Building standard of a head of department in Vietnamese universities in order to meet requirements of higher education innovation

Thanh Thai Van – Vinh University, VietNam.

Abstract: The standard of a head of department is an important basis for evaluation, planning, appointment, training, retraining and using of staff effectively. At the same time, the standard of the head of department is also a key basis for the head of department strives and self-improves in order to reach the standard and meet the requirements and tasks of the higher education innovation and extensive international integration.

Keywords: Higher Education, University, Department, Head of Department, Standard, Criteria, Faculty.

1. The Head of Department status in Vietnamese universities

We conducted a survey several managers of faculties and school at the Vinh University, Can Tho University, Thai Nguyen University, Hanoi National University of Education, Tay Nguyen University, Sai Gon University, VNU University of Education about the head of Department staff on issues such as: Teaching capacity, scientific research capacity, capacity of management and leadership, social activities to supply educational services and technology to community, capacity of international cooperation in the higher education. It shown that:

- There are a lot of heads of department who are working via experiment; are slow in innovation; and are affected by focused administrative mechanism;

- There are a lot of heads of department who have a same pshychology that is an aversion to change while new mechanisms require changes and must find a motivation for change;

- There are a part of head of department staff who have a conservative mentality and exclusive thinking while new mechanisms require to accept both old and new things, and accept competitions in cooperation to get a better education quality.

- There are a few heads of department who have an open mind to new things, dare to embark and adventure, dare to think and dare to work.

- There are a large part of head of department staff who fear inspection and control while new mechanism that need to call to confim, advertising, promoting educational prestige, brand and quality of faculty and school.

- There are a few heads of department who are able to negotiate, sign, collaborate with universities of other countries in the region and in the world about education, academic exchanges, scientific research, retraining, improvement of capacity for lecturer staff.

- There are a lot of heads of deparment who have an limitation in using information technology for management, and using an influent forgein language in profession, management, and international integration in order to meet of requirements of educational innovation.

- There are a few heads of department who are able to negotiate, sign, collaborate with other universities in the region and in the world about training, academic exchange, scientific research, retraining of capacity improvement for the faculty.

- There are a lot of heads of department who have limitations in application of infromation technology on management and use of foreign language proficiency in professional, management, international cooperation, and they are still not meet the requirements of higher education innovation yet.

2. Developing standards of head of department in Vietnamese universities

2.1. Bases of developing standards of head of department.

- Legal bases:

+ Resolution No. 14/2005/NQ-CP of the Government on “Fundamental and Thorough Renovation of Vietnamese Higher Education for 2006 -2020”;

+ Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013 on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education, serving industrialisation and modernisation in a socialist-oriented market economy during international integration

+ Law No.18/2012/QH13 dated 18/06/2012 of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on Higher Education.

+ University Charter issued with Decision No. 70/2014/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister;

+ Standards of officers in the period of accelertated industrialization and modernization of the country;

+ Education Development Strategy period 2011 to 2020 by the Prime Minister;

+ Model of persoinality and labor characteristics of head of department at universities.

- Based practice: Situtation of heads of department at universities in the Viet Nam.

2.2. Developing standards of head of department at universities to meet the requirements of higher education innovation

Based on theoretical studies and the bases stated above, we proposed criteria for a head of department at universities including 7 standards, 36 criteria, in detailed:

Table 1. Standards of head of department at universities.

Standard 1

Criteria

Political quality and professional ethics

1

Political quality

2

Professional ethics

3

Life style

4

Working style

5

Communication, behavior

Standard 2

Criteria

Professional capacity, pedagogic specialization

6

Understanding about training programs of undergraduate and postgraduate

7

Qualification

8

Pedagogic specialization

9

Self-studying and creation

10

Foreign language capability and application of information technology

Standard 3

Criteria

Capacity of scientific research

11

Identifying and selecting research issues

12

Developing scientific research proposal

13

Research organization

14

Writing and research defence

15

Developing scientific research of department

Standard 4

Criteria

Capacity of department leadership

16

Analysis and forecasting

17

Visionary

18

Design and deployment orientation

19

Assertion and bravery in innovative

20

Developing a qualitative culture in the department

21

Planning activities

Standard 5

Criteria

Capacity of department management

22

Planning and plans of faculty development

23

Management of teaching activities

24

Management of scientific research activities of faculty

25

Assest management of department

26

Developing educational environment

27

Administration

28

Management of emulation and commendation

29

Building information systems

30

Management of educational assessment and accreditation

Standard 6

Criteria

Capacity of social activities, provision of educational, scientific, and technological service for community

31

Understanding social issues and coordination with community

32

Technology transfer cooperation, provision of scientific service and education for society and community.

