Đảm bảo chất lượng đào tạo của các trường đại học tư thục tại thành phố hồ chí minh theo AUN QA tt tieng anh

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

VO VAN TUAN

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TRAINING OF
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN HO CHI
MINH CITY UNDER AUN-QA
Major: Education management
Code: 9140114

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS IN EDUCATIONAL
SCIENCE

NGHE AN - 2020


1
The thesis has been completed at Vinh University

Scientific instructors:
1. Dr. PHAN QUOC LAM
2. Assoc. Prof., Dr. PHAM VAN SON

Opponent 1:

Opponent 2:

Opponent 3:

The thesis is defended at the Council of Doctoral Thesis Examiners at Vinh

University
At....... on...... month.... 2020

The thesis may be searched at:
- National Library of Vietnam.
- Nguyen Thuc Hao Information Center & Library, Vinh University.


2
PREAMBLE
1. Necessity of researched theme
The education quality in general and the tertiary education quality in particular
have been and shall always be the top concern of the whole society, management
authorities at all levels, and scientists in all countries in the world. Therefore, like other
education institutions, the effort of improving the training quality is always considered
as the most important task of universities. Not only that, in the current context of
globalization regarding the human resources and international integration of education,
the tertiary education quality not only meets the national standards but also reaches the
regional and international standards.
Over nearly 30 years of innovation, our country’s tertiary education system has
strongly developed in scope and diversity in types of universities and training forms.
The tertiary education takes the initial steps to adjust the system structure, improve the
training program and process in the modern direction. However, besides the huge
achievements, the Vietnamese tertiary education has still existed many limitations.
“The most significant limitation of our country’s tertiary education today is that the
training quality has not met the requirements of the country’s socio-economic
development and if there is no drastic and effective remedy, the country will lose the
important competitive advantage in terms of quality and quantity of human resources”
(Resolution No. 32 of the Party Central Committee of the Communist Party of
Vietnam, 2014).

In spite of only 20 years old, the private universities have held an important role
in the tertiary education system, contributing to satisfying the learning needs of the
society and making a significant contribution to training the highly qualified human
resources for the country. Besides these basic achievements, the private universities
have still existed some weaknesses and shortcomings in the management in general
and the management of training activities in particular. One of the basic reasons is that
the quality assurance in training at the private universities has not been properly taken
into consideration, not proposed and implemented the solutions that are scientifically
based and practical to the quality assurance in training.


3
Ho Chi Minh City is the largest, dynamic and most developed economic center
in the country. This local has also had the highest number of private universities among
63 provinces/cities. However, like private universities across the country, the training
quality of private universities Ho Chi Minh City has still existed many inadequacies,
not meeting the requirements of the society. That obstructs the development of large
number of universities, even threatened to not exist. To improve the training quality of
private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, it is necessary to have a system of
comprehensive solutions. In which, the work of quality assurance in training with the
scientifically sound and practical solutions is one of the first important duty. That is
also the rationale for me to choose the “Quality assurance in training of private
universities in Ho Chi Minh City under AUN-QA” as my thesis theme.
2. Purposes of research
Based on the theoretical and practical research, the thesis proposes the solutions of
quality assurance in training under AUN-QA, thereby contributing to improve the training
quality of the private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, meeting the needs of developing
high quality human resources in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeastern Vietnam.
3. Subject and object of research
3.1. Subject of research: Management of training quality of private universities.

3.2. Object of research: Quality assurance in training of private universities in
Ho Chi Minh City.
4. Scientific hypothesis
Currently, in Vietnam and other countries around the world, there are many
models of quality assurance in training in the universities. However, the training quality
of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City has mostly not reached the regional and
international standards. One of the important reasons is that the quality assurance in
training of the universities has still existed many shortcomings, the suitable model of
quality assurance in training has not been selected to improve the training quality. It is
possible to improve and enhance the training quality of private universities in Ho Chi
Minh City, if the solutions of quality assurance in training under AUN-QA are
proposed and carried out.


