The task of building and developing undergraduate and postgraduate training programs to international standards has been identified as a key component in the development strategy of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) until 2010 and with a vision to 2020. Among these, Linguistics – one of the eight programs selected for international standard development – has been offered for two years at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Kim Son, Vice Rector of the University, answered questions in an interview regarding the progress of this training task.
- Professor Nguyen Kim Son, how would you assess the quality of Linguistics students who achieve international standards after two years of training?But
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim SonIt must be said that the program to train students in Linguistics to international standards only started in 2008, and has only been running for two years. The two cohorts have 71 students. The first cohort has only completed three semesters, and the second has only completed one semester, and they are still mainly focusing on general subjects. Assessing the quality of the students in such a short time is very difficult. Normally, the quality of the training program can only be evaluated after at least one cohort has completed a course. However, based on the results of the general subjects and foreign language courses, the results appear promising. Clearly, with students having been guided in their studies from the beginning and undergoing rigorous evaluation and testing, they have had to motivate themselves and make significant efforts to complete their learning tasks, especially to prepare their foreign language skills to listen to and understand teachers teaching in English. According to the results of the recent foreign language exam, many students achieved good scores. This clearly shows that students' proactive learning and positive attitude towards studying have improved significantly.
- Professor, could you please tell us about the specific results that the university has achieved since implementing this training program?
But
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim SonThe University of Social Sciences and Humanities has truly made efforts in implementing this training program, as evidenced by the following aspects: Firstly, the University has designed a training program based on the program currently being implemented at the Faculty of Linguistics, with modifications and references to advanced training programs worldwide, incorporating new content to align with and be relevant to current linguistics training programs around the world. Secondly, the University has made proactive preparations in terms of its teaching staff for this program. Even those who do not teach in English, but only in Vietnamese, must hold a doctoral degree or higher. Faced with the requirement to teach in English, the university's faculty must find ways to improve their professional and foreign language skills to fulfill their assigned tasks. This situation presents both challenges and opportunities for the teachers themselves. This also represents a significant boost in the school's strategy for building and developing its staff. Project 16+23 requires the school to plan for sending staff abroad for professional and language training, specifically to universities ranked among the top 200 in the world. To date, the school has been diligently preparing and contacting partners, primarily US universities such as Harvard, Berkeley, and Los Angeles, to send staff for training for 3 to 6 months. This could be implemented in late 2010 or early 2011. Thirdly, regarding facilities, the school has built a system of high-quality classrooms with many modern amenities to support training. The documentation system has also been well-prepared with many English-language materials; a dedicated archive has been established to support this training program. Fourth, the school focuses on implementing innovative teaching methods, adjusting course syllabi and lecture materials. Teachers invited to teach subjects in this program must adjust their existing teaching content to update their knowledge, innovate their methods, and expand their resources to meet higher training requirements. Fifth, the school has been doing well in expanding international cooperation, laying the groundwork for attracting and inviting excellent foreign professors to teach, preparing to send teachers for advanced training, and sending students for language internships abroad. Starting this semester, foreign experts will be coming to teach, with at least 1-2 foreign experts expected to teach students each semester.
So, what are the biggest challenges the school has faced in implementing this training program?But
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim SonThis project is a new and strategically important undertaking, surpassing all previous projects at Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU). However, it comes with challenges from the moment of approval until its practical implementation. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities currently faces several difficulties: Firstly, VNU sets common standards for all training programs under the 16+23 project, including a common standard for foreign languages with the same amount of time spent on foreign language courses. However, the reality is that the majority of students entering the Linguistics program to achieve international standards belong to the humanities/social sciences (Block C), meaning their foreign language proficiency is certainly not as strong as that of students entering other programs under the 16+23 project. Therefore, it will be difficult for Linguistics students to achieve international standards when they study the same amount of foreign language, must meet the same standards, but have a lower starting point. Secondly, the University currently lacks control over foreign language teaching and inviting foreign experts to teach foreign languages. Organizing summer language internships abroad for students was a requirement in the initial design of the project, but its implementation will certainly face many difficulties due to various factors. Thirdly, while the curriculum clearly stipulates that certain subjects must be taught in English, many subjects related to Vietnamese linguistics must also be taught in English. Is this entirely reasonable? The principle of improving English proficiency as a tool for understanding lectures in English and participating in English-speaking conferences is correct, but in some specific cases, it is not a primary objective. Especially when the project focuses on attracting foreign students, teaching Vietnamese language research subjects in English seems unscientific to me. English itself will become inadequate in this context. Clearly, foreign languages are important, but under these specific conditions, they are not a prerequisite.
- So, what specific proposals does the University have for VNU to ensure that the implementation of this training program achieves the desired results?But
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim SonThe above points are also the proposals of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Firstly, to increase the duration of foreign language study for Linguistics students to achieve international standards; secondly, to adjust the requirement for teaching in English for majors related to Vietnamese linguistics; and thirdly, to have closer and more coordinated cooperation between units within the Vietnam National University, Hanoi in achieving common training goals.
- So, given what has been accomplished so far, what are the school's expectations regarding the quality of its graduates?But
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim SonNaturally, a training process with higher-quality student intake; better budget investment; better investment in staff, facilities, and teaching materials; and students learning with a different, more positive and diligent mindset will certainly lead to improved training quality. However, whether we have immediately reached the standards we desire is a long story and requires continuous effort.
- How do you assess the impact of this training program on improving the overall quality of education at the university? After the Linguistics program, does the university plan to further develop other undergraduate programs that meet international standards?But
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim SonWith strong investment targets in all aspects—curriculum, lectures, staff, facilities, etc.—the implementation of training programs under Project 16+23 will certainly be an important step and a direction to improve the quality of training at the University. The University also strongly supports this policy of VNU and is currently planning to develop several other projects to develop training programs to international standards to submit to VNU.
