Opening ceremony of the skills training course for homeroom teachers and academic advisors.

Attending the opening ceremony were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan (Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) and Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Duc (Head of the Counseling Psychology Department, Faculty of Psychology).

The training course was organized to help homeroom teachers and academic advisors understand the changes and new trends in academic advising; to share and exchange experiences and professional skills to enhance this work. This activity is part of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities' strategy to improve the quality of student training in an effective and substantive way.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Associate Professor Hoang Anh Tuan shared some information from the university.

Regarding student affairs, since April 2017, the university has implemented several adjustments, such as adopting a one-stop service model and minimizing administrative procedures to better serve students. As a result, students can quickly resolve their academic inquiries and requests. The university will continue to accept student applications through an online server.

Regarding training, the university has implemented reforms to the training process, creating conditions for students to graduate on time or ahead of schedule. In 2018, out of more than 1,000 graduating students, nearly 300 graduated ahead of schedule. In addition, changes in the arrangement of specialized courses, such as increasing the number of class hours and organizing accelerated semesters, have helped reduce academic pressure for both lecturers and students. As a result, in a regular semester, the number of student registrations increased from approximately 31,000 to 42,000.

Associate Professor Hoang Anh Tuan emphasized that all improvements and innovations in student management and training methods are inevitable trends for universities worldwide to survive and develop.

Regarding training results, the university's enrollment targets have undergone certain changes. For postgraduate training, although the number of master's and doctoral students tends to decrease, the university still has noteworthy achievements, such as contributing approximately 50% of the total number of doctoral students at Vietnam National University, Hanoi each year. For undergraduate training, from the 2012-2013 academic year, the university's enrollment target increased by 600-700 students annually. From the 2013-2014 academic year, the university enrolled 1,300 students; by the 2017-2018 academic year, this number had increased to 1,800.

Associate Professor Hoang Anh Tuan presented flowers to thank Professor Tran Thi Minh Duc for her participation in the training course.

However, challenges also exist, such as an increasing rate of student withdrawals; a decrease in the percentage of students pursuing basic science majors; and a low rate of graduates finding employment in the public sector. Some of the reasons for this situation include a lack of interaction and innovation in teaching methods; the trend of students choosing private universities, studying abroad, and online learning; and differences in the learning mindset of new generations of students, such as those born in the 2010s.

To overcome these difficulties, innovation and upgrading of teaching and student service thinking are needed; effectively integrating the roles of homeroom teacher and academic advisor. The Vice Rector hopes that lecturers will effectively utilize this training course to adopt new perspectives and discard ingrained prejudices in training and advising. In the future, the University hopes that lecturers will share a common understanding of student affairs to find a unified, effective, and innovative course of action.

MSc. Dao Minh Quan giving a presentation at the training course.

Next, the lecturers participating in the training course listened to Mr. Dao Minh Quan, M.Sc., present topics such as the new regulations of VNU on academic advising, the necessary criteria for academic advisors, the professional procedures of academic advisors, and the responsibilities and rights of academic advisors.