Publisher Description

Located within the global changing contexts of higher education in the 21st century, this book examines the reform of the teaching and learning practices in Vietnamese universities under the Higher Education Reform Agenda and the influence of internationalization on the higher education sector. Specifically, it analyses the motives, current implementation, effectiveness, and challenges of these reforms, especially from student perspectives. Analyzing approximately 4300 survey responses and interviews with students, the book covers a range of key issues related to teaching and learning in higher education which have attracted attention in recent years, including:

• The learning environment
• Student support and first-year transition
• Student-centred teaching
• The use of credit-based curricula
• The use of information and communication technology
• At-home internationalization of higher education
• Assessment and feedback
• Work placements
• Informal learning via extra curricular activities
• Students' perception of the values of university education.

Table of Contents

1. Higher education teaching-learning reforms and the importance of students' learning experience 2. Higher education reforms in Vietnam: Context, foci, and challenges 3. Building a favourable learning environment for students at Vietnamese universities 4. Facilitating the transition of first-year students into the university: a case study 5. Students' experience with the use of credit-based training system 6. Student-centered teaching: current practices and obstacles 7.The use of ICT in teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities 8.The impact of at-home international education on graduates' employability and career prospects 9. Current assessment practices and the washback effect on students' learning 10. Work placement practices: Students' learning outcomes and influential factors 11. Extracurricular activities as informal learning: facilitators and inhibitors 12. The values of undertaking university education in Vietnam 13. Teaching and learning reforms in Vietnamese universities: the way ahead

Review

"Given the rising economic development and international standing of Vietnam, this book represents a valuable contribution to the literature on higher education reforms in South East Asia. Focusing on teaching and learning reforms in Vietnamese higher education since the early 2000s, the book provides nuanced insights into the contextual realities of reforms in the HE system from a unique angle – students' experiences and perspectives. The core of this book is made of thirteen chapters, which is an excellent combination of theoretical discussions, evidence-based analysis of the impacts of various reforms and recommendations for improving teaching and learning practices. It is a comprehensive discussion of reform policies and empirical evidence about the purposes, the context, the key dimensions and the challenges of teaching and learning reforms in Vietnamese higher education. It represents a compelling read for higher education institutions, scholars, policy makers and practitioners alike." -Ly Pham, Member of Vietnam National Committee for Education and Human Resource Development, Vietnam "This book makes a distinctive contribution to the literature on higher education in Vietnam. It focuses on the teaching and learning experiences of university students at a time of slow but significant higher education reform. The authors draw upon a rich database of questionnaire and interview data to throw light on how students experience various aspects of the teaching and learning environment. There is currently no other publication on higher education in Vietnam that rivals the book for the comprehensiveness of its coverage of the impact of the reform process on university students. The book is also remarkable for the rigour of analysis of each of its chapters. The book will serve for many years as a standard reference point for insights about the experience of being a university student in Vietnam. It will also hopefully inspire a new generation of higher education scholars in Vietnam to value the importance of documenting and analysing the experiences of key actors within the sector. The authors deserve acclaim for the ambitiousness of their project and the thoroughness of its execution. This book is highly significant as a contribution to understanding the higher education reform process in Vietnam." – Martin Hayden, PhD, Professor of Higher Education, Southern Cross University"A timely and complete volume addressing the major issues and agendas that developing countries have faced in terms of mega transformation of teaching and learning in higher education for the 21st Century" -Sheng-Ju Chan, Professor at the Graduate Institute of Education, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan

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