Appendix 9. Interview Protocol for University Site Visits 1.1 2007/05/21 00:01:42.825 GMT-5 2007/05/21 00:09:10.898 GMT-5 Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong hungtrv@yahoo.com Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong hungtrv@yahoo.com The following outline was used as a guideline for the visiting expert teams to use during on-site interviews 1.Introduction a.Self (name, title, institution, area of expertise). b.Purpose of the VEF Undergraduate Education Project and visits: “The purpose of the VEF Undergraduate Education Project and visits is to assess the current conditions of teaching and learning of CS, EE, and Physics at 4 select Vietnamese universities; to make recommendations; to assist in implementing changes for improvement; and overall to produce models for the improvement of higher education in Vietnam that can be adopted across academic fields and institutions.” c.Purpose of the interview i.to become acquainted with you (interviewee); ii.to learn about current conditions and opportunities for enhancing teaching and learning; and iii. to identify what is required to take advantage of those opportunities. d.Relationship between previous interview by Dr. Phuong and present interview/discussion: “The U.S. teams had many questions about higher education and the specific fields of study in Vietnam. Thus, we asked Dr. Phuong to gather some initial information and summarize it to the team. So, we have a basic idea of how teaching and learning occur. But now, we would like to hear from you more specifically.” e. “The interview will be confidential and anonymous with regard to any individual’s name, position, and institution. The information that you provide in the interview may be used in summaries, but no individual’s name, position or institution will be associated directly with the information. Therefore, we hope that you will feel comfortable being completely honest and open in your remarks.” f.The results will be summarized in a report that will suggest a plan for pilot program improvement projects involving faculty members in the cooperating departments with input from U.S. scientists and assessment experts. The report will be distributed widely to co-sponsors and participants, including MOET, SEAMEO RETRAC, IER, USSH (VNU HCM), the university and department administrators and faculty (teachers) that participated in the Undergraduate Education Project. 2.Who are you? a.Your name? b.What is your current position and responsibilities? c.What is your background and experience? 3.Descriptions of current conditions and opportunities for improving teaching and learning How do they differ by level-undergraduate/graduate, department, and institution? a.How is teaching provided (examples)? Probes for faculty: How are courses taught? Is homework assigned (give an example of a question)? What text is used and, if no text, what material was covered? What is an example of the content of a specific lecture? What is the current quality/level of learning (documentation)? How is learning monitored? What are the problems that you see? What are your concerns? Are you satisfied with your situation? What is working well? Where are the needs? What opportunities are there for enhancing teaching and learning that you see? What are your desires? What is your vision? What is the competition? 4.What is needed to take advantage of opportunities for enhancing teaching and learning? a.How would you describe the ideal future of teaching and learning in Vietnam? b.Who should be involved in enhancing teaching and learning? c.What knowledge and skills do administrators and/or faculty members need to enhance teaching and learning? d.What resources are required (e.g., time, money, personnel, materials, travel, facilities, training, and education) to enhance teaching and learning? e.What rewards and incentives are needed for a commitment to enhance teaching and learning? f.Where should the leadership come from to enhance teaching and learning? 5.Is there anything else that you would like to tell me? 6.Thank you very much for talking with me!