Workshop on Program Accreditation According to the National Standards

On the morning of February 23rd, 2022, Van Lang University organized an online workshop on program accreditation according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) assessment standards (Circular No. 04/2016/TT-BGDDT dated 14/3/2016). Attending the workshop were the University Board members, deans of faculties, managers of functional units and lecturers of the University.

Delivering the opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu (President) clearly stated the meaning and importance of quality assurance and accreditation for the development of Van Lang University, as well as the University's commitment to quality to learners and society. Accreditation of programs reflects the quality of the programs and related to faculties, departments of the University.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Cuong, Manager of the Quality Assurance Department presented the results of the programs accreditation of Van Lang University according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) standards.

Up until the present, 12 undergraduate programs and 2 master's programs have completed self-assessment, of which 10 programs have undertaken external assessment. Specifically, 3 external assessments were undertaken:

• Phase 1 in September 2020: English Language, Accounting, Hospitality Management
• Phase 2 in March 2021: Banking and Finance, Civil Engineering, Tourism Management 
• Phase 3 in January 2022: Biotechnology, Architecture, Commerce, Business Administration
   

All the programs achieved high quality with a fairly high percentage of criteria (from 86% to 90%). Comparison with the related programs of other universities throughout the country shows that the proportion of criteria achieved in the programs of Van Lang University is in the top or middle group. The criteria are well evaluated by expert delegations such as publishing the description of the program and course outline; learners have easy access to the learning outcomes complaints process; capacity of lecturers; management according to the work results of lecturers and staff; criteria and methods of learner selection. However, there are also some criteria that need improvement such as diverse methods of assessing learning outcomes, orientation of scientific research activities of students, additional learning resources.

The participants of the workshop contributed many ideas for the University to promote its strengths and overcome its weaknesses. From the recommendations of external assessment teams, plans for quality improvement should be specified into activities and assigned to units with specific timeframes.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu emphasized that the accreditation results of 10 programs have confirmed the quality of training programs of Van Lang University. The University has a specific plan for program accreditation and institutional accreditation. Specifically, 7 programs have been undertaken self-assessment according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) standards, 4 other programs have been carried out self-assessment according to AUN-QA standards and the University is in the process of carrying out the accreditation of educational institutions for the 3rd time.