School of Business International University Vietnam National University - HCM

AUN Self Assessment Report At Program level School of Business International University Vietnam National University - HCM May 2011 Part 1: INTRODUCTION Executive Summary This document is prepared as the Self-Assessment Report of the School of Business, International University, a member of Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), for AUN accreditation [Exh.12.2 Decision - Internal AUN accreditation] The report provides detailed information on different aspects of quality, as per specified by the ASEAN University Network, that the school have achieved so far In general the school is believed to provide quality services to its customers – the students, as guided by a system of vision, mission, objectives and expected learning outcomes The program specification was well designed, leading to coherent program organization and content They are facilitated by modern didactic principles, curriculum, staff, supporting staff, infrastructure, support systems and, quality assurance mechanism These are further reinforced by the activities of staff development, continuous evaluation and keeping abreast of feedbacks so that the quality indicators of the students of the school has been satisfactory and it has received mostly positive comments from all kinds stakeholders The report concludes by a section of rigorous analysis of strengths and weaknesses that points out the opportunities of further quality improvement Organization of Report The report is divided into three parts Part One provides a brief introduction about the International University as well as its School of Business, which is to be examined in this report Part Two includes the analyses of the prescribed quality dimensions one-by-one as classified by the accreditation body of AUN Part Three of the report is dedicated to the review of the strengths and weaknesses of the school based on analyses in Part Two, and the suggestions to improve quality in the future Introduction of the University and School The International University (IU) is a member of the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), and the first public English speaking university in Vietnam Established in 2003, IU’s vision is to become one of the nation’s leading research universities The university focus its efforts on cultivating student-friendly environment for the development of critical thinking and effective application of theories learned in class, combining theories and practical ideas in various learning activities, close interaction with industry and in-depth research studies with state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories Across the spectrum of IU’s own and twinning programs with prestigious universities in the US, UK, and Asia-Pacific, IU offers a wide range of high quality education options to domestic and international students The university has also established strong relationships with local businesses and industries to improve its practical training curricula and to facilitate students’ career opportunities via first-hand real world experiences In the long run, through the internationalization of academic environment, including strong academic curricula, quality international faculty, supportive infrastructure and management system, IU will develop into a multi-discipline university offering internationally-recognized degrees at all levels of higher education As the largest school of IU, the School of Business is committed to provide a set of programs integrating latest developments in management and innovative solutions to business challenges The School of Business aims to train students for professional and ethical working attitude, useful knowledge and practical business skills to prepare them for positions in local and international firms With five concentrations: Business Management, International Business, Marketing, Accounting and Finance, and Hospitality Management, the academic programs are delivered by local and international lecturers who had been trained at different foreign universities in the world The students enjoy a dynamic training environment, latest study materials, advanced teaching approaches, and comfortable facilities including a modern business simulation laboratory Student graduated from the School of Business in the previous years have joined FDI enterprises, multinational companies as well as local corporations with positions that suit their training from IU Part 2: QUALITY BY AUN-QA CRITERIA Vision, Mission, Value, Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes Mission and Vision Statement of the International University (HCMIU), Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City (VNU) In the short term, the International University strives to become a moderately sized, researchoriented university, with an international work and study environment, where a strong faculty and staff provide quality training in key subjects to a highly motivated student body of Vietnamese and international learners and whose reputation as a top-level institute of higher learning attracts top-notch learners, researchers and lecturers The International University will soon create the medium-term and long-term development strategies for which will introduce and implement new policies on salary, clarify systems of process, provide work and function descriptions for the whole university, and establish international standards for the recruitment of staff and faculty The International University will also review and improve the training program with the goal of providing our students with an international standard education, approaching