Internationalisation of higher education curriculum : a case study in Vietnam

This thesis investigated how the process of internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) was perceived as taking place at a non-western university, namely Foreign Trade University (FTU) in Vietnam, through the development and offering of a number of jointly run programs, labelled Foreign Undergraduate Programs (FUPs). Two specific programs were examined, both of which were developed in partnership with two western universities – Colorado State University (FTU-CSU program) and London Metropolitan University (FTU-LMET program). These programs provide a range of opportunities for Vietnamese university students to experience an education that aims to reflect an international and therefore ‘broader’ context. The relationship between globalisation and internationalisation is explored and linked with the development of curriculum in higher education and internationalisation trends and strategies. Internationalisation of the curriculum, which is one of the internationalisation strategies employed by educational institutions, is investigated in terms of its interrelationship with student learning, the disciplines and academics. Engeström’s (2001) third generation Activity Theory was used as the theoretical lens for analysis of the data, which was collected via a mainly qualitative case study. Two cohorts of participants provided data through 24 interviews (seven including a joint one with program leaders/course coordinators, and 17 with academics) and 34 surveys completed by academics. The interviews/survey investigated participants’ perceptions about internationalisation and particularly IoC in relation to the two programs. Part of the significance of this study lies in the use of a number of conceptual and theoretical frameworks to extend the current body of literature beyond the main context of western higher education. An innovation in this study was the evaluation of the level of curriculum internationalisation at FTU, which was conducted using the model of curriculum internationalisation proposed by Huang (2017). Findings suggested that program managers and course coordinators worked collaboratively with their western partners to provide programs that they perceived as worthwhile in meeting the needs of the institution and the Vietnamese government agenda for internationalisation. However, academics were not generally well informed about the broader goals relating to IoC and found it challenging to accommodate the expectations with limited resources and lack of appropriate training.Doctor of Philosoph

New Material for Si-Based Light Source Application for CMOS Technology

In this chapter, an approach to enhance the radiative recombination of the Ge film grown on the Si substrate is presented. The Ge band gap structure could be modified by applying a tensile strain and high n-doping in the Ge epilayers. It thus becomes a direct band gap material with high photoluminescence efficiency which is compatible with mainstream silicon technology. The interdiffusion effect between Ge film and Si substrate is also mentioned in this section. We proposed a new method to suppress the Si/Ge interdiffusion to reduce the effect of Si atoms on the optical property of Ge film due to Si presence

Conceptualizing Quality Education from the Paradigm of Recognition

The paper contributes a conceptualization of quality education from the paradigm of recognition to existing approaches. Drawing principally on the two complementary perspectives of the politics of recognition, namely, the social justice and the self-realization, the paper develops a conceptual framework of quality education with an emphasis on securing equal social status and opportunity of self-realization for all learners in culturally diverse schools. This framework under the inputs-process-outcomes model gives an overarching understanding of how quality education is defined in a multicultural society. Keywords: quality education, paradigm of recognition, equal status, self-realization, culturally diverse schools

Dismantling the bacterial glycocalyx: Chemical tools to probe, perturb, and image bacterial glycans

The bacterial glycocalyx is a quintessential drug target comprised of structurally distinct glycans. Bacterial glycans bear unusual monosaccharide building blocks whose proper construction is critical for bacterial fitness, survival, and colonization in the human host. Despite their appeal as therapeutic targets, bacterial glycans are difficult to study due to the presence of rare bacterial monosaccharides that are linked and modified in atypical manners. Their structural complexity ultimately hampers their analytical characterization. This review highlights recent advances in bacterial chemical glycobiology and focuses on the development of chemical tools to probe, perturb, and image bacterial glycans and their biosynthesis. Current technologies have enabled the study of bacterial glycosylation machinery even in the absence of detailed structural information

Applying the Concepts of “Community” and “Social Interaction” from Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development in Math Teaching to Develop Learner’s Math Communication Competencies

As an integral skill in Math learning at high schools, Math communication competencies are formed and developed throughout the process of Math learning in the classroom environment through student-teacher, student-student as well as student-learning material and instrument interactions. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development acts as the foundation and guideline for the teaching and learning process at school, emphasizing the role of social interaction in cognitive development. The study presents the two concepts of ‘community’ and ‘social interactions’ from the theory by Vygotsky for application in Math teaching. The article starts with clarifying the two concepts above in the context of Math classrooms, then proposes several sample activities of teaching Algebra in high schools with the application of the two concepts to develop learners’ Math communication competence

M-LEARNING APPLICATION IN TEACHING BADMINTON FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN VIETNAM

The article evaluates the efficacy of M-learning in instructing the Badminton course for K14 university students at the University of Sports and Physical Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Utilizing an experimental design, it contrasts the outcomes of two groups: the K13 students who were taught through conventional face-to-face methods and the K14 students who engaged in blended learning. Both groups were exposed to identical content and assessment procedures. The findings indicate that students in the blended learning approach outperformed their peers in the traditional setting. The study also delves into resource utilization and collects feedback from learners, underscoring the advantages of M-learning in Badminton instruction.  Article visualizations

Minority status and schooling of the Hmong in Vietnam

This study examines the disproportionately poor academic performance of the Hmong among the minorities in Vietnam by using Ogbu’s cultural ecological theory (Ogbu, 2003). Societal and school factors have been assumed by many policy makers and scholars to affect minorities’ equally, but the paper argues that may not be the case when minority status is taken into account. “Community forces” are pointed to as the putative cause of the Hmong’s differential academic performance. “Community forces” of each ethnic group are related to their status as a minority group, which orients their interpretations and responses to schooling. In this paper, the minority status of the Hmong is explained through their group development history, settlement patterns, livelihoods and economic adaptive strategies and political participation through a review of the scholarly literature on the Hmong. Additionally, field research was conducted in Vietnam using a grounded theory approach to ethnography to understand how minority status influences community forces, and in turn, how these community forces affect the schooling of Hmong students