From September 18-22, 2023, a delegation of VNUK staff and faculty traveled to the United States to participate in the Capacity Development Program (CDP) at Indiana University (IU).
CDP: A Project Attracting Global Experts’ Attention
The Capacity Development Program (CDP) is part of the Higher Education Innovation Collaboration Project funded by USAID. It gathered 30 senior leaders and administrators from Vietnam’s major universities, including Vietnam National University Hanoi, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and the University of Danang. Additionally, experienced experts from IU were also involved in this event.
Image 1. VNUK Delegation Participates in the Capacity Development Program (CDP) at Indiana University, USA
The VNUK delegation participating in this program included:
Dr. Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Hương, Dean of the Institute
Dr. Trần Thế Vũ, Vice Dean
Dr. Nguyễn Văn Huy, Head of the Faculty of Science and Technology
Dr. Lê Hoàng Sinh, Lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology
Image 2. VNUK Delegation Participates in the Capacity Development Program (CDP) at Indiana University, USA
Expectations for Reforming Vietnam’s Higher Education System
It is known that the Higher Education Innovation Collaboration Project, abbreviated as PHER (Partnership for Higher Education Reform), aims to improve the quality of training, scientific research, enhance governance capacity, and better meet the market needs of Vietnam’s higher education system.
The four pillars of the project include: university governance reform; improving the quality of teaching; strengthening research and innovation capacity; and promoting university-business collaboration. Based on these specific objectives, the project’s activities are organized into four components, each corresponding to these pillars.
Figure 3. VNUK Delegation Participates in the Capacity Development Program (CDP) at Indiana University, USA
Specific Activities Implemented in the PHER Project
Specifically, PHER will introduce and update modern, comprehensive, and highly practical teaching and learning methods. These methods aim to help the three participating universities implement training approaches that focus on developing students’ soft skills and applying classroom knowledge to real-life situations. Additionally, the project will collaborate with the three higher education institutions to improve research support programs, as well as establish training cooperation programs and university-business links to ensure that students are ready to enter the workforce immediately after graduation.
Furthermore, PHER will enhance the ability to connect the Vietnamese scientific community with international networks by forming and operating strong research groups in key priority areas. It will also foster collaboration in research and technology transfer with businesses and the private sector by helping universities actively seek out connections and demonstrate their ability to create value for businesses, as well as for the community and society.
Image 4. VNUK Delegation Participates in the Capacity Development Program (CDP) at Indiana University, USA