the quality of world’s top universities The intermediate goal will be to match the academic standards of top tier American universities, so as to permit transfers of credits and allow for future collaboration to be based on the principles of equal cooperation and mutual benefit The International University will establish policies to ensure that 100% of staff and faculty will be afforded the opportunity to receive domestic and overseas professional training, with the goal of insuring that the training provided, research conducted and administrative support given are of the highest possible quality Mission [Exh.1.4 Vision statement- IU Development Strategy 2006-2010, IU Development Strategy 2011-2015]:  To provide international quality undergraduate and postgraduate education and training in Engineering and Economics that can meet the development demands of Vietnam;  To conduct research and apply it to the industry and the society;  To play a key role in the development of the community Vision [Exh.1.4 Vision statement- IU Development Strategy 2006-2010, IU Development Strategy 2011-2015]: Within five years, the International University will become a high quality, research-oriented university with:  Courses taught according to international standards;  Dedicated and highly competent faculty;  Modern facilities for instruction and research;  Professional administration and staff;  High quality students;  Graduates are well trained in using modern technologies and current, best practices in industry, and also able to work in international settings;  A reputation as a pioneer in higher education management Vision, Mission, Value and Objectives of HCMIU’s School of Business (SOB) [Exh.1.6 Learning Outcome vs Course Matrix – BA] SOB designs its Vision, Mission, Value and Objectives to build a strong foundation to support HCMIU’s effort to develop it into an international and world-class university Vision Inspired by the commitment of HCMIU to contributing to the development of the community and the whole nation, the School of Business will be the school of choice for the best and the brightest students in the nation, and for those who look for exceptional educational opportunities in business Besides, SOB will meet the demand of people who have the need of academic and professional education in business Additionally, SOB will be well-known locally, regionally and globally for its quality, innovation and leadership; for diversified and excellent faculty; and for providing academic, professional and research opportunities to ensure the success of its people Mission Statement Our distinct mission, as a part of the first international public university in Vietnam, is to provide students with the benefits of top-quality research school [Exh.10.11 Announcement of scientific research for Students; [Exh.12.8 Minute of meeting for establishment scientific research committee] in business We commit to bring excellence in business education; to prepare lifelong learners for professional fulfillment in the field of business and for real-world success; and to develop future leaders [Exh.6.12 Regulations - Evaluation of self-development students] of our nation through supportive and quality faculty, staff and academic environment Students are given opportunities to work with some of the nation’s best faculties to advance their arts and humanities, knowledge, and professions Value Statement As a part of the first public international university in Vietnam, the School of Business understands and honors the public trust placed on us We believe that the following values exemplify our School:  Respect: We respect ourselves and others  Integrity: We strive to maintain honesty and truthfulness; and to act in ethical ways  Responsibility: We make decisions wisely after acknowledging the context and considering the consequences of any course of action  Diversity: We embrace the diversity of individuals, ideas and expressions  Excellence: We value high standards for teaching, learning, and inquiry  Leadership: We lead others toward excellence through trust, respect and encouragement; and demonstrate leadership through collaboration, empathy and tenacity Objectives  Maintain an excellent quality of teaching and learning at both undergraduate and graduate levels  Retain and recruit high qualified faculty and staff to support the teaching, research and service mission at SOB  Innovate and enhance the learning environment to attract excellent students  Strive for our leadership role in education and develop future leaders for the nation  Collaborate with the industry to prepare students real-world knowledge and experience as well as to pursue business researches for the benefit of the community and the country Expected Learning Outcomes [Exh.1.6 Learning Outcome vs Course Matrix – BA; Exh.1.5 Learning Outcomes] Business Knowledge Upon completing the program, students will be able to: a Master the key frameworks, models, and skills that reflect the body of knowledge in their major, and will apply discipline-based habits of analytical thinking to problems and opportunities b Be skilled in the analysis of both qualitative information and quantitative data They will be able to frame problems, apply appropriate analytical techniques, and draw valid conclusions and recommendations Communication Skills: Upon completion of the program, students will be able to: c to synthesize and summarize information and to professionally communicate their analyses, arguments, and recommendations to a variety of audiences d be skilled in written, oral, and visual communication and will be able to effectively choose communication methods that are