4
5. Mission and scope of research
5.1. Mission of research
5.1.1. Systematize to classify the theoretical basis of the quality assurance in
training of private universities under AUN-QA.
5.1.2. Survey and assess the actual conditions of the training quality, quality
assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City under AUN-QA.
5.1.3. Propose the solutions of the training quality, quality assurance in training
of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City under AUN-QA.
5.1.4. Survey the necessity, feasibility and test some proposed solutions of the
quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
5.2. Scope of research
- Currently, in the world there are 3 models of quality assurance in training
of universities, including: testing, evaluation and audit. The other factor model is
the presentation of 3 basic models, including AUN-QA. The thesis approaches the
research under AUN-QA because of its suitability to the quality assurance in

training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City. The quality assurance in
training according to AUN-QA includes 3 levels: strategic quality assurance;
systematic quality assurance; training program quality assurance with 3 versions.
At all 3 levels there is external quality assurance and internal quality assurance.
The thesis focuses on the quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA at
the internal systematic quality assurance with version 3 including 12 standards.
- In relation to the training quality and quality assurance in training, there
are 2 groups of customers: Internal group of customers (managerial staff, lecturers)
and external group of customers (students, parents, human resource users). In the
research scope of the thesis, the author focuses on researching the internal group
of customers. The external group of customers (the group of parents are not
researched) was collected additional information for the research data from the
internal group of customers.
- Survey the actual conditions of training quality and quality assurance in
training of 381 subjects at 06 universities, including: Van Lang University; Van


5
Hien University; University of Economic and Finance; Nguyen Tat Thanh
University; Hong Bang International University; Ho Chi Minh City University of
Technology (HUTECH)
- Survey the necessity and feasibility of proposed solutions for the subjects
of Van Lang University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. Test 02
proposed solutions at Van Lang University.
6. Approach and method of research
6.1. Approach:
T Systematic approach; Change management approach; Approach to AUN-QA
(ASEAN University Network) quality assurance model; Market approach.
6.2. Methods of research
During the research, we have used the following groups of research methods:

Theoretical research; Practical research; Mathematical statistics.
7. Theoretical points to be defended
7.1. Quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City is
an aspect of quality assurance. Therefore, the content and method of quality assurance
in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City shall both comply with the
content and method of quality assurance in general, and conform to the training
characteristics of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
7.2. The training quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City has been
enhanced over the past time but still has certain limitations. To improve the training quality,
the private universities are required to implement the quality assurance in training. The
model of quality assurance in training under AUN-QA has many advantages, suitable to the
private universities, but the actual conditions of the quality assurance in training of private
universities in Ho Chi Minh City under AUN-QA has not met some criteria yet. Therefore,
the implementation of the quality assurance in training under AUN-QA is an indispensable
requirement of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
7.3. Organize to raise the awareness on the training quality, ensure the training
quality under AUN-QA for the managerial staff at all levels, lecturers and students;
Develop the system of policies on the quality assurance in training under AUN-QA;


6
Develop the human resources in charge of quality assurance in training under AUNQA; Organize the training activities in the direction of meeting the requirements of
AUN-QA; Build a learning environment for students under AUN-QA.... are solutions
that private universities in Ho Chi Minh City need to implement to effectively apply
the AUN-QA model in trainer assurance, thereby contributing to improving the training
quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
8. New contributions of the thesis
- Establish a logical framework of the quality assurance in training of private
universities according to AUN-QA.
- Objectively evaluate the actual conditions of training quality of private

universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA with 11 elements.
- Objectively evaluate the actual conditions of quality assurance in training of
private universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA with 12 standards.
- Propose the solutions of thequality assurance in training of private universities
in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA.
9. Structure of the thesis
In addition to the Preamble, Conclusions and Recommendations, References and
Annexes, the thesis includes 3 chapters:
Chapter 1: Theoretical basis of quality assurance in training of private
universities according to AUN-QA
Chapter 2: Actual conditions of quality assurance in training of private
universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA
Chapter 3: Solutions of quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho
Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA


7
Chapter 1
THEORETICAL BASIS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
IN TRAINING OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
ACCORDING TO AUN-QA
1.1. Overview
1.1.1. Inherited theoretical points
- The quality assurance in training of universities is a meaning full work that has
a decisive meaning to the existence and development of the tertiary education
institutions in our country in general and of private colleges in particular. Therefore,
the implementation of quality assurance in training in private universities is an
necessary work.
- The quality assurance in training is an important component of the quality
control in training, therefore, the implementation of quality assurance in training must

be attached to the renewal of management of tertiary education institutions. The quality
assurance in training in tertiary education requires the synchronous implementation
and comprehensive renovation of the external and internal factors of the management
system of the tertiary education institutions. In which, the most important factors are
the quality management of the institutions in the national tertiary education system, in
accordance with the specific conditions of the region and of universities.
- The implementation of quality assurance in training of the universities and
tertiary education system requires the innovative efforts of the leaders and education
managers, the active and voluntary participation of all members of the universities,
requirements and social support.
- The implementation of quality assurance in training of the universities, especially
private universities is aimed at enhancing the training quality of the universities, thereby,
improving the physical and spiritual benefits of the university members.
- The quality assurance in training of universities in Vietnam shall be similar to the
universities in the region and around the world. In the current conditions in Vietnam, it is
advisable to apply the model of quality assurance of Southeast Asian countries which have
the development fundamental of tertiary education is not too far from Vietnam.


