Teaching and Learning Approach

Teaching and Learning Approach

The faculty is well aware that the approach in teaching and learning to be an important stage in the process of teaching and studying at university. Good teaching and learning approaches are the method to achieve standard educational philosophy with clear objective, teaching and learning activities has been designed constructive alignment with ELOs, increasing the lecturers and students’ responsibilities to enhance skills for lifelong learning.

The educational philosophy is well articulated and communicated to all stakeholders

            Based on the university's educational philosophy: “liberal education” http://www.ussh.vnu.edu.vn/d6/vi-VN/news/GSTS-Pham-Quang-Minh-Kien-dinh-triet-ly-giao-duc-khai-phong-1-490-16804, the FPS announced an educational philosophy: “Deeply understand Vietnam, Advance along with time, Move towards reality”, all the messages about approaches in studying and teaching along with ELOs is penetrated to academic staff and disseminated to students and stake holders so that they can perform their roles well.

The faculty has had adjustments, modification and updates to ELOs, content of curriculum, teaching methods in conformity with the philosophies..

The faculty’s educational philosophy has been published widely to stakeholders (lecturers, alumni, employers, and so on) via the university’s website, on introduction leaflets, meetings, seminars, and so on.  Students, as soon as entering the university, are introduced to the faculty and university’s training objectives vía activities of Students Association and Youth Union or conversation, meetings, and so on to build an appropriate studying plan.

For academic staff and support staff: via meetings, year-end reports, the Faculty’s Board of Deans have always repeated the strategic educational objectives as a working guideline for all faculty staffs.

            For employers and alumni, there are annual meetings to talk and disseminate faculty ‘s educational philosophy and viewpoints in order to adjust ELO curriculum in compliance with the development tendency of reality and society.

Teaching and learning activities are constructively aligned to the achievement of the ELOs

            Firstly, it’s important to note that the PBP is taught by various teaching and learning methods. These methods are performed to achieve ELOs, in particularly:

            *Teaching methods:

- Teaching method are used in variety of ways, from giving lecture, suggesting-questioning method toquestioning and communication method, suggestive-questioning method, problem-solving method, disscussion method. This is shown clearly in seminars, in democratic discussions, in group discussions in modules on political theories, Vietnamese and international Politics, Ho Chi Minh studies. Allowing students of ctively participation ain the learning process helps to improve learning methods and students’ environment.

*Students’ learning activities include variety forms as follows:

- Individual work: students are to make the list of referential material for learning, actively read materials and prepare for the issues to be exchanged, pay attention (on the basis of preparing beforehand), do their individual work (survey, interview, write essays, and so on) as required by lecturers or the group.

- Teamwork: Students can actively choose their partners, arrange their schedules, destinations, contents and forms of teamwork (direct meetings or online chats, depending on the conditions), evaluating other teammates and themselves’ performances, and selecting presentation methods.

Besides, the students also participate in soft skills classes, seminars, science talkshows, clubs, extra curricular activities, international exchange program.

Teaching and learning activities enhance life-long learning

With the educational philosophy: “Deeply understand Vietnam, Advance along with time, Move towards reality”, teaching and learning activities are held to promote the willingness to study, to facilitate the students in searching for materials, to use methods and political theories to do research, use methods and political theories to execute research, to enhance presentation skills about a scientific issue, to write reports of a political-social issue, to teamwork, to adapt to development, to obtain experience, to analyze their abilities for achieving new knowledge, skills and attitudes in career’s work.

Annually, the university holds orientation week (especially for freshmen) for introduction of learning content, students are also introduced to the USSH ‘s organizational structure, necessary addresses that students need to know, channels of communication between the university and students.

The Faculty has a teaching and learning strategy that encourages active learning and support of self-study. The Faculty has classrooms, reading rooms, and material room to better support for studying and scientific research.

            To encourage active studying, the faculty attempts to find international scholarship funds and promotes diversification of studying enviroment, including student exchange Programmes. The faculty’s students were sent to a semester in Stockholm university (Sweden), participated in exchange Programmes in the UK, China, Japan, and students from Stockholm University, Giessen University (Germany) were exchanged to study in the FPS. The faculty’s lecturers also took part in academic exchange activities, researching activities, seminars and forums in China, the US, Sweden, Taiwan, Germany to promote themselves and students the ability for lifelong learning.

            In the learning process, students can participate in models of specialized activities such as clubs, scientific and extracurricular activities that organized by USSH and faculty. They have interaction with scientists, employers, alumni to enhance awareness of researching methods, about posibilties of career after graduation.

            For being a research – orientated university, Scientific research has been paid special attention by the University and Faculty. The university has priority policies to encourage students to participate in scientific research when studying in university. The students’ science conferences are held annually, first year students can be acquainted with scientific research, encouraged by lecturers and guided them to participate in research. Most students, from first year to fourth year, can participate in scientific research. The research’s themes are linked with practice and and have useful support to students in learning. Some projects have high applicability, can be applied in practice right at the locality where the students work after graduation. Scientific reports that are high in quality are all applauded and awarded.

            In addition, the faculty organizes field trips or internships in some cultural, historic sites in Vietnam to help students obtain more knowledge, as well as give them a chance to apply knowledge they accumulate on classes into reality.

            Both lecturers and students are satisfied with the teaching and studying activites and methods.