appropriate to the topic, objective, and setting Quantitative Skills Upon completion of the program, students will be able to: e Understand, analyze and use quantitative data to make business decisions and report to stakeholders f Identify quantitative characteristics of a problem, to examine and interpret numerical data and to analyze numerical data to derive conclusions Critical Thinking Skills Upon completion of the program, students will be able to: g Evaluate, analyze and interpret information to solve problems and make business decisions h Interpret and evaluate unstructured situations; to define the problem; to apply theories to ambiguous situations and to draw conclusions and implement solutions Technology Upon completion of the program, students will be able to: i Demonstrate proficiency in the use of information technology j Students will use information systems to select, manipulate and process data in a meaningful way in order to make business decisions and use software tools to solve accounting, financial and quantitative problems Ethics Upon completion of the program, students will be able to: k Understand and evaluate ethical issues and situations to make business decisions l Recognize ethical problems in both domestic and international business contexts identify alternatives and make appropriate ethical choices Multicultural and Diversity m Students, particularly those who pursue the degree in international business concentration, will develop an awareness and understanding of the cultural issues that impact business operations in a global society n Students will have a perspective, sensitivity and understanding of the global businesses and global society; use their communications skills to resolve challenges [Exh.1.6 Learning Outcome vs Course Matrix – BA] Knowledge and Skills Generic Knowledge Expected learning outcomes Mathematics, Social Science, e, f, m, n, History, Culture, Environment Generic Skills Science Communication, Computer c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j skills, Critical thinking, Team work, Self-regulating, problem Specific Knowledge solving, Self-learning Understanding of key functions a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j of business – accounting, finance, international business, marketing, operations, management, information and Specific Skills statistics Ability to use technology to j, k Attitudes solve business problems Social ethical and responsibility, k, l, m, n Professional and ethical responsibility Scientific knowledge and skill for life-long learning Learning and communication skill for life-long learning Perception of life – long learning a, b, c, e, k, l, m l, b, g h, m Program Content The content of the BA Program is developed in relation to the vision of university for being the leading research university in the country In particular, the Program content primarily reflects the objectives [Exh.1.4 Vision, Mission statement- IU Strategy 2006-2010, IU Development Strategy 2011-2015] set above to provide learners with firm basic knowledge discipline and theories in Business Administration as well as to help the learners pursue their particular interest Therefore the curriculum content is developed as a track that is directed towards the acquisition of knowledge of Business Administration [Exh.2.1 Academic Calendar year 2010-2011] Distribution of Contents Since 2008, the content of the Program [Exh.1.8 Decision of BA Curriculum Establishment] has been structured in an integrated curriculum as illustrated in Table 2.1 The curriculum structure is characterized by four parts of education process which enable the students to learn various skills and knowledge in design to develop their basic capabilities in Business Administration discipline These four parts are: General Education, Foundation Requirements and Elective Core courses, Concentration Majors and Thesis Writing Beside these parts, as required by the Ministry of Education and Training [Exh.2.3 Minister of Education program framework; Exh.3.9 BA Academic curriculum -Version 5], the graduates must take the course on Military Education and receive the Certificate for this Table 2.1 Curriculum structure Type I General Education II Foundation Requirement/Core III Concentration or Major IV Graduation Internship IV Thesis/Courses Total + Certificate of Military Education (required) + Physical Education Credit 62 31 30 12 138 10  A majority of respondents believe that HCMIU graduates have good analytical skills Analytical skills of HCMIU graduates are rated as either good or very good; 89 percent of employers surveyed agree or strongly agree that their HCMIU graduate employees have the essential computer skills to fulfill the requirements in their work Figure 18.8 Students’ essential computer skills  HCMIU graduates' communications skills are considered good or very good A majority of employers surveyed agree or strongly agree that the HCMIU graduates have appropriate written communication skills as well as verbal communication skills 93 Figure 18.9 Students’ ability to communicate effectively Part 3: Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis Mission, values and objectives The university has an elaborate vision and clearly formulated mission statement for its academic training, research activities and role in the society [Exh.1.4 Mission statement; Exh.1.1 SOB Objectives; Exh.1.7 Decision of SOB Establishment]: These are made public on university’s website as a point of reference for its operations In the line with the vision and mission of HCMIU, the School of Business has a specifically clear and strategic vision that would guide it to the future without