8
1.1.2. The issues which have not been studied or studied inadequately
- In the current conditions, the research of quality assurance in training is both
general and specific. Currently, there are only theoretical studies on the quality control in
training, not involved deeply in the quality assurance in training of tertiary education; there
are few specific studies on the quality assurance in training of private universities.
- The studies on quality assurance in training and the application of quality
assurance in training of universities in Vietnam have not yet specifically focused on
any modern advanced model that has been and being applied in universities in the
region and around the world.
1.1.3. Issues which the thesis focuses on

- Theoretical study of training quality, quality assurance in training of private
universities under AUN-QA.
- Application of the theory of quality assurance in training according to AUNQA to the actual conditions of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
- Research and propose the solutions of enhancing the efficiency of quality
assurance in training quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City under AUN-QA.
1.2. Some basic concepts
1.2.1. Training
Training is “a systematic, methodical process of transferring the experiences,
knowledge, professional skills, while fostering the necessary ethical qualities and
preparing the mind and physical conditions for learners to the independent working life
and contribute to building and defending the country”. Training includes the following
phases: Enrollment, training process and outputs. Customers of training process
include: external customers (learners; students’ parents; managers; employers);
Internal customers (lecturers; staff).
1.2.2. Training activities of private universities
The training activities of private universities is the process of tertiary training
with the basic common points of tertiary training under the specific conditions of
private universities. According to the Law amending and supplementing a number of
articles of the Law on tertiary education (2018), Vietnamese tertiary education


9
institutions are organized in 2 types: Public universities and private universities. These
two types are equal before the law. However, the private universities in Vietnam have
some basic characteristics of training, different from public universities such as: owner;
organization and management; infrastructure; finance; study program; training
sections; job opportunities; entrance level of students.
1.2.3. Training quality of private universities
The quality is the conformity of the product with the set objectives, the
satisfaction of the involved parties, at the most economical cost. The tertiary education

quality is the satisfaction of the university’s goals, the satisfaction of the stakeholders.
The training quality of private universities is the fulfillment of the training goals of
private universities, satisfying the needs of customers, at the most economical costs.
1.2.4. Quality assurance in training of private universities
The quality assurance in training of private colleges are activities performed by
the private universities during the training process to reach the training goals, satisfy
the needs of customers, at the most economical costs.
1.3. Quality assurance in training of universities in the world and the region
currently
1.3.1. Models of quality assurance in training of universities in the world and
the region currently
Currently, there are many models of quality assurance being applied in the
tertiary education in countries around the world as well as in the region. Among them,
the quality testing, quality assessment and quality audit are the three most common
models of quality assurance available today. All three of these models are aimed at
reinforcement and improvement of quality.
1.3.2. Models of assessment of training quality of universities in the world and
the region currently
Assessment of service quality t model according to SERVQUAL and
SERVPERF; 4-level assessment of training performance by Donald Kirkpatrick; 5level assessment of training quality by Kaufman; Assessment of educational service
quality according to the HedPERF; AUN-QA.
Each model has different characteristics, processes, and outputs, with its own


10
strengths and advantages, as well as certain limitations. The successful implementation
of each model depends on many factors such as the national context, culture, or the
development of the tertiary education system. One model may work well in one
country, but may not work well when deployed in another. To effectively apply the
models of quality assurance, it is necessary to carefully study each model and

characteristics of the country, the education and each type of education institutions.
1.3.3. Suitability of quality assurance in training of private universities
according to AUN-QA
The selection of proper model of quality assurance in training is extremely
important in the management of universities in general and quality assurance in training
in particular. The suitability of the model of quality assurance in training for a tertiary
education institution is that such model helps the tertiary education institution match
the university’s training characteristics, helping the universities achieve the
universities’ goals in general and training goals in particular.
The selection of AUN-QA in the quality assurance in training of private
universities, especially with the systematic quality assurance in training from within
the university, comes from the following reasons:
- AUN-QA is similar to the quality assurance in training of universities in
Southeast Asia, which is the basis for Vietnam’s private universities to internationalize;
- AUN-QA is similar to the concept of training quality in private universities that
the thesis has determined;
- The quality assurance in training under AUN-QA shall help private universities
achieve the training goal;
- All three levels of quality assurance in training of AUN-QA are both internal
and external audit. However, the internal systematic quality assurance in training of
AUN-QA is similar to the point of view and approach of the thesis author. The private
universities themselves must implement the audit of training quality thereby to perform
the quality assurance in training of the universities before the external audit. From the
viewpoint of approach by the managers of private universities, the selection of
systematic quality assurance by the thesis author will be more suitable than the strategic
quality assurance and and training program quality assurance.


