2 March 2023

13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting: The Developed Data Strategies by Viet Nam National University, Hanoi through the Implementation of a Quality Assurance Portal

By
AUN Writer Team

By Chanya Chinsukserm, AUN Programme Officer

The third agenda item, “Data Strategies and the Achievements of High-Impact University Missions,” of the 13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting continued on with the presentation of Dr. Nghiem Xuan Huy, Director of the Institute for Education Quality Assurance (INFEQA) of Viet Nam National University, Hanoi (VNU Hanoi. He introduced the well developed Quality Assurance (QA) Portal that is used in the operation of QA data, QA standardisation, and university rankings processes at VNU Hanoi and at VNU member universities.

INFEQA, a QA unit at VNU Hanoi, is tasked with conducting strategic and policy research, delivering postgraduate programmes and training workshops in related professional areas, and providing services in QA, university governance, education development, quality assessment, and accreditation. The main goals of the quality culture at VNU Hanoi are to develop regulations on QA, build and improve Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) system. Its focuses are on education quality improvement, strengthening the organizational structure for QA, and developing QA manuals and tools. 

As a result of the exponential growth in the magnitude of data and such heavy demand, INFEQA developed and ran the VNU Quality Assurance Portal to operate QA data and standardize QA and university rankings processes for VNU and at member university levels. Dr. Nghiem Xuan Huy presented this data strategy to utilize data to its maximum extent and boost its ability to complete high-impact missions.

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VNU Quality Assurance Portal

The objectives of the Portal are to synchronously and consistently manage and operate data, business processes in QA, as well as university ranking at VNU Hanoi. Not only does it improve the efficiency of QA activities, but it also strengthens the cohesion and cooperation among stakeholders in the QA system. Moreover, it supports decision-making processes for university leaders on the basis of digital data and implements the policy of digital transformation. The Portal is being used as a supporting tool for quality accreditation as well.

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Dashboard in VNU Quality Assurance Portal

The key features of VNU Quality Assurance Portal:

  • Dashboard: QA data are displayed in the form of infographics with tables and charts for visual look.
  • Web-based: No complicated device is required. The Portal can be easily accessed via any personal computer or smart device with internet connection.
  • Synchronization and unification: All data are connected and integrated with other MIS (Management Information Systems) via VNU data integration hub, which ensures the synchronization and unification of the data.
  • Hierarchy management: System administration at VNU and VNU member in both corporate and institutional level is organised with corresponding access authorization.
  • Flexibility: There is no limit in defining QA frameworks or tools for managing QA activities. The availability of quality accreditation is ready in efficient forms and templates.

The structure of VNU Quality Assurance Portal:

  • Quality Assurance section includes the essential features to manage quality accreditations at programme and institutional levels, supervise QA plans as well as to build self-assessment reports for all quality accreditation activities.

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Quality Assurance section in VNU Quality Assurance Portal

  • University ranking section manages ranking data, ranking results, and tools for quality benchmarking. The data are imported and updated for participation in university rankings from different systems, such as human resources, teaching and learning, research management, facilities, etc. It also constantly monitors ranking results (THE, QS, Webmometrics).
  • Quality survey and evaluation section manages survey data from stakeholders and assessing VNU’s member universities based on criteria for innovation-oriented research university.
  • Evidence management section manages QA data and evidence for quality accreditation.
  • QA databases that each institution has their own database is securely synchronized with VNU Data Hub. It manages institutional data on human resources, students, research, facilities and labs, list of stakeholders, as well as manage QA data of programmes.
  • Access Authorization is strictly at
    • VNU level (by INFEQA)
    • VNU members level
    • Programme level (by Faculty)
    • Personal level (QA staff and support)

Dr. Nghiem Xuan Huy mentioned his experience in operating the Portal. Staff are appointed to be in charge of deploying and operating the Portal. They prepare resources for data updates and system operation, as well as assign roles and responsibilities to stakeholders in the Portal's operation. The Portal is planned for regular data updates and evidence for quality accreditation. Lastly, it is ensured that reports produced by the Portal are used in the quality development and decision-making processes.

The VNU Quality Assurance Portal proves to be a success at both VNU and institutional levels. More significantly, there are plenty of collaborative possibilities with the ASEAN University Network community to exchange experiences in digital transformation for quality assurance and accreditation. The network is capable of transferring the QA Portal with the desired customizations. Training and consulting can also be conducted in order to build a better online information system for quality assurance in the ASEAN region.

The next article will conclude our long-standing series on the 13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting, so stay tuned!