running the risk of dissolving to the realm of international universities operating in Vietnam [Exh.10.7 Student handbook 2010] It both shows the desired destination and calls for the commitment of all members of the school The vision on the one hand aims for world-class recognition, which is 94 inspirational, on the other hand takes care of the needs of education in business, which is practical The value statement and objectives are precise and motivational enough to mobilize the school’s human resource to make efforts together for ambitious achievements These are expected to serve as general standards for the staff in their professional activities In the future, the school should further promote these documents in its important strategic moves Activities to recognize and disseminate the school’s vision, values and objectives will be organized so that staff and students appreciate and proceed with their duties accordingly Expected learning outcomes The outcomes include the foundation for developing the positive attitude of lifelong learning for the students They are transparent, relevant to education provided from the school and differentiated from those of other local universities Besides, they are of national standard compliance and match international higher education standards [Exh.1.5 Learning Outcomes] The goals of some courses are still general and need to be further articulated to the expected learning outcomes The school will be check and improve the curriculum in this aspect in the new academic year 2011-2012 Training program specification The overall training program are completely up-to-date, compatible and recognized by leading universities over the world [Exh.2.2 Nott program 2010 (010710); Nott program 2009 (020909); New South Wales_Curriculum (070710); Houston program 2010 Curriculum (020510)]; [Exh.2.3 Minister of Education program framework] When first designed, the program incorporated inputs from experts of education sector and outside industries 95 The foundation part of the program was designed to be broad enough to provide sufficient basic knowledge to the student, so they have all the requisites for any concentration they pursue during the last two years of their study, or ones can switch to follow a more suitable concentration [Exh.3.9 BA Academic curriculum -Viet version 5_22Feb2010]; [Exh.4.10 Curriculum BA 2009] The training program combines lecturing method and student-centered approach so that the students benefit by the method they were familiar with and the modern approach that enables them to address their individual needs The training program was also designed so that the students could follow different concentrations at the later stage of their study Furthermore, the local program and the twinning programs are nearly identical that facilitates the flexibility of switching between domestic or foreign programs or among the twinning programs, awarding huge benefit to the students [Exh.2.4 Houston program 2010_Agreement (020510)]; At the early stage of study as well as when the students have entered their majors, there are rather plenty general elective courses for them to select according to their personal interests beside the core required courses It again reflects the student-centered approach of training [Exh.4.10 Curriculum BA 2009]; [Exh.10.7 Student handbook 2010] There are still few numbers of electives in arts and social sciences, then the school should adjust and broaden social courses in the curriculum In the next year, the course “Social and Multimedia Communication” will be added in the curriculum Content of training program Over the years, the load of the program has been significantly reduced from 180 down to 138, and the move was positively recognized as approaching international standard in management and business education [Exh.4.1 Proposal for changing curriculum of Banking-Finance]; Exh.4.2 Statement for Curriculum Revised of Finance; Exh.4.3 Statement for Curriculum Revised of BA] 96 Textbooks for training are carefully selected, mostly the same as those used by leading universities [Exh.8.23 BA books in Library_2011] The lecturers are usually consulted on their need to update the materials used for their teaching The school have also stressed on simulation sessions [Exh.11.3 LAB for Business Simulation], practical topics and guest speaker lecture to improve the practicality of the training program The strengths in terms of content are also reflected in the reality that there are 36 courses from the program approved to the list of ASEAN Credit Transfer System [Exh.12.12 ACTS_Contract; Exh.12.13 ACTS Assessment] This opens more opportunities to the school to receive more international students from countries in the region After careful articulation processes, a set of prestigious universities in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand also approved to participate in the twinning programs with the International University and the school [Exh.2.4 Houston program 2010_Agreement (020510)]; [Exh.2.5 New South Wales _QD mo CTKL]; [Exh.2.6 AUT program 2007] As the university aims to become recognized research institution, students continuously get involved in research activities through student’s projects during the program until their final theses The students are required to conduct a research study to write and defense their theses that worth 12 credits in total Thesis topics are encouraged to include those of real business problems to tackle beside the academic ones [Exh.6.30 Guideline for the preparation of Thesis; Exh.6.21 Notice (The guidance on the senior Thesis)]; [Exh.6.23 Graduation Thesis Report_sample] Program organization First, the