11
1.4. Components of training quality of private universities according to

AUN-QA
The training quality of private universities is the combined result of many
different components. In which, each component has its own contribution and they
have a dialectic relationship to form the training quality. During the development,
AUN-QA has changed the components of training quality through 3 versions.
According to version 3 of AUN-QA, the components of training quality include
11 basic components: output standards; training programs; Structure and content of
training programs; Training modes; Examination and assessment of students’ learning
activities; Quality of lecturers; Quality of support staff; Quality of students and
activities to support students; Infrastructure and equipment; Enhancement of quality;
Students’ quality after graduation.
1.5. Quality assurance in training of private universities according to AUN-QA
1.5.1. Subjects in charge of quality assurance in training of private universities
The quality assurance in training of private universities is implemented by many
levels, with specific decentralized management, explicit roles and responsibilities.
1.5.2. Contents of internal qauality assurance in training of private
universities
In 2005, AUN-QA established the audit criteria/standards for the internal quality
assurance system. The requirements developed by AUN-QA comply with the
requirements established by the European Association for Quality Assurance (ENQA).
It includes 12 standards and is concretized into 42 criteria.
1.5.3. Factors affecting the quality assurance in training of private
universities
The quality assurance activities of private universities are influenced by many
different factors, including objective and subjective ones.

The conclusion of chapter 1
The constant improvement in the training quality is to ensure the "survival" of
universities in general and private universities in particular. In order to achieve it,

12
private universities must perform activities of quality assurance. However, the
activities of quality assurance are only effective when they are based on the scientific
theories of the training quality and the activities of quality assurance. The issue of the
training quality and the quality assurance in training at universities have been studied
by domestic and foreign authors, but the application of theories to the quality of training
and the quality assurance in training at Vietnamese universities in general and private
universities in particular have not been studied much.
In order to ensure the quality, all universities in the world and the regional ones
apply many models such as: quality checking; quality assessment; and quality audit.
Even in the quality assessment model, universities can also apply many different
models. AUN-QA is one of the quality assessment models that many universities in
Southeast Asia have applied to. With characteristics of private universities, especially
in training activities as well as AUN-QA characteristics, AUN-QA is one of the models
of quality assurance in training which is suitable for private universities in Vietnam.
The quality assurance in training in accordance with AUN-QA consists of: strategies;
Quality assurance of the system; quality assurance of training programs. The three
levels all contain internal and external training quality assurances . The issue of quality
assurance in training in term of the school, with the systematic level in accordance with
AUN - QA is the research scope of the thesis.
The training quality of private universities is the school's compliance with the
training objectives. It satisfies the needs of customers with the lowest costs. The
training quality of private universities according to AUN-QA consists of 11 basic
elements: Output standards; Training program; The structure and content of the
training program; Method of Training; Examining and evaluating students' learning
activities; The quality of the teaching staff ; Quality of the support staff; Quality of
students and activities to support students; Infrastructure and equipment; Quality
improvement; Quality of graduates.
The quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA at the system level from

an internal extent of the university is evaluation activities which are performed by
private universities to achieve training goals, satisfy customers' needs with the lowest


13
costs. The quality assurance in training of private universities according to AUN-QA
at the system level, inside the school (version 3.0) consists of 12 standards: Policy;
Monitoring; Periodically review main activities (teaching, research, and community
service); quality assurance of the student assessment; quality assurance of officials and
employees; quality assurance of learning resources; quality assurance services to
support learners; self assessment; internal appraisal; information system; information
reveal; and quality handbook.
The quality assurance in training at private universitiess is affected by
objective factors (urgent requirements of the education and training sector and of the
whole society for the quality of training of private universities; The strong development
of quality assurance activities about university education and in the countries in the
region and all over the world; trend of international integration in training highly
qualified workers) and subjective factors (perceptions of members of private
universities on quality assurance activities; role of application quality assurance in
training at private universities; international cooperation activities about quality
assurance in training at private universities).

