Nghia Tran, Australian National University
Ly Tran, Deakin University

Vietnam’s higher education reforms over the past 25 years have targeted a number of key areas deemed to be in need of improvement, including higher education autonomy and governance; curriculum, teaching, and learning; assessment; graduate employability; and internationalization. The reform of the teaching and learning practices in Vietnamese universities has been significantly shaped by the Higher Education Reform Agenda and the influence of internationalization on the higher education sector. However, existing literature on higher education reform in Vietnam has so far focused on the voices of university representatives such as academics and leaders. Students are key actors in teaching and learning reforms but their voices are under-represented in scholarly work.

This seminar addresses the current implementation, effectiveness, and challenges of these reforms, from student perspectives. It summarises the key findings of our projects including approximately 4300 survey responses and interviews with students. These findings were reported in our recent book ‘Students’ Experiences of Teaching and Learning Reforms in Vietnamese Higher Education.’ The two speakers will draw on their research and scholarship to discuss the key question: How do Vietnamese students experience teaching and learning reforms in Vietnam?