Higher education students and ICT Le Dong Phuong Vietnam Institute of Education Sciences

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT ICT in the Vietnamese society Later arrival than most of ASEAN countries Affordability of ICT hinders the initial infusion of ICT into social life Vietnam has a quick pace of ICT application Government policies encourage integration of ICT in various aspects of social life Education sector poises to be leader in the ICT revolution in Vietnam

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT ICT and higher education Much has been talked about making Vietnam an ICT-strong nation Knowledge economies instead traditional industries pushes for higher demands on HE and advanced skills ICT as cost-effective means for expanding higher education ICT helps with students’ mobility across borders

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT ICT education for students in Vietnam Starting from lower secondary school, repeated/expanded at higher levels Basic understanding + often used application + ‘computer’ reasoning (programming, coding) Much ‘chalk and talk’ style rather than hand- on practice Required by the curriculum, not really demanded by students

Do we know how students are using ICT? ???

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT How much understanding about students’ ICT usage? Agreement on the importance of ICT in the modern times Little researched Mostly confined to computer skills as part of learning outcomes

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Easy access to ICT Libraries Internet cafes Home computers, private laptops Smart phones, tablet PCs, media players… Affordable ICT (wide range of ICT equipment at different price range)

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Students’ ICT skills Lack of clear identified ICT skills for students Learning of ICT skills mostly by students themselves, not much formal guidance from HEIs  Poor understanding of ICT  Skewed ICT skills by students (chatting, games, social networks vs. information discovery, self-study, data mining)

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Project Pathways to HE in 5 universities Support disadvantaged students accessing ICT: Privileged computer access Extra computer training Subsidized use of resource center/libraries Outcomes Low usage Little impact Causes: poor ICT skills and poor English!!!!!! ???????

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Internet to students of Binh Duong University Importance Information Documents Needs for internet Learning Entertainment Jobs Frequency More than 50% daily More at the later years of study Purposes Study Information searching Communication with lecturers, fellow studnets Entertainment Music > Chat > Blogging > Games Female students focused more on study Lack of guidance on internet usage

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Out-of-class time in HEIs in Hanoi Much time for internet (~12 hours per week), more at the end of semester Internet access mostly from home/dorm (67%) > library (40%) > internet café > smart phones Not much for study, news and entertainment mostly

What to do?

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Development of appropriate ICT skills by students Understanding the ICT skills, knowledge and attitudes possessed by new and existing students Knowing where, when and how do students acquire these ICT skills Understanding of HE outputs in the context of industrialization and modernization Awareness of graduates’ skills and how these match up to employers' needs now and in the future Aligning institutional objectives and initiatives regarding student ICT skills

Le Dong PhuongHigher education students and ICT Development of appropriate ICT skills by students Development of ICT skills shall be closely linked to education processes in the HEIs Teaching staff must be example for students also in terms of ICT application Provision of formal and informal ICT guidance for students (teaching and learning centers) Infusion of e-learning elements into current HE curriculum Teaching ICT related English