Universities adopt new methodology

More and more universities in Vietnam are using a well-known teaching methodology to improve training quality and improve learning in the classroom.

Since 2010, the conceive-design-implement-operate (CDIO) model has been used at three universities in the country: in the engineering faculty at HCM City University of Technology, the information technology faculty at HCM City Natural Sciences University and the foreign economics faculty at Hanoi University of Economics.

At a two-day national conference discussing the CDIO model organised by the Ministry of Education and Training in co-operation with Vietnam National University-HCM City, experts said the model has helped the schools to successfully redesign training programmes and improve the professional capacity of its lecturers.

The international CDIO Association has more than 90 member universities in five continents, including HCM City National University and Duy Tan University in Da Nang .

The model is also being used at the University of Banking , University of Technical Education , University of Economics , Van Lang University in HCM City , Duy Tan University in Da Nang , An Giang University and Lac Hong University in Dong Nai Province .

Students in the IT faculty at HCM City Natural Sciences University said the methodology has provided them with a clear career orientation, as well as better professional skills to support them in the future.

Lecturers' teaching methods are more lively, and students have more opportunities to practise what they learn.

Dinh Ba Tien, of the IT faculty, said that his students thought the CDIO-based classes were more interesting.

Conference attendees said they hope that the gap between schools' training and employers' demands could be narrowed with the use of the CDIO method.