credit system gives the students the autonomy in planning their study The progress of studying has been well planned (as specified in the Student Handbook) so that the students as well as lecturers at any point have good ideas of what has been finished and what is still to be finished There is a balanced allocation of courses between foundation and specialization In addition, the system of prerequisites is well thought of [Exh.3.4 Syllabus Of Marketing; 97 Exh.3.5 Syllabus of International Business; Exh.3.6 Syllabus of General Education & Foundation; Exh.3.7 Syllabus of Business Management; Exh.3.8 Syllabus of Accounting & Finance] The English program which can improve student’s English proficiency is advanced However, more social activities need to be provided in order to help students to practice English in different contexts Didactic method The students are engaged in a variety of learning activities in classroom, laboratories and internship Beside, they are encouraged to conduct research studies [Exh.10.11 Announcement about research for students] following the orientation of a research university The students are served by lecturers and staff [Exh.10.4 Agenda for political training for freshman; Exh.10.12 List of courses and in charge instructors], they are provided with opportunities to give comments and raise concerns about the quality of teaching and learning activities they received The students are also encouraged to actively construct their knowledge and reflection through individual and peer learning The assessment has varied forms, not only bound to essays, and open-book in examination policy is promoted An array of subjects that encourage the curiosity and activeness of the students were included in the curriculum [Exh.3.4 Syllabus Of Marketing; Exh.3.5 Syllabus of International Business; Exh.3.6 Syllabus of General Education & Foundation; Exh.3.7 Syllabus of Business Management; Exh.3.8 Syllabus of Accounting & Finance] Despite the promotion of student-centered approach, it is not to say that all students and lecturers are familiar with it A few courses that have too many students in a classroom are not suitable for some forms of activities like group presentation or role play To overcome such difficulties, sessions to exchange experience in handling large classes are planned, and seminars led by successful lecturers are needed to guide the less successful ones After all, preference from the students motivates the lecturers to lead the changes 98 Moreover, the students will be required to work more on their part to benefit the most from the student-centered approach 99 Student Assessment Assessment of student performance is rather comprehensive [Exh.6.12 RegulationsEvaluation of students self-development]; [Exh.6.36 Academic regulation under credit system]; During semesters, the assessment include various forms from quizzes, term papers, projects, home assignments to conventional Mid-terms and finals [Exh.3.4 Syllabus Of Marketing]; [Exh.6.25 Midterm Examination; Exh.6.24 Midterm grade]; [Exh.6.32 Final Examination]; [Exh.6.31 Final Grade] In the end, the students need to fulfill all the comprehensive criteria, including final theses [Exh.6.35 List of thesis of students] to be granted the title of bachelor of business administration The last three batches of graduates witness tiny decrease in GPA (75.3 down to 73.5) The school can employ education assessment experts to provide more insights into student assessment for the school’s lecturer to learn from More sophisticated analyses on student performance are desired and this can be assisted by some workshops on the topic for key lecturers of the school Quality of staff All of the permanent lecturers of the school have graduated from one of the universities outside of Vietnam at the undergrad or postgraduate level Most of them have good teaching experience, and they are highly committed to teaching All are employed to the school following a strict recruiting and selecting procedure The full-time lecturers [Exh.7.2 Visiting Lecturers, Exh.7.11 Full-Time Faculty_April 2011] are complemented by visiting ones who possess equivalent or higher qualities [Exh.14.4 Faculty profile] They typically have doctorate degrees or are in top managerial positions The team spirit of the lecturing staff is fine Besides, the teaching assistants have to spend time learning from lecturers before becoming lecturers themselves They all have plans to obtain higher academic degrees 100 The numbers of research and publication by staff are limited The school has to have more practical research strategies to facilitate the incoming research studies Quality of support staff Recently, the school have a good number of support staff [Exh.8.1 Contract - Staff for LAB]; [Exh.8.11 Library Staff] who efficiently help in the school admin and academic activities The new staff have caught up with the experienced ones so that undergraduate, postgraduate and twinning training programs are facilitated The support staffs are key in maintaining and improving quality of services for the students They are all willing to learn more and in arrangement of providing back up to each other Quality of students All the students had to pass the national entrance exam to be admitted to the school In the recent years, when the university have been gaining reputation, the level of competition to be students with the school increased, the ratios of candidate/student is 5:1 for Finance and Banking, and 4:1 for Business Administration The students are quite active and their performance is continuously assessed with specific criteria in each course English is the language of teaching and learning