Quality
Full-time faculty staffs graduated with outstanding ranking from well-recognized universities from all
over the world. Visiting professors are well-known and experience in the EE area from top university in
Vietnam as well as overseas.
The staffs can balance between teaching and research workload as well as contribute to the school’s
activities.
The SEE have a good number of support staff who are dedicated and efficiently help students in
academic and administration activities. Besides, students also get support from Office of Academic
Affairs and other students’ services such as student youth union, computing center and library.
However, the supporting services are offered during office hours. SEE will make plan to provide service to
students later and over weekend if needed.
Student Quality
All students have to pass the National entrance exam or the University interview to be admitted to the
program. However, the pass grade and number of enrolled student is not as expected. The SEE is
planning for more promotion activities to attract students.
The English levels are diverse among students; as a result, students with lower English level need more
efforts to be with the program. The intense English is being focus at IU-VNU in order to help these
students when entering the program.
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Student Advice and Support
Every student has academic advisor who accompany with them during their study at SEE. Various
students’ activities are organized such as sport competition, academic games, youth union and student
association’s activities.
However, the students’ facilities need to be developed such as dormitory, sport center and bus route.
The university has modern infrastructure and well-equipped facilities. The laboratories are very well-
equipped, up-to-dated and highly utilized for internal uses and also for members of VNU.
The library has many textbooks and reference books with new edition. However, the online magazines
and journals are not rich.
Quality assurance is considered as an important factor of SEE. Academic board is available to evaluate
the implementation of the curriculum. However, it is recently established and not fully functions as
expected.
Student Evaluation
Student evaluation of teaching activities is carried out regularly every semester through Center of
Quality Assurance. Data from this evaluation are used for curriculum development and staff evaluation.
The satisfaction of students keeps increasing by semesters.
Curriculum Design
The curriculum is reviewed annually and follows the Curriculum design and improvement scheme. The
improvement considered the demands of stakeholders.
Various trainings such as English improvement, didactic method, etc. are provided for staff development.
Faculty staffs are encouraged to collaborate with partner universities for research and have change to go
to overseas universities one semester for exchange research and teaching methodology. IU-VNU also has
merit award for best academic and support staff annually.
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Feedback Stakeholders
The feedbacks of stakeholders are taking annually by the end of academic year. The results are used for
curriculum development. However, since the SEE just has few graduated batches and number of
graduate student, the information from employers is not rich.
Output
Graduates have good jobs and can apply to graduate program from abroad universities.
Stakeholder Satisfaction
The stakeholders are satisfied with the program in general. However, the SEE needs to do more survey
regarding this criterion.
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Completed checklist
Criteria 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1.2 The program promotes learning to learn and life - long learning X
1.3 The expected learning outcomes cover generic skills and knowledge as X
well as specific skills and knowledge
1.4 The expected learning outcomes clearly reflect the requirements of the X
stakeholders
2. Program Content
2.1 The program content shows a good balance between general and specific X
skills and knowledge
2.2 The program reflects the vision and mission of the university X
2.3 The expected learning outcomes have been adequately translated into the X
program
2.4 The contribution made by each course to achieving the learning outcomes X
is clear
3. Program Specification
4. Program Organization
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4.1 The curriculum is coherent and all subjects and courses have been X
integrated
4.3 The curriculum clearly shows the basic courses, intermediate courses, X
specialist courses and the final project (thesis, etc.) activities
5.5 The curriculum stimulates active learning and facilitates learning to learn X
6. Student Assessment
6.1 Student assessment considers student entrance, student progress and exit X
tests
6.4 The assessments reflect the expected learning outcomes and the content X
of the program
6.7 The standards applied in the assessment are explicit and consistent X
6.8 The assessment schemes, the assessment methods and the assessment X
itself are always subject to quality assurance and scrutiny.
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Overall Opinion 5.0
7. Staf Quality
7.1 The staff are competent for their task and able to fulfill the requirements of X
criterion 7.1
7.4 The roles and relationship of staff members are well defined and X
understood
7.6 Time management and incentive systems are designed to support the X
quality of teaching and learning
7.9 Termination, retirement and social benefits are planned and well X
implemented
8.4 There are adequate support staff for the student services X
9.Student Quality
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9.4 The actual study load is in line with the calculated load X
10.4 The physical and material environment for the student is satisfactory X
10.5 The social and psychological environment for the student is satisfactory X
11.1 The lecture facilities (lecture halls, small course rooms) are adequate X
11.5 Environmental health and safety standards should meet the local X
requirements in all respects
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14. Curriculum Design
14.1 The curriculum was developed as a joint enterprise by all the staff X
members
16.1 There is adequate structured feedback from the labor market (employers) X
17. Output
18.1 The university has a structural method for obtaining feedback on the level
of satisfaction from stakeholders: students, alumni and graduates, employers
and the general public
Dean
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Part 4: Appendices
Glossary
IU – VNU : The International University – Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.
DA : Direct Apply
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Supporting documents and evidences
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22 Internship Evaluation Form 3 Exh.3.02
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49 Critical Thinking Syllabus 5 Exh.5.02
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76 EE Teaching Workload 7 Exh.7.16
86 EE Leaflet 9 Exh.9.02
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103 Industrial Relations – Seahorse Company Trip 10 Exh.10.10
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