Chapter 2
ACTUAL CONDITIONS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TRAINING OF
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN HO CHI MINH CITY ACCORDING TO AUN-QA

2.1. Overview of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City
2.2. Survey of actual conditions
2.2.1. Objectives of survey
Collect the practical information as a basis for analysis and assessment of the

actual conditions of training quality and quality assurance in training of private
universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
2.2.2. Contents of survey
- The actual conditions of training quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh
City according to AUN-QA (11 standards);


14
- The actual conditions of quality assurance in training of private universities in
Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA (12 standards);
- The factors affecting the quality assurance in training of private universities in
Ho Chi Minh City.
2.2.3. Objects of survey
The thesis author selects the subjects of the survey including: managerial staff,
lecturers of 06 private universities ini Ho Chi Minh City, namely Van Lang University;
Van Hien University; University of Economic and Finance; Nguyen Tat Thanh
University; Hong Bang International University; Ho Chi Minh City University of
Technology (HUTECH).
2.2.4. Method of survey
1) Questionnaire in 3 phases
2) In-depth interview: On the basis of the survey results, the research and
development of interview questions include: Evaluation of the actual conditions of
training quality according to AUN-QA and actual conditions of quality assurance in
training according to AUN-QA.
2.2.5. Method of data processing
2.2.5.1. Analysis of quantitative data: The data collected from the questionnaire
method are processed by SPSS software version 22.0. The statistical indicators are used
in the analysis using descriptive statistics: percentage (%); average mark and standard
deviation . The indicators are used in the analysis using inference statistics: T-test,
Cronbach’s Alpha.

The test results show that the validity and reliability of the scale are to ensure
the necessary requirements of a research tool, allowing the thesis author to collect the
objective information on the objects of survey.
2.2.5.2. Analysis of qualitative data: The data collected from in-depth
interviews, consulting experts, analyzing records are encrypted and processed
according to the regulations.
2.3. Actual conditions of training quality of private universities in Ho Chi
Minh City according to AUN-QA


15
The thesis surveys the actual awareness of training quality concept and the actual
conditions of training quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to
11 criteria of AUN-QA. The results shown in Table 1 are as follows:
Table 1. Actual conditions of training quality of private universities in Ho Chi
Minh City according to 11 criteria of AUN-QA
No.

Contents

Total

1

2

p

Mean SD Mean SD ĐTB ĐLC

1

Output standards of training
program

3.31 0.591 3.27 0.575 3,31 0,594

*

2

Quality of training program

3.42 0.593 3.33 0.630 3,43 0,587

*

3

Structure and contents of
training program

3.35 0.636 3.36 0.508 3,35 0,654

*

4

Training modes

3.30 0.643 3.23 0.636 3,31 0,644

*

5

Examination and assessment of
students’ learning activities

3.42 0.558 3.38 0.529 3,43 0,562

*

6

Quality of lecturers

3.23 0.654 3.07 0.771 3,26 0,632 0,04

7

Quality of support staff

3.26 0.677 3.02 0.780 3,29 0,654 0,04

8

Quality of students and
activities to support students

3.31 0.584 3.20 0.601 3,32 0,580

9

Infrastructure and equipment

3.19 0.714 3.05 0.720 3,21 0,712 0,04

*

10 Enhancement of quality

3.20 0.646 2.98 0.688 3,23 0,635 0,04

11 Students’ quality after
graduation

3.18 0.670 3.02 0.727 3,20 0,658 0,04

Common

3.28 0.633 3.196 0.621 3,31 0,636
1: Maneger; 2: Lecturer

2.4. Actual conditions of quality assurance in training of private universities
in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA
Regarding the actual conditions of quality assurance in training of private
universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA, the thesis author has surveyed
the actual awareness of the concept and purpose of quality assurance in training
according to AUN-QA. At the same time, the actual conditions of quality assurance

16
in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to the 12 criteria of
AUN-QA is shown in Table 2 as follows:
Table 2. Actual conditions of quality assurance in training of private universities in
Ho Chi Minh City according to the 12 criteria of AUN-QA
Total

1

2

p

No.

