Dialogue between students and school leaders

The annual dialogue between students and school leaders for the 2008 academic year took place on December 4th, 2008. Over 72 pre-submitted written opinions and numerous other student questions were directly raised during the dialogue. The meeting was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Gia Lam – Vice Rector, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoi Loan - Head of Student Affairs and Services Department, and Mr. Pham Huy Cuong - President of the University's Student Union.

Over 30% of student questions related to training issues, particularly focusing on concerns about learning, testing, and evaluating learning outcomes under the credit-based training method. Many opinions reflected that the class and exam schedules sent to students were inadequate, preventing students from proactively managing their studies; students did not receive a list of courses for reference before registering; the conversion of points from the annual training system to the credit-based system was still inappropriate, causing disadvantages for students... Some also argued that although the training method had changed, the teaching methods themselves had not changed, thus failing to create a breakthrough in training in general. Some suggested that when grading assignments, teachers should try to provide specific feedback and comments on assignments and tests before the end of the course. Regarding class organization, students felt that the number of students was too large, unsuitable for a credit-based class model; Following the course schedule means students spend the whole day at school, but in reality, they only attend a few classes during both sessions.

Other opinions focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning English for specific purposes. Specifically, students offered bold suggestions regarding the curriculum's heavy emphasis on theory and lack of practical application, insufficient lesson content, and inadequate facilities and resources for effective English learning. Some even proposed using bilingual materials for certain specialized courses to combine specialized knowledge with professional English language skills.

Following the questions about training, the majority of inquiries focused on student affairs. Students were concerned about upcoming tuition fee increases, scholarship criteria, preferential treatment for students with disabilities, and delays in scholarship processing. Notably, some students requested that the university pay more attention to job placement assistance or provide information on job searching for graduates.

Library-related issues are also a source of much frustration among students, who feel that the library's book selection is limited, the computer search system is inadequate, seating is insufficient, and the borrowing periods are too short, preventing them from effectively accessing all the materials.

Regarding administrative matters, most complaints concerned the poor quality of desks and chairs, inadequate learning equipment, insufficient hygiene, and difficulties in borrowing rooms for extracurricular activities.

In addition to the main topics above, some individual opinions addressed improving the quality of activities of the Youth Union and Student Association of the University, promoting Party development among students, and strengthening dialogue between students and university leaders...

Most of the questions and concerns were addressed on the spot by those in charge, while other suggestions were noted and considered by the school, and appropriate decisions will be made after this dialogue session.