Overview of the Bachelor of Linguistics program to achieve international standards.

The Bachelor of Linguistics program at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is one of 16 undergraduate programs at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi that aim for international standards. The program's goal is to improve the quality of Bachelor of Linguistics education to international standards, while simultaneously enhancing research, teaching, and management capabilities and effectiveness according to international norms.

I. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

1. Improve the quality of training to reach international standards.

The most important objective of the Project is to improve the quality of Bachelor of Linguistics training to an international standard. Graduates of this program should possess professional knowledge and skills, be able to use foreign languages ​​and work in diverse socio-cultural environments, reaching the level of leading universities in the region by 2015 (equivalent to leading universities in the region such as Chukalongkorn University and Chiang Mai University in Thailand) and top 100 universities in the world by 2020 (equivalent to Seoul National University in South Korea or Tsinghua University in China).

2. Enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of research and teaching activities.

For various reasons, the effectiveness of research and teaching in all disciplines, and in Linguistics in particular, remains limited compared to requirements and lags significantly behind advanced universities in the region and around the world. With the investment in financial resources and infrastructure, the Project aims for its second objective: to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of research and teaching at the training institution, moving towards international standards, striving to achieve the standards of universities in the Top 200 by 2015 and the standards of universities in the Top 100 by 2020.

3. Strengthen infrastructure and innovate management methods.

One of the main limitations affecting the quality of higher education in Vietnam is the extremely poor infrastructure, limited funding, and outdated management methods compared to other countries in the region and around the world. This project, with an estimated budget of approximately 3000 USD/student/year, aims to initially meet the requirements for infrastructure and funding at an average level compared to other countries in the region (for the period 2008-2012), while simultaneously creating changes in management methods according to international standards.

4. Training human resources for subsequent phases.

For various reasons, the quality of university lecturers in Vietnam in general, and in the Faculty of Linguistics in particular, currently lags far behind international requirements and standards, not only in terms of qualifications but also in terms of expertise. Therefore, the third objective of the Project is to cultivate human resources to improve the quality of teaching and scientific research of lecturers through various forms (organizing additional training in specialized fields and foreign languages, supporting scientific research activities and innovation in teaching methods, increasing income for lecturers, etc.) so that they can gradually catch up with the level of lecturers at advanced universities in the region and around the world.

II. TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

- Shift from a semester-based training system to a credit-based system to increase student autonomy.

- Gradually increase the number of elective courses from 15% in 2007 to 40% in 2010, meeting students' requirements for choosing courses and instructors.

- Implement specialized training for students to meet their major selection requirements and provide them with in-depth professional orientation.

- Increase the time allocated to discussion sessions, practical exercises, self-study/research, and extracurricular activities, including field trips and internships, to provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge and hone their skills in real-world situations.

- Combine teaching methods in both foreign and native languages, gradually increasing the number of subjects taught in foreign languages, striving to have 25% of subjects taught in English and 25% taught in both English and Vietnamese by 2010. - Enhance the use of teaching and learning aids (audiovisual aids, the internet, etc.).

III. METHODS OF TESTING AND EVALUATION

1. Subject assessment and evaluation

Combining assessment methods according to the undergraduate training regulations of Hanoi National University and regulations commonly applied in advanced universities around the world:

- Use quick in-class quizzes and homework assignments.

- Organize seminars and group activities inside or outside the classroom.

- Write overviews, reports, or essays.

- Mid-term and final exams

- Graduation thesis/thesis

2. Assessing the quality of training

- Collaborate with the University's Accreditation Center to develop a set of criteria for accrediting the quality of training, based on the experience of advanced universities in the region and around the world.

- Conduct periodic quality assessments of training programs and compare the results with assessments of other training programs to make adjustments to the training program, teaching methods, investment policies, and management methods.

IV. STUDENT SCREENING AND TRANSFER

- First-year students in other majors who meet the following criteria will be considered for supplementary admission to the second year (but not the third and fourth years) of this training program:

+ Good moral character, good sense of organization and discipline.

+ Have an average academic score of ≥ 3.2 in the first year.

+ Achieve the foreign language proficiency required by the training program.

Students who violate any of the following conditions will be ineligible for a scholarship from this program for one semester:

+ Subjected to disciplinary action ranging from reprimand upwards.

+ More than 10% of the first-time exam scores for subjects in a semester (based on credit hours) are below 5.5 (Grade D).

+ Having an average semester exam score below 2.5 points

+ Did not meet the foreign language proficiency requirements of the program.

- Students who violate any of the following points will not be recommended for a diploma in an internationally recognized program:

+ Subjected to disciplinary action ranging from a warning upwards:

+ More than 5% of the first-time exam scores for all subjects in the entire course (calculated by credit hours) are below 5.5 points (Type D).

+ Having an overall GPA below 2.5.

- Students who are not awarded a diploma for a program that meets international standards may take the graduation exam to receive a standard diploma, provided they meet the conditions stipulated in the Regulations on Undergraduate Training of Hanoi National University.

V. POLICIES REGARDING STUDENTS

- Direct instruction and scientific research guidance are provided by leading scientists, professors, and lecturers with high qualifications, experience, and prestige both domestically and internationally.

- Free access to learning materials, priority access to technical facilities and equipment, library services, and internet access for learning and scientific research.

- Priority will be given to scholarship consideration from the Project and from organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally. The scholarship quotas and criteria for receiving scholarships from the Project (considered per semester) are as follows:

+ Scholarship A (4 million VND/semester): Awarded to the top 10% of students with the highest GPA in the semester and a GPA value ≥ 3.6, maximum 6 scholarships/semester.

+ Scholarship B (3 million VND/semester): Awarded to the next highest 15% of students with a GPA of ≥ 3.2, maximum 9 scholarships/semester.

+ Scholarship C (2 million VND/semester): Awarded to the next highest 25% of students with a GPA of ≥ 2.5, with a maximum of 15 scholarships per semester. Therefore, approximately 50% of the students in the class will receive a scholarship each year if they meet the selection criteria. - Students will be assigned to lecturers as scientific advisors; participate in scientific research projects and organize other extracurricular activities.

- Financial support is provided for internships and practical training both domestically and internationally, with the following allocations:

+ Students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher in their first three years will receive one-time support for an overseas internship ranging from 10 to 20 million VND (the Management Board will determine the specific funding and duration based on academic performance).

+ All students receive financial support for internships, practical training, and field trips within the country, averaging 3 million VND per student per course.

- Students with excellent grades or higher and good conduct scores will be given priority for consideration for postgraduate studies, doctoral programs, and selection as teaching and research staff at Hanoi National University.

- Students graduating with top or second-highest academic standing will be retained by the Faculty and sent to pursue doctoral studies abroad with scholarship support from the Program (approximately 200 to 500 million VND, depending on the program and training location), provided they commit to returning to work at the Faculty of Linguistics after graduation.

- Students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have good academic performance (GPA of 2.5 or higher for the semester) will be considered for hardship allowances.

Reference:ngonnguhoc.org