The quality of education in universities in Vietnam is a matter of great concern for both society and the education sector. Currently, quality accreditation (QA) of training programs (TPs) is one of the core activities of educational institutions. Can Tho University (CTU) has always adhered to the objective of quality, making the assurance and enhancement of training quality a guiding principle for all its activities. In 2023, the university conducted a self-assessment (SA) and registered for external evaluation of 7 training programs, including the Environmental Science (ES) program. The SA of the ES program was carried out according to Plan No. 1096/KH-ĐHCT dated June 7, 2021, regarding the accreditation of training programs at CTU for the 2021-2023 period, Official Letter No. 51/QLCL dated October 7, 2022, on the approval of the list of training programs for accreditation during the 2023-2024 period, Minutes No. 427/BB-ĐHCT-QLCL dated February 7, 2023, and Plan No. 1123/KH-ĐHCT-QLCL on organizing the SA of the quality of training programs according to the standards of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in 2023.
The SA report provides the necessary information for external evaluation and quality accreditation based on the “Standards for Assessing the Quality of Training Programs at Higher Education Levels” issued in Circular No. 04/2016/TT-BGDĐT dated March 14, 2016, by the Minister of Education and Training. The structure of the SA report for the ES program includes four parts:
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Part I: Overview: This section summarizes the report and briefly describes the purpose, process, methods, and tools used in the SA to provide context and help readers understand the contents of the SA report. It also describes the participation of stakeholders (SHs), including faculties, departments, managers, lecturers, staff, and students, as well as the organizational methods of SHs in the SA activities. Additionally, the overview provides general information about CTU, the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources (FENR), and the ES Department.
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Part II: Self-Assessment Based on Standards and Criteria: This part covers 11 standards and 50 criteria based on Circular No. 04/2016/TT-BGDĐT dated March 14, 2016, of MOET. The content of these criteria includes: (1) Objectives and learning outcomes (LOs) of the training program; (2) Program description; (3) Structure and content of the curriculum; (4) Teaching and learning approaches; (5) Assessment of students' learning outcomes; (6) Teaching staff; (7) Support staff; (8) Students and student support activities; (9) Facilities and equipment; (10) Quality enhancement; (11) Output results. For each standard, the report describes (i) the current situation, providing a full, honest, and objective assessment of the training program's activities; analyzes (ii) the strengths and (iii) the weaknesses of the training program in meeting the criteria; and proposes (iv) an action plan to capitalize on strengths and address weaknesses in the program. For each criterion, the department will (v) self-assess the implementation results of the program and conclude on the standard. The assessments, conclusions, and evaluations are accompanied by evidence to help readers visualize and verify the authenticity of the SA report.
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Part III: Conclusion: This section summarizes the strengths and areas for improvement of the training unit; the existing issues and areas that need enhancement; the quality improvement plan for the training program; and a summary of the SA results.
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Part IV: Appendix: This section includes decisions on the establishment of the SA Council, the list of Secretariat members, the list of specialized group members, the SA plan, the summary of SA results, and the list of evidence for the QA of the ES training program.