Contents

1

Policies of quality assurance

3.42 0.682 3.34 0.750 3,44 0,671

2

Supervision activities

3.08 0.459 3.08 0.582 3,09 0,471

*

3

Periodical review of core
activities

3.38 0.349 3.29 0.467 3,40 0,353

*

4

Assessment of students’
learning activities

3.18 0.412 2.98 0.450 3,21 0,456 0,04

5

Quality Assurance of staff

3.18 0.298 3.17 0.316 3,19 0,422

6

Quality Assurance of
learning documents

3.16 0.326 2.89 0.462 3,20 0,361 0,03

7

Quality Assurance of student
supporting services

3.21 0.416 3.18 0.363 3,22 0,346

*

8

Self-assessment

3.24 0.444 3.15 0.415 3,26 0,349

*

9

Internal verification

3.19 0.462 3.16 0.369 3,20 0,330

*

10

Information system

3.21 0.419 3.10 0.386 3,22 0,356

*

11

Information disclosure

3.22 0.374 3.11 0.382 3,24 0,351

*

12

Formation of quality
assurance manual

3.25 0.421 3.04 0.368 3,28 0,403 0,03

Common

Mean

SD Mean

SD

ĐTB ĐLC

*

3.22 0.421 3.19 0.435 3,25 0,407
1: Maneger; 2: Lecturer

2.5. Actual conditions of impacts on the quality assurance in training of
private universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA
The quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City is
influenced by many factors. The determination of the impacts is the basis for the thesis
author to propose the solutions of quality assurance in training of universities.
2.6. Common assessment of actual conditions of training quality and quality
assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to AUN-QA


17
2.6.1. Common assessment of actual conditions of training quality
The training quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City has some
limitations, including:
- The formation of output standards has not clearly reflected the requirements of
stakeholders;
- The examination and assessment of students’ learning activities have not been
compatible with the output standards, not ensuring 2-way information;
- The managerial staff and lecturers, student support staff are not qualified to
implement the quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA, especially the
issues such as academic freedom;
- The learning environment for students is unsatisfactory, the laboratories and
laboratory equipment to enhance their practice capacity in the training process have
not been effectively exploited.
2.6.2. Common assessment of actual conditions of quality assurance in
training

The quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City has
still existed some limitations as follows:
- The policies of quality assurance in training have still not clearly reflected the
role of stakeholders.
- The activities of connecting with the former students to get their feedback on
the universities’ quality assurance in training have been ineffective.
- The information supply for the students has not been timely and complete. The
publication of complaint procedures has not been given due attention.
- The work of training and retraining, and fostering the capacity of the staff,
officials and employees has not been carried out regularly and effectively.
- The computer systems serving the universities’ teaching activities have not
been promptly checked.
2.6.3. Reasons of shortcomings
2.6.3.1. Objective reasons
- The science of management quality in general, quality assurance in training


18
in particular has not been studied by many experts and managers.
- The tertiary education in Vietnam is in the process of deep integration with
the world’s education, facilitating the universities’ access to the advanced training
technologies in general, and the model of quality assurance in training in particular.
However, the quality assurance in training has still been a relatively new activity for
Vietnamese universities in general and private universities in particular. The model of
quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA has not been applied and tested by
the universities in Vietnam.
2.6.3.2. Subjective reasons
- The common awareness of training quality and quality assurance in training
by the managers, lecturers and staff has been positively changed; however, the
awareness of training quality and quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA

point of view has not been clear and specific yet.
- The private universities have invested in the infrastructure and and equipment
for the quality assurance in training but not been systematically comprehensive and
complete yet.
The conclusion of chapter 2
The thesis has surveyed 479 objects (of which: 381 people participated in the
survey with questionnaires; 98 people participated in profound interviews) who were
managers, teachers, and students (belonging to 6 private universities in Ho Chi Minh
City, including Van Lang University, Van Hien University, University of Economics Finance, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Hong Bang University, Ho Chi Minh City
University of Technology - Hutech) and business representatives using human
resources. The quantitative data were processed by SPSS software, which was tested
for reliability and validity. The research data above has helped the author of the thesis
assess the status of training quality and quality assurance of private universities in Ho
Chi Minh City in accordance with AUN-QA. There are with some issues to note below:
The surveyed objects were aware of the “good” ratings on training quality,
quality assurance and the need for quality assurance in accordance with AUN-QA.


