By modernizing technology and engineering higher education in Vietnamese universities, the BUILD-IT Alliance is helping Vietnamese model universities produce graduates with the skills that Vietnam’s increasingly sophisticated economy demands. BUILD-IT leverages diverse government, industry, and academic partners to directly link higher education to the needs of the private sector. The Alliance builds strategic leadership skills to help the university’s own leaders advance university autonomy, improve program and instructional quality, and form lasting partnerships with the private sector. BUILD-IT prioritizes technology and engineering education for women through leadership forums, academic initiatives and scholarships, and strengthens the universities’ capacity for building technical English skills.

LEADERSHIP  AND  STRATEGY  TOWARDS  UNIVERSITY  AUTONOMY

BUILD-IT provides executive leadership development for university leaders and policymakers to help them achieve university autonomy. The BUILD-IT Alliance also coaches executives on leading the accreditation process, with an emphasis on institutional and operational reform.

ACADEMIC  PROGRAM  QUALITY  THROUGH  INTERNATIONAL  ACCREDITATION

BUILD-IT implements robust systems in partner universities to help them attain international accreditation recognition. BUILD-IT’s Certified Facilitator program leverages in-country trainers and distance technologies to create sustainable long-term faculty development and wide-scale implementation of innovation and modern methodologies. BUILD-IT helps its partners develop clear strategies for digital education and instructional design.

APPLIED  PROJECT-BASED  CURRICULUM  IMPLEMENTATION

Vietnamese universities historically graduate students steeped in technology and engineering theory, but with few real-world skills. BUILD-IT partner universities are implementing a project-based curriculum which focuses on team-based problem solving and exploration of technologies. BUILD-IT develops curricular partnerships, mentorships, and industry-sponsored practical opportunities to build students’ professional and technical competencies in preparation for technology and engineering careers.

RESULTS

Sixty-one partner STEM programs and three partner universities have already achieved international accreditation through BUILD-IT. By 2021, the BUILD-IT Alliance expects to lead all six partner universities through the institutional accreditation process and an additional 25 technology and engineering programs through the program accreditation process. The reforms and investments that the accreditation process brings will positively impact 6,000 faculty and staff with improved qualifications and over 20,000 technology and engineering students through project-based learning.