33

Building and developing relationships and supporting social-community

Standards 7

Criteria

Capacity of international cooperation about higher education

34

Understanding of international cooperation in higher education

35

Thinking of global education

36

Constructing and developing of relationships of international cooperation in education, scientific research, lecturer retraining.


Standard 1: Political quality and professional ethics

1. Political quality

- To observe the policies of the Party and the State; Advocacy everyone abide by laws, guidelines and policies of the Party and the State;

- To participate in organizing social activities and movements of the school, branches and localities;

- Helping colleagues to implement the tasks of the lecturer.

2. Professional ethics

- To train and preserve the qualities, honor and prestige of teachers;

- Honest, forthright, passionate and responsible career in management disciplines;

- To prevent and resolutely combat negative manifestations; do not abuse their positions for personal purposes;

- To ensure democratic activities of the department.

3. Lifestyle

- Having a realistic, casual and healthy lifestyle before co-workers and students;

- Having a spirit of learning and helping colleagues and buiding a strong collective comprehensive department.

4. The working style

- Having a scientific, pedagogy, dynamic, flexible and innovative working style;

- Having a decisive, with the field of innovation.

5. Communication, behavior

- To treat with students equally without prejudice to the students;

- To guide students in learning and scientific research;

- Having a way to communicate, behave properly and effectively with colleagues and society

Standard 2: Professional capacity, pedagogic specialization

6. Understanding about training programs of undergraduate and postgraduate

- Understanding the true and complete objectives, requirements, contents and methods of education in the training programs of undergraduate and postgraduate, specialization which the department is charged;

- Mastering the subject that taught or is teaching, having an understanding of the relationship with the other subjects in the curriculum that the department is charged;

- Ability to compile lectures, training curricula; ability to compile and teach intensive/ advanced themes that belong to majors which are participating in the training;

- Understanding of the position, role and developing trend of higher education in the context of fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training;

- Understanding of construction methods and developing training programs to meet the needs of learners under regional and international standards.

7. Qualification

- To pass the standard qualifications of a lecturer following to current regulations;

- To have a solid understanding of the industry that has been specialized training; having a knowledge about the subject, and other specializations to meet requirements of the department management;

- To have knowledge of age psychology, able to learn to understand the students;

- To understand the theoretics and profession of human resources management and education management.

8. Pedagogic specialization

- Applying the coordination of methods, techniques, tips, new form of teaching organization in teaching, examination and assessment of student learning outcomes follow to reach capacity;

- Organizational skills, effective implementation of teaching methods towards promoting positive, initiative and creativity of the students, developing self-learning capabilities and thinking of students;

- Organizational skills of teaching techniques into the technological process; Promotion of teaching methods to improve the learning outcomes of students;

- To establish a positive, democracy, friendly,cooperative, collaborative learning environment to encourage the participation of all students;

- The ability to mount the teaching, scientific research and practice;

- Integrated skill of emotional educational content with attitude, responsibility, ideal and professional ethics for students through teaching coursework;

- Developing skills of training programs and guiding, training for teachers and students;

9. Self-studying and creation

- Skills in self-study planning, self-training about profession;

- To choose the content for self-learning, self-training (professional, business, foreign language, computer science and management);

- Skills to build a collective discipline into an innovative learning organization;

- The timing, method of self-learning and self-training.

10. Foreign language capability and application of information technology

- Using foreign languages to serve the teaching, scientific research and work;

- Using information technology, ICT in teaching, scientific research and work;

Standard 3: Capacity of scientific research

11. Identifying and selecting research issues

- Skills to detect, identify, select research problems;

- Skills to transfer the research problem to scientific studying subjects.

12. Develop scientific research proposal

- Understand the structure of a scientific research proposal;

- Skills to build scientific research proposals.

13. Research Organization

- Skills to layout, align resources, human resources, finance for research;

- Skills to use the scientific methods;

- Skills to exploit and use of facilities, equipment for scientific research and technological transfer effectively;

- Skills to synthesize, process and evaluate data and research information.

14. Writing and research defence

- Skills to write and defend research;

- Skills to transfer research results into scientific articles;

- Skills to apply scientific research achievements and transfer technology into practice.

15. Developing scientific research of department

- Ability to collaborate, helping colleagues, students to study and build scientific research teams;

- Skills to organize and evaluate of works, scientific and technological products of the department.