19
However, it is very important to propagandize so that the training managers and
teachers from private universities in Ho Chi Minh City have a better understanding of
the concept of training quality and evaluation criteria of training quality of private
universities.
The training quality of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City according to
AUN-QA is analyzed according to 11 standards. Most of the criteria are surveyed and
rated by the objects as "good" and "fair". The private universities in Ho Chi Minh City
should note: The work of examining and evaluating the learning activities of students
have not been compatible with the students’ output standards, and they haven’t ensured
2-way information, either. The managers and the teaching staff, and support staff are
not capable of carrying out the quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA,

especially the issues such as academic freedom; The learning environment for students
is not good enough, the laboratories and laboratory equipment to enhance their
practical capacity in the training process have not been effectively exploited.
The reality of quality assurance of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City is
analyzed according to 12 standards with 42 criteria. The contents of the quality
assurance in training are rated as "good" and "fair". None of them are rated as "average"
. However, a number of criteria in the standards should be noted more to improve the
effectiveness of quality assurance in schools such as: The content of quality assurance
policies has not clearly shown the role of related parties. ; Activities to connect with
former students to get their feedback on quality assurance of the school have not been
effective yet.; The provision of information to students is not timely and sufficient. The
announcement of complaint procedures has not been given proper attention, so there is
a lack of grounds for managers to correct mistakes if any; The training and improving
of ability for the managers and lecturers have not been implemented regularly and
effectively; the computer systems serving the school's teaching activities have not been
promptly checked.
The quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City is
affected by many factors. The factors that have the "very influential" level consist of:
awareness of the education and training sector as well as of the entire society; The trend


20
of international integration in training high quality human resources; The role of quality
assurance units in private universities…

Chapter 3
SOLUTIONS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TRAINING OF PRIVATE
UNIVERSITIES IN HO CHI MINH CITY ACCORDING TO AUN-QA
3.1. Principles of proposing the solutions:
Guaranteed purpose; systematic and synchronous features; practicality;

efficiency; feasibility.
3.2. Solutions of quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho
Chi Minh City

3.2.1. Organize to raise the awareness of training quality, ensure the training
quality according to AUN-QA for the managerial staff at all levels, lecturers and students.
3.2.2. Develop the system of policies on the quality assurance in training under
AUN-QA
3.2.3. Develop the human resources in charge of quality assurance in training
according to AUN-QA
3.2.4. Organize the training activities in the direction of satisfaction with the
requirements of AUN-QA
3.2.5. Build a learning environment for students under AUN-QA
3.3. Relationship of solutions
On the theoretical and practical basis, the thesis proposes 05 solutions of quality
assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City. Each solution has its
own role, meaning, and unified system. The solutions have the close, organic,
interactive, complementary and support relationship.
3.4. Exploration of the necessity and feasibility of the solutions
3.4.1. Purpose and contents of the exploration
Collect the evaluation opinions of the surveyed subjects on the necessity and
feasibility of the solutions of quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho
Chi Minh City, thereby giving the correlation between the necessity and the feasibility


21
of the solutions.
3.4.2. Methods of exploration
The thesis has used the questionnaires to obtain the opinions of subjects of
exploration on the proposed solutions.

3.4.3. Subjects of exploration
The exploration has been conducted on 95 subjects including: Managerial staff (18),
lecturers (77) of Van Lang University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.
3.4.4. Processing of tested data
3.4.5. Results of exploration
All 5 solutions proposed by the thesis are assessed by the subjects at the level
“very necessary” (average mark of all 05 solutions are > 3.26).
3/5 solutions proposed by the thesis are assessed by the subjects at the level “very
feasible” (average mark of 3/5 solutions are > 3.26). 2 solutions have received the
assessment equivalent to the rating of “feasible”.
3.5. Experiment of proposed solutions
3.5.1. Purposes of experiments
The purpose of experiments is to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of 02
solutions, including: “Organize to raise the awareness of training quality, ensure the
training quality according to AUN-QA for the managerial staff at all levels, lecturers
and students” and “Develop the human resources in charge of quality assurance in
training according to AUN-QA” included in the proposed solutions as mentioned in
section 3.2. In the solution of development of the human resources to meet the training
quality according to AUN-QA, the thesis only experiments the content related to raise
the teaching capacity of lecturers.
3.5.2. Contents of experiments
1) Basis of selecting the contents of experiments
The thesis author has selected the solutions “Organize to raise the awareness of
training quality, ensure the training quality according to AUN-QA for the
managerial staff at all levels, lecturers and students” and “Develop the human
resources in charge of quality assurance in training according to AUN-QA” to carry


22
out the experiments.