of the entire university, but English skills of the students are diverse For the students of lower tier in terms of English, despite a period of intensive language training, they still find it difficult when starting with the main courses Besides, when workload is planned to increase, those with lower level of English would find it even more difficult Therefore, the requirement for English improvement for the students is of priority Student advice and support Before joining the university, the candidates have the opportunities to know about it, about the schools and the training they provide through many information sessions, tours of promotion to the provinces At the school, the students have their supervisors [Exh.10.3 List of student supervisors 2010- 2011]; [Exh.6.13 Decision for Alumni establishment], 101 who give advices to “everything” of their concerns They also have Handbook for reference [Exh.10.7 Student handbook 2010] Lecturers during the semester have a fixed date weekly reserved for meetings with students Besides, there are multiple channels of communication such as Blackboard, email, web… Annually, the school also help in career orientation [Exh.10.2 CTR for career orientation and choosing major 2011; Exh.10.13 Seminar "How did they succeed?"] for those who have to decide on their learning concentrations, typically third-year students In general, the students have not taken the best advantages of such activities On the other hand, the lecturers seem to have to focus more on their teaching while the number of advices is large so that student services are not strong enough In the future, that activity will be re-emphasized to the staff, and more information in different forms will be given to the students Facilities and infrastructure On the whole, quality of the facilities and infrastructure of the university are very good The university has essential modern equipments, labs with appropriate software for teaching and learning However, in terms of quantity, there are not enough convenient space for lecturers working The main campus of the school is located away from the center of the city, this can be considered as not attractive Electronic database is shared with VNU, which is still not sufficient for research Anyway, the university is trying and putting a lot of efforts to extend and improve its infrastructure More land are given, and some fund are secured for expansion In the future, with more students and staff, more facilities and infrastructure are needed For the school, it may contribute to such improvement by looking for teaching materials from international partners, and from the industries Quality assurance for teaching and learning 102 The lecturers of the school have their own core courses which they regularly give, beside the subjects of interest that they sometimes deliver This specialization is believed to help maintain the quality of teaching Besides, lecturers have “quota” of teaching – maximum number to class to offer each semester, and they cannot exceed [Exh.7.4 Teaching schedule for Lecturer in Semester 2009 – 2010] If there are several lecturers teaching the same subjects in the same semesters, they hold meetings beforehand to agree on textbooks, syllabi, contents, evaluation, and exams Every year, the school organizes curriculum review meetings, which consist of lecturers’ group discussions on the subjects just delivered during the last semesters [Exh Minute of meeting for review curriculum] Teaching of the coming semester is improved by incorporating inputs from such meetings Training program is also receiving inputs from industries [Exh.16.1 Plan for Labour feedback report 2010_2011; Exh.16.2 Labour feedback report 2010_2011] as well as from visiting lecturers abroad in view to make it most relevant in terms of academic quality and practicality The school have its own quality assurance assistant beside the help of the university’s Quality Assurance Center The assistant acts as a quality reminder for all lecturers and gathers all data related to quality for analysis The quality assurance of teaching and learning is yet a strict daily routine [Exh.8.14 Plan for academic inspecting the training activity 2007-2008], and it is prone to accumulating data with less than in-depth revelation Hence, more training for the staff on quality assurance is needed, and more official procedures having specific requirement of input and output about this will be developed For the part of quality assurance in learning, the lecturers are to be asked about integrating that issue in their teaching through continuous evaluation, review, and tutoring activities Student evaluation The students are given an opportunity to give their opinions about the quality of training they received at the end of every semester [Exh.6.3 Request for Course evaluation from student 2010] The form used for assessment is rather comprehensive There are open questions 103 so that the students can freely provide their ideas about the course, the lecturers, facilities, and the support they received All of comments from the students, officially and unofficially, are taken into accounts and used as feedback to the lecturers when regular performance evaluation meetings are conducted More relevant question for the evaluation form is needed and further analysis of the data is desired The management of the school can add to this by interviewing the students from time to time to learn more about what they want to feedback to the lecturers, the school or university and act accordingly In addition, techniques from student evaluation training can be used to obtain more insights Curriculum design Design of two parts of