Standard 4: Capacity of department leadership

16. Analysis and forecasting

- Understanding the economic, political, social, higher education situation in the national, region and world;

- To seize the timely undertakings and policies of the Party, the State and the provisions of the education sector, school;

- Skills to analyze the situation and to forecast the developing trend of higher education of the country and the world; developing trends of the school;

17. Visionary

- Develop the vision, mission, values of the subject towards the comprehensive development of every student and improving the quality and effectiveness of training, scientific research of the school;

- Communicate and promote the value of the school, the discipline; publicize objectives, outcomes, curriculum, assessment results and quality of training qualification and school certificate system to create consensus and support for the development of the school;

- Identify priority objectives in the developing strategics of the discipline.

18. Design and deployment orientation

- To design and implement active programs to implement the strategic plan to develop department;

- Guide all activities of the department into improvement of training quality, scientific research, technology transfer, associated with the practice of socio-economic development of the country and local area.

19. Assertion and bravery in innovative

- Skills to inspire and nurture the motivation and skills to influence;

- Skills to lead changes;

- Skill to control and manage conflict to create partnerships and consensus to implement the innovation of higher education.

20. Developing a qualitative culture in the department

- Skill-oriented values, build a culture of quality in the discipline;

- Skill-oriented spirit and morality for the department, community.

21. Planning activities

- To organize and build planning activities of the department in line with the strategic plan and the action plan of the subject, of the school.

Standard 5: Capacity of department management

22. Planning and plans of faculty development

- Planning to develop faculty of quantity, structure and quality;

- Develop plans for training and retraining of teaching staff meet the requirements of fundamental innovation, comprehensive higher education;

- Fostering capacity for faculty teaching through analysis teaching hours, academic activities; Organize activities and academic exchanges, help young teachers learn from the experiences in teaching, scientific research;

- Fostering teachers about methods, techniques, teaching tips and assessment follow to the developing capacity of students;

- Fostering teachers about scientific research methods and technology transfer;

- To plan the scientific title of the discipline.

23. Management of teaching activities

- To organize teaching activities of faculty follow to request of renewal, democracy promotion, creative encouragement of each faculty;

- To assign expertise to ensure science, to meet the professional requirements and regulate labor;

- To organize activities fostering talented students;

- To organize the compilation and acceptance of exam and exam bank of modules;

- Directing the faculty evalute student comprehensiveness about knowledge, skills and implement capabilities and the quality of professional ethics;

- Organize teaching base on learning lessons;

- Implement comprehensive education, the potential maximum development of students, so that each student has the good quality of professional ethics and a good behavior to develop professional to meet social needs;

- Direct to select subjects for curriculum and compiled syllabus to ensure scientific and democratic; organizing suggestions, repair, finishing the syllabus, lecture methodically;

- Organize and participate in evaluation of teaching activities, professional development, profession of lecturers in the department.

24. Management of scientific research activities of faculty

- To develop action plan for scientific research and technology transfer of the department;

- To develop management rules of scientific research and technology transfer of the department;

- Planning of training, retraining and development staff of scientific research in the deparment;

- Organizing implementation of scientific tasks and technologies basically;

- To ensure the communication of scientific research and technology transfer in the department;

- To evaluate of acceptance, recognition, registration and notification of results of performing the tasks of scientific research and technology transfer;

- International cooperation on scientific research and technology transfer;

- To organize evaluation and classification of scientific research and technology transfer of teachers.

25. Assest management of department

- To advise the department to invest and buy teaching and research equipments to serve training, scientific research and technology transfer of the department;

- To manage and use assests and equipments of the department effectively.

26. Developing educational environment

- To develop and maintain a regular relationship with other disciplines, with faculties, departments in order to improve the quality of education, scientific research of the BM, the school;

- To develop cordial solidarity pedagogical environment; strengthening group cooperation; build team spirit; sympathize and share in the collective; uphold the spirit of learning, help each other in the work to fulfill the assigned tasks;

- Collaborating and sharing information on leadership experience, management with subjects in higher education establishments, individuals and other organizations to support and develop the discipline.

27. Administration

- To develop and improve operational procedures, administrative procedures for the discipline;

- Guiding to build and manage professional plans of each teacher; inspect and urge teachers implement plans outlined ;.

- To manage and check the type of professional profile, hours, teaching content, the use of teaching media and equipment, research by teachers in the discipline;

- To organize the movement of self-learning, self-training, scientific research of teachers and students.

