Participants identified the main challenges for the University as poor facilities, inappropriate teaching strategies, poor working conditions, and a lack of instruction in assessment theory.
4.2.1 Substandard facilities
Facilities in EU have been described as poor and inadequate for students’ learning needs (Nguyen & Nguyen, 2012). Participants in this study felt dissatisfied
when teaching equipment in EU was sub-standard. In particular, the lack of small group rooms has led to an increase in class size, considered a barrier to innovative teaching and learning. According to lecturers and students, limited internet connection inhibits participation in many aspects of university life. For example, students have difficulty registering for credit classes, due to capacity limitations. One student claimed, “my friends and I had to stay overnight in order to register. The system is very poor” (Lam, FG, post L5). The unavailability of projectors in the classrooms was reported by the three lecturers as a significant obstacle for their innovative teaching intentions.
4.2.2 Traditional teaching practices
Another concern arises from the traditional teaching practices of the University. It has been claimed in an EU report that because the University has been implementing certain policies for a long time, the uptake of new ways of teaching is inhibited (EU, 2013). It can be difficult to change teaching, thinking and habits that have existed for a long time. Transmission and acquisition teaching and learning practices are widely practised, as one student said “many lecturers who teach general subjects, even in some core subjects, only transmit knowledge (translated in Vietnamese as ‘đọc – chép’). They talk for almost the entire lecture and we just try to listen and take notes. We feel sleepy and bored” (Anh, FG, post L1). This student’s statemen and many similar student statements suggest the dominant teaching approach is the traditional lecture style.
4.2.3 Working conditions
Working conditions in EU have been argued as a barrier for changing teaching practices. A low salary and lack of timely encouragement have done little to motivate lecturers to reform their pedagogical practices. There are limited numbers of awards for excellent lecturers. Tung indicated that as EU does not issue “a practical encouraging policy for innovative lecturers”, innovation occurs only at “an individual level”. According to Ly, “lecturers do not have either materialistic or spiritual encouragement” (TTL, post L1). It is argued by Ly that “when lecturers cannot survive with their salary, they cannot focus on improving their teaching” (TTL, post L4).
4.2.4 Teaching Assessment
Teaching assessment at teacher-training universities in general, and particularly in EU, has been neglected, according to Tran and Nguyen (2013). Theory on assessment is usually integrated in the subjects related to pedagogy or particular subject-teaching methodology, which accounts for only six to 20 periods out of 60 of the entire course. Only eight out of 42 training programs in EU offer an independent compulsory assessment subject for students with two credits.
It has been claimed that the absence of an assessment subject at EU is the reason for a lack of sufficient understanding of assessment theories for both lecturers and graduating students (Tran & Nguyen, 2013). Naturally, this lack of knowledge has created difficulties for lecturers and graduates in their successful application of assessment methods and techniques. There appears to be a pressing need to build and teach assessment subjects to students and to provide professional development courses for staff.
In short, although EU is a large university in the teacher-training field in Vietnam, many barriers to effective teaching and learning practices have been identified. Poor facilities, inappropriate teaching habits, challenging working conditions, and the neglect of assessment understanding constitute major challenges to staff at EU. However, the three lecturers who participated in this study, through their own experiences and effort, have made significant attempts to support their students’ learning. The next chapters specifically examine these lecturers’ assessment practices.
Confucius Says “Follow Your
Teacher” – The Case of Ly
This case presents a comprehensive description and analysis of the assessment practices of Tran Thi Ly, a female lecturer from the Faculty of Psychology and Education (FPE). This chapter describes how Ly viewed herself as a facilitator, sharing power and establishing a trusting relationship with her students in an interactive learning environment. She also organised peer interactions and used assessment to scaffold student learning within the context of a large elective class.
The analysis draws on data collected from non-participant observations of five of her teaching sessions of the Communication Skill subject. A total of ten semi- structured interviews were held with the lecturer prior to and after each of the five observed teaching sessions. Further, five semi-structured interviews were conducted with a group of seven students after each observed lecture. Documents such as the lecturer’s lesson plans, students’ work and EU policies and regulations pertaining to assessment and learning were also collected for analysis in the development of this case.
The chapter begins with a description of the FPE where Ly is working, and then introduces Tran Thi Ly. The subsequent section describes the Communication Skills class, including the lectures, classroom and students. Profiles of seven students in the focus group are also provided followed by an examination of the lecturer’s assessment practices. Students’ participation and experiences with a variety of assessment strategies are presented and analysed. The chapter concludes by addressing the research questions of this study.