foundation and specialization allows for providing all students with general higher education, different majors and flexibility in switching between majors The design has its expected learning outcomes to be standards of the whole program The system of syllabi follows the same format, having outcomes, methods, evaluation criteria, learning materials, and detailed session outlines, so that any new lecturer taking up a course can quickly teach with compatibility with others The design recognized by other foreign institutions [Exh.2.2 Nott program 2010 (010710); Nott program 2009 (020909); New South Wales_Curriculum (070710); Houston program 2010 Curriculum (020510)]; [Exh.2.3 Minister of Education program framework] is also the pressure and motivation to keep it updated continuously Staff development Most of the lecturers have rich experience with teaching or working with industries, and all have been trained abroad Recently, the number of research projects [Exh.15.6 Announcement about scientific research for Lecturers; Exh.15.1 Research evaluation committee 2009] registered has increased, sizes of the projects also increased, funded from different sources The school always supports the individual plans of development, and there are opportunities for the lecturers to improve their skills or academic degrees with partner universities abroad Junior lecturers and teaching assistants acting like tutors 104 for experienced lecturers is another solutions for career development beside workshops to exchange teaching experience and career plans [Exh.8.8 Decision of staff promotion]; [Exh.15.4 List of Seminars]; [Exh.15.5 apoint staff with short training in the USA] The opportunities of development for lecturers as well as staff are potential Feedback of stakeholders It is a requirement that students who spent their internship with businesses have to receive comments from the businesses about their work This is the basis for improvement – for instance, skills and orientation for the students It is also a channel of input for program improvement Suggestions from all stakeholders – visiting lecturers, businesses, alumni, parents… – are welcome The number of active alumni and businesses willing to communicate with the school on the issues of quality of training is still limited [Exh.16.1 Plan for Labour feedback report 2010_2011; Exh.16.2 Labour feedback report 2010_2011]; [Exh.18.4 Result from alumni ‘s feedback, Exh.18.5 Alumni’s feedback form; Exh.13 Alumni ‘s feedback sample] Achieved outcomes GPAs of the graduates are consistently around 75/100 This is at least an indicator to justify the quality of the students in the labor market The graduates from the university and school were praised for their abilities in language and soft skills beside some applications of professional knowledge In essence, the students have proved themselves more on their confidence and exuberance to work for businesses as the chance for students during internship was slim Besides, the students from the school have impressed the audience in some contest organized within the university or with other universities 105 Some of the graduates during the last few years were able to secure jobs from famous multi national companies Some others started their own business ideas or took over their family businesses In general, all school’s graduates were reported to have jobs after graduation [Exh.13 Alumni ‘s feedback sample] In meetings with companies having the students spending their internship with [Exh.6.26 Internship report_Sample; Exh.6.27 Internship program guideline; Exh.6.28 Internship Announcement], reactions were quite positive as they were willing to receive more students and graduates The school therefore need to strengthen further ties with business to improve the opportunities of internship and employment The percentage of those graduated after the prescribed period of years is satisfactory [Exh.9.2 Numbers of graduates 2009], and quite a number of graduates would like to enter graduate training programs There have not been students able to graduate before years It may indicate that design of training program is appropriate to the prescribed period for learning There is a few dropouts numbers in the first two batches, but it has been improved recently Dropouts were mainly due to students decision to switch to a university abroad and started all over again The reduced dropout rate recently indicates better reputation of the university and the orientation from the university has won the confidence of the students Stakeholders’ satisfaction In general, the students, staff, parents, employers are satisfied with the school’s training Several delegations from the governments also showed approvals to the university training strategy The students feel proud with their university while the staffs are satisfied with their current jobs, which they have more opportunities to further The school are continuously promoting its image and values with appropriate programs corresponding to each category of stakeholders 106 107 ... Self-Assessment Report of the School of Business, International University, a member of Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City (VNU -HCM) , for AUN accreditation [Exh.12.2 Decision - Internal... Introduction of the University and School The International University (IU) is a member of the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City (VNU -HCM) , and the first public English speaking university. .. multi-discipline university offering internationally-recognized degrees at all levels of higher education As the largest school of IU, the School of Business is committed to provide a set of programs