International consultant to develop the capacity of university personnel to complete the necessary self-assessments and procedures toward ASIIN accreditation

USAID Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER)

SCOPE OF WORK

International consultant to develop the capacity of
university personnel to complete the necessary
self-assessments and procedures toward
ASIIN accreditation

I. BACKGROUND

The Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER) is an initiative to help strengthen Vietnam's leading public universities. The project activities are funded by USAID to support targeted reforms to improve institutional leadership and administrative capacity, improve teaching practices to enhance student learning outcomes, elevate university research capacity to international standards, network Vietnamese researchers to maximize access to global knowledge, enable university graduates to better engage with the labor market, and help university faculty leverage their research for innovation.

To achieve these objectives, PHER activities focus on the following:           

Governance: This pillar supports the building and strengthening of institutional performance management systems based on agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) supported by a comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) that provides consistent, reliable data for decision making and for accreditation of institutions and programs. This includes the establishment of a robust internal quality assurance (IQA) system at each of the target universities. Improved governance will help the leadership of public universities in Vietnam make better informed decisions as they exercise greater autonomy and focus on academic quality. 

Teaching & Learning: This pillar supports the growth of faculty professional development opportunities through the establishment of formalized Centers for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) as well as the work of less formal, more specialized faculty-driven affinity groups through Faculty Academies on Excellence in Teaching (FACET). The goals are to support the expansion of faculty capacity to design state-of-the-art courses, digitize curricula, support the development of priority online courses and programs, improve student learning assessment techniques, and develop graduate students in the teaching profession. This pillar will also support technical assistance to help prepare faculty and administration for international accreditation reviews of academic programs and institutions. The objective is for improved teaching and learning at Vietnam’s public universities to increase learning outcomes, enhance recognition of high-quality academic programs, and improve the employability of graduates.

Research & Innovation: This pillar supports the enhancement of research capacity so that the scientific outputs of public universities in Vietnam meet international standards, increase knowledge sharing among specialists, grow the number of publications in recognized journals, and align research activities to the social and economic needs of the country.  This will take place through faculty exchanges, visiting scholar programs, research conferences, webinars, workshops, and short course training on research methodologies and academic specialties. The key vehicle for this pillar is the establishment of Vietnam International Academic Networks (VIAN) to help scientists across Vietnam connect more readily with fellow experts from around the world. The objective is for VIAN activity to lead to greater knowledge sharing, a broader promotion of research taking place in Vietnam, and enhanced opportunities for joint research and publications with partners abroad.

The PHER project also seeks deeper exploration of policy areas vital to the improvement of Vietnamese public higher education by supporting analytical work on the areas of technology and digitization, as well as gender equity. These cross-cutting policy areas are essential to success across the four pillars and to supporting the long-term sustainability of higher education reforms in Vietnam.  

PHER focuses on reforms at three major Vietnamese public universities, their member universities, and their respective institutes and academic programs:

• Vietnam National University-Hanoi (VNU),
• Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), and
• The University of Danang (UD).          

II. OBJECTIVES OF ASSIGNMENTS

Within the framework of Teaching & Learning, PHER aims to focus on improving the quality of flagship degree programs toward accreditation standards in higher education. Decree 38/2013/TT-BGD?T, issued by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in 2013, regulates the process for accrediting university academic programs. Accreditation provides opportunities to develop a culture of quality and institutional growth through program self-study, external evaluation, and self-regulation.

ASIIN is the Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences, and Mathematics (ASIIN e.V.). It is a nonprofit association in Germany providing expert support to German and foreign universities in the implementation of accreditation procedures on the program and institutional level. It is a leader nationally and internationally in the accreditation of programs in engineering, the natural sciences, mathematics, computer sciences as well as in medicine and economics.

PHER seeks an international consultant to support three (03) public universities in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City in developing the capacity of their personnel in engineering, informatics, natural sciences, and/or mathematics to complete the necessary self-assessments and procedures to apply for ASIIN accreditation. The consultant should provide additional support for ensuring the long-term capacity to address quality factors that will impact future accreditation procedures. 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• Raise awareness of ASIIN standards at the 03 universities;
• Provide professional development of university personnel to help them complete the required internal assessments and prepare self-study reports in accordance with the ASIIN standards and procedures;
• Support the universities to improve their capacity to draft self-assessment reports;
• Support university personnel in conducting gap analysis on the status of university programs and ASIIN standards;
• Provide guidance to universities to improve the relevant academic programs to ensure they can meet ASIIN standards in the future.

All work for this assignment should be conducted in English language and all reporting must also be in English. PHER will provide translation / interpretation support as needed. All activities should take place without regard to gender, disability, or ethnic background.

III. TIME AND LOCATION

The work is expected to commence in March 2024 with activities completed by August 2024. 

IV. TASKS, DELIVERABLES, TIMELINE AND LEVEL OF EFFORT

Notes:

The final report should include all background materials, agendas, and trip report, along with analysis of objectives, lessons learned, and recommendations - in addition to a copy of all deliverables.

V. BUDGET

The USAID PHER grant will allocate a budget agreed with the expert to support the implementation of the activities and deliverables per the SOW above.

VI. SUPERVISION AND REPORTING

The consultant(s) will work under the direction of the PHER team

VII. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Essential:

• holds a minimum qualification of a master’s degree in the relevant field
• has a prior experience in leading ASIIN program accreditation
• must be available for travel to Vietnam to conduct in-person training and coaching (2 weeks total)

Preferred:

• holds PhD in the relevant field
• has ASIIN approval as a peer reviewer / visiting team chair / ASIIN expert
• has knowledge of the higher education system in Vietnam

VIII. APPLICATION

The application documents include

• A letter of motivation
• CV with three references
• A technical proposal responding to the objectives and deliverables of this assignment
• Financial proposal, indicating the expected daily rate or expert fees.

Application documents should be sent to [email protected] [1] titled “Consultant for ASIIN Standards” by February 29, 2024. All applications will be carefully considered, but only short-listed applicants will be contacted.