28. Management of emulation and commendation

- To motivate, encourage, respect and appreciate the achievements of the faculty in the department;

- To encourage team of teachers promoting initiatives and suggestions to build a strong departments; democratic practices at the grassroots, build unity in the discipline; every teacher is a moral example, self-learning and innovation;

- To pay attention to the spiritual life, the material of the faculty.

29. Building information systems

- To organize construction of information systems to serve effectively the activities of teaching, scientific research and management;

- To apply the result of information technology, ICT for management, training and scientific research;

- To receive and process feedback to innovate and improve the quality of training of the department, the school.

30. Management of educational assessment and accreditation

- To organize objective scientific, fair evaluation of learning and training outcomes of students, results of the work and training of teachers;

- To perform department self-assessment, training curriculum follow to standards of qualitative management and approach regional and international criteria and;

- To organize inspection and surveillance of teaching activities of teachers and student’s learning;

- To direct the faculty to evaluate learners of knowledge, skills and implementation capabilities, the quality of professional ethics.

Standard 6: Capacity of social activities, provision of educational, scientific, and technological service for community

31. Understanding of social issues and coordination with community

- To develop a plan and implement thoroughly grasp and concretize the views, goals, tasks, basic innovative solutions, comprehensive education and training in the discipline, the school and society, create high consensus, and consider education and training as a top national policy; strengthening capacity, improve the quality and efficiency of scientific research, technology transfer from higher education establishments; closely link between training and research, between training establishments with production and business facilities;

- Skills to establish close ties, the consensus of the socio-political institutions, personal, and relevant stakeholders to support the development of industry, training specialization for the discipline, the school ;

- Actively participate in and encourage faculty in disciplines actively involved in the activities of socio-cultural-economic development in the locality.

32. Technology transfer cooperation, provision of scientific service and education for society and community.

- Advising the faculty, the school to held the type of international and regional personnel training services, and train human resource to attract foreign capital;

- To encourage and support the registration and exploitation of the invention, the invention of the faculty in the development;

- Negotiated and signed skills in cooperation with enterprises and localities about scientific research and technology transfer;

- Skills of sign and technical, technological and production model tranfer for community, society, and locality.

33. Building and developing relationships and supporting social-community

- To guide and direct the faculty building and developing relationships with the community and society, link, share responsibility for department, school, community development, and build a learning society;

- To advise the local government on guidelines and policies on educational, scientific and technological development.

Standard 7: Capacity of international cooperation about higher education

34. Understanding of international cooperation in higher education

- To understand developing trends of higher education in the world and the region;

- To understand the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State about the strategic building of international integration, improvement of cooperative capacity and competitiveness of higher education in Vietnam to implement the international agreements and commitments;

- To understand the opportunities and challenges of the department, the school in the process of international integration.

35. Thinking of global education

- To understand the international standards for teachers, training programs, diplomas and university ratings ...;

- To train for teachers and students about global education thinking;

- Skills of building a global educational thinking.

36. Constructing and developing of relationships of international cooperation in education, scientific research, lecturer retraining.

- To advise the faculty, the school building advanced training programs, training programs with high quality on the basis of selectively training program receipt in the world;

- To advise the faculty, the school held joint training, exchange of faculty with educational institutions in which have prestigious in advanced countries;

- To develop and implement plans to invite lecturers to Vietnam to participate in teaching, academic exchange with faculty in the department;

- Skills of negotiation and cooperation with the universities of the countries in the region and international to change experiences, academic, scientific research; retrain to improve the capacity for teaching staff; allow students to change academic experiences;

- To able to participate in bidding, signing the scientific research projects in the form of bilateral cooperation or the Protocol.

4. Conclusion

The Department is a specialized unit in training, science and technology of the university, which is responsible for the academic in training, scientific and technological activities. A head of department has a large role in the formulation and development of the department to meet the requirements of improvement on training and scientific research quality, development and training profession; to advise the faculty and university to implement the management of category, training specialization, faculty, and students. That requires us to quickly develop and promulgate standards of head of department in universities. On the basis of studies about theory and practice of the head of department staff today and requirements of higher education innovation, the author proposed standards of the head of department staff in universities include 7 standards with 36 criteria. Standards of the head of department are important bases for managers to implement evaluation, developing planning, training, and retraining well and use the head of department staff effectively, contribute to implement a successful higher education innovation. And, the standards of head of department are also an important base for the head of department who would like to trive and self-improve in order to meet the requirements and new missions of higher education in the renewal process and deep international integration.

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