Training on self-assessment of educational quality in universities.

On March 26, 2015, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities held a conference to launch the training program on self-assessment of university education quality.

Attending the conference were Dr. Sai Cong Hong, Institute for Educational Quality Assurance, VNU Hanoi; Mr. Pham Van Vy, Department of Inspection and Quality Assurance, University of Science; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Hoa, Vice Rector of the University, along with representatives from the heads of faculties and departments; heads and deputy heads of functional departments; and staff from the Center for Training Quality Assurance.

The conference focused on listening to and discussing the report by Dr. Sai Cong Hong (Institute for Quality Assurance, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) on the general regulations of the quality assessment standards for universities according to the standards of the Ministry of Education and Training.

The purpose of establishing evaluation standards is to build a toolkit for universities to self-assess and continuously improve the quality of education; to provide accountability to authorities and society regarding the current state of education quality; to help authorities evaluate and recognize universities that meet educational quality standards; and to provide a basis for students to choose universities and for employers to select personnel.

The evaluation criteria include 10 standards, revolving around the following areas: the university's mission and objectives; organizational management; training programs; training activities; management staff, lecturers, and employees; students; scientific research, application, development, and technology transfer; international cooperation; library, learning equipment, and facilities; and finance and financial management.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Chi Hoa presented the guidelines for writing a self-assessment report for schools according to the standards of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Following the introduction to the standards, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Chi Hoa, a long-time member who has monitored and conducted evaluations at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, guided the writing of the university's self-assessment report according to the standards of the Ministry of Education.

The guidelines focus on identifying the criteria that the school has achieved, marking and analyzing the areas of criteria that have not been met, analyzing the causes and solutions for writing a self-assessment report, and ensuring compliance with the standards of the Ministry of Education.

"Currently, many of the criteria for evaluating schools have already been implemented, but due to a lack of skills in writing, exploiting, and using evidence, the achievements of the schools have not been fully utilized, and therefore, the evidence presented in the reports is still lacking," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Chi Hoa shared.

The conference also reviewed the experiences in writing self-assessment reports of the Faculty of Science, VNU Hanoi, presented by Mr. Pham Van Vy (Inspection and Quality Assurance Department of the Faculty of Science).

MSc. Pham Van Vy shared his experience in writing self-assessment reports at the Faculty of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

According to Mr. Pham Van Vy, M.Sc., the University of Social Sciences and Humanities should incorporate the university's educational quality assessment program into all university meetings, and at the same time, intensify communication efforts to ensure that all staff, lecturers, and students throughout the university fully understand the program.

Furthermore, the school also needs to pay attention to the evidence gathering process. The evidence must be consistent in terms of data and adhere closely to the specified timelines. Existing evidence should be retained rather than discarded, and focus should be placed on supplementing it with new, highly persuasive evidence.

At the conference, Mr. Pham Van Vy also shared with the staff of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities the external evaluation team's comments on the shortcomings of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. These are important points for the University to learn from during the preparation process.

Speaking at the conference, Associate Professor Tran Thi Minh Hoa, Vice Rector of the University, instructed the faculties, departments, and related units to closely adhere to the detailed implementation plan and to always proactively maintain close contact and coordination with each other in preparing reports, aiming for the highest possible results in the self-assessment of the university's educational quality. Associate Professor Hoa also expressed her gratitude to Dr. Sai Cong Hong from the Institute for Educational Quality Assurance, VNU Hanoi, and Mr. Pham Van Vy for sharing and providing a wealth of useful information for the conference.