In Vietnam, like in the world, most joint programs are conducted in English. However, there are also many programs conducted in other languages, such as Russian, Fr[r]
(1)International Conference Internationalization o f H igher Education: North-South Perspectives
PROBLEMS OF TEACHING CHINESE LANGUAGE IN/FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Nguyễn Thu Trang, MA.
V ie tn a m C o m m e rc ia l U niversity, V ie tn a m
Abstract
One of the most crucial problems o f internationalization of HE in general and international joint programs in particular is teaching language In Vietnam, like in the world, most joint programs are conducted in English However, there are also many programs conducted in other languages, such as Russian, French, Japanese and Chinese This paper is focused on teaching Chinese as teaching language for the joint programs conducted in cooperation between the Vietnam Commercial University and Chinese universities After demonstrating the importance and possibility of diversifying teaching languages in internationalization of HE, the author studies the practice of teaching Chinese at the Department of International Programs, Vietnam Commercial University Some of the questions treated by this paper are those concerning curricula, textbooks, teaching staff, teaching method, infrastructure, and leaning environment
K e y w o rd s : Internationalization, Higher Education, Teaching Foreign Languages, Chinese Language INTRODUCTION
Internationalization of higher education has a long history, but in the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century it has become a major trend in the activities of education institutions In Vietnam, this trend does not occur only as one o f activities of universities, but also as a policy, a way to reform the national higher education system, improving its quality to reach the regional and world standards The most common forms of internationalization of HE are: 1) Advanced programs (local programs designed according to foreign standards, using curricula, teaching materials, teaching method and quality assurance), and 2) Joint training programs in cooperation with foreign universities
One of the most important problems of internationalization of HE is choosing and teach foreign languages Most o f the advanced and joint programs use English as instruction medium, but there are some programs that use other languages such as French, Russian, Japanese and Chinese
The contents of this paper focus on two issues The first part concerns the role of foreign languages as teaching medium in the process o f internationalization of higher education The second part studies the situation o f teaching foreign languages for internationalization of HE and suggest some solutions for improving effectiveness o f teaching Chinese language training at the Department o f International Programs,.Vietnam Commercial University
(2)International Conference Internationalization o f H igher Education: North-South Perspectives
1 LANGUAGE AS TEACHING MEDIUM IN/FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HE IN VIETNAM
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Internationalization of education is closely linked to globalization It is an active process of integration and institutionalization of international factors carried out by governments to fulfill different functions, tasks of HE, This process takes place in both internal and external dimensions The internal dimension of international education is concerned with the reform of the operation of the university: curricula, teaching methods, textbooks, etc., leading to transferability and international standards The external dimension of HE internationalization has to with cross-border movement o f students, teachers, educational programs and educational institutions
Internationalization of HE has strong impacts on the development of HE in Vietnam as well as in the world, creating both opportunities and challenges
1.2 An overview of the Internationalization activities of higher education in Vietnam:
Since 1996, the National Council on Education had set up a special team whose task was to study the possibility of building world-class universities in Vietnam However, the idea was later nearly completely forgotten until 2009, when a new project of building "world-class universities" was approved However, this ambitious project is only a part, and perhaps only the minor part of international cooperation activities at the institutional level Those activities, including advanced and joint programs, among others, have created opportunities fo r students to access to HE of international quality and at acceptable costs
Beginning by quite modest steps, internationalization of HE has gradually become popular with wide range o f modes and forms, of which one of the most feasible and effective model is by organizing joint (or twinning) programs
The Department of International Programs, Vietnam Commercial University (VCU), is one of institutions to conduct such model From 2005 to present, the vcu has opened a number o f undergraduate and post graduate programs in cooperation with more than 20 partner universities from France, UK, USA, and China During the last five years since its establishment, the Department o f International Programs, Vietnam Commercial University has produced 1031 bachelors and masters Our graduates are equipped with the up-to-date expertise, knowledge, skills, and also good command of foreign languages, needed for their social, cultural and economic tasks
1.3 The importance and possibility of diversifying teaching languages in/for internationalization of HE
Although English has been widely used as instruction medium in internationalization HE in general and in the advanced and joint programs, the need fo r using other languages is very obvious This is conditioned