2) Selection of the contents of experiments
The thesis organizes 1 training course including 2 contents:
- Special topic 1: Evaluation criteria of training quality of universities according
to AUN-QA
- Special topic 2: Modern teaching method in the tertiary education.
3.5.3. Hypothesis of experiments
The experiments are aimed to prove the hypothesis: If the training organization
meets the practical conditions of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, the lecturers
shall understand and apply in practice the evaluation criteria of training quality
according to AUN-QA; the teaching capacity of the lecturers of private universities in
Ho Chi Minh City will improve, thereby he work of quality assurance in training of
private universities will be effective.
3.5.4. Time, place, subjects and form of experiments
Time: June 2019; 61 lecturers of Van Lang University with the seniority of 15
years and more (80.5%) and average teaching seniority of 8.91 years. Apply the form
of experiment on 01 group.
3.5.5. Implementation of experiments
Develop the training plan; Organize and direct the renewal of training contents,
forms, methods, test and evaluation of training results; Formulate the evaluation tools;
Organize the training according to the plan
3.5.6. Analysis and evaluation of the experiment results
3.5.6.1. Results of awareness on the evaluation criteria of training quality
according to AUN-QA
- Average mark of awareness according to the evaluation criteria of training
quality of lecturers participating in the training has been increased after the experiment
(before experiment: average mark = 2.86; standard deviation = 0.33; after experiment:
average mark = 3.27; standard deviation = 0.29; p < 0,05). In each evaluation criteria,
the average mark after the impact has been significantly higher than the average mark
before the impact.

23
- Average mark in terms of skills of practical application by the lecturers
participating in the training has been significantly increased after the experiment
(before experiment: average mark = 2.72; standard deviation = 0.29; after experiment:
average mark = 3.27; standard deviation = 0.33; p < 0,05).
3.5.6.2. Results of teaching method
- Average mark in terms of knowledge of teaching methods by the lecturers
participating in the training has been significantly increased after the experiment
(before experiment: average mark = 2.91; standard deviation = 0.17; after experiment:
average mark = 3.23; standard deviation = 0.12; p < 0,05).
- Average mark in terms of application skill of teaching methods by the lecturers
participating in the training has been significantly increased after the experiment
(before experiment:¬ average mark = 2.76; standard deviation = 0.24; after experiment:
average mark = 3.16; standard deviation = 0.26; p < 0,05).
Conclusion of Chapter 3
Based on the theoretical research and the actual conditions of training quality
and quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, the thesis
proposes 5 solutions of quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi
Minh City according to AUN -QA, including:
(1) Organize to raise the awareness on the training quality, ensure the training
quality under AUN-QA for the managerial staff at all levels, lecturers and students;
(2) Develop the system of policies on the quality assurance in training under
AUN-QA;
(3) Develop the human resources in charge of quality assurance in training under
AUN-QA;
(4) Organize the training activities in the direction of meeting the requirements
of AUN-QA;
(5) Build a learning environment for students under AUN-QA.
Each solution has its own role, meaning, and all constitutes the system of

solutions The solutions have the close, organic, interactive, complementary and
support relationship. The solutions which require to be implemented synchronously are


24
capable of improving the efficiency of quality assurance in training of private
universities in Ho Chi Minh City. In the process of quality assurance in training,
depending on the environment, time, conditions, each solution has different priority
positions, possible to arrange the order of implementation of the solutions to achieve
the highest efficiency.
Survey of the proposed solutions shows: 5/5 solutions are rated as very
necessary/necessary and very feasible/feasible. The thesis has experimented the
solutions of “Organize to raise the awareness of training quality, ensure the training
quality according to AUN-QA for the managerial staff at all levels, lecturers and
students” and “Develop the human resources in charge of quality assurance in training
according to AUN-QA” in the form of training for 61 lecturers of Van Lang University.
The results of experiments shows that: The awareness on the evaluation criteria of the
training quality and teaching methods of 61 lecturers after the experiments has been
more developed compared to those before the experiments. It proves that the
experimented solutions are feasible and effective.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
1. Conclusion
1.1. In the world and Vietnam, there are many works and scientific researches
on training quality and quality assurance in training in tertiary education institutions.
However, there are no systematic and comprehensive studies on the quality assurance
in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City. However, studies have shown
that: the quality assurance in training of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City is an
aspect of quality assurance. Therefore, the content, method, and process of quality
assurance in training of universities must both comply with the content, method, and

process of quality assurance in general, and conform to the training characteristics of
such universities.
1.2. It is very important to choose the model of quality assurance in training that
matches the strategic goals and conditions of each university. AUN-QA is the model
of quality assurance in training which has the certain advantages for private universities