January 2018

HIGHER ENGINEERING EDUCATION ALLIANCE PROGRAM Quarterly Newsletter | January 2018 what’s inside? 2 ASU sets stage to expand productive collaborations with Vietnam’s higher education leaders 3 BUILD-IT Alliance launches second Maker Innovation Space in Vietnam 5 The final HEEAP Vocational Cohort reflects on their time at ASU 6 Vietnamese scholars study at ASU to advance Ho Chi Minh City’s Smart City efforts 7 More than 550 participants attend series of BUILD-IT workshops on accreditation and evaluation 9 ASU launches Workforce Development Council in HCMC 9 Lac Hong University wins Robocon 2017 10 Educational technology and English woven creatively in classrooms at HCMUTE 11 Policy and Leadership Seminar III in HCMC tackles challenges in higher education policy realization 12 Maker Innovation Spaces in action 12 Arizona State University supports Vietnamese student entrepreneurship competition HEEAP Quarterly Newsletter | January 2018 ASU sets stage to expand productive collaborations with Vietnam’s higher education leaders By Joe Kullman Professor Huynh Thanh Dat (foreground, left), President of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and Arizona State University President Michael Crow (right) sign a memorandum of understanding on December 18 on an agreement for the universities to pursue a range of joint academic, research and global education leadership ventures. Photographer: Jessica Hochreiter/ASU. rizona State University and Viet The VNUHCM agreement also provides institutional quality assurance assessment Nam National University Ho Chi a general framework for exchange to aid Vietnamese universities in attaining A Minh City are forging a long- activities that will include visits by faculty higher-level educational credentials and term agreement to pursue an array of and students, year-long study-abroad accreditations. collaborative ventures aimed at mutual opportunities and faculty sabbaticals, Major objectives set forth in the goals in academics, research, global as well as joint seminars, courses and VNUHCM agreement include creating educational leadership and economic workshops, and sharing of technical a “toolkit” for that university’s post- development. support and services. secondary education quality assessment On December 18, ASU President The new alliance builds on other and building an education data center to Michael Crow and VNUHCM President ongoing related endeavors between ASU, support assessment projects. Huynh Thanh Dat signed a Memorandum VNUHCM and several other Vietnamese Aiding Vietnam’s efforts to upgrade its of Understanding that paves a path universities over the past several years. university education system so that it can toward establishing joint research Those multifaceted efforts focus on supply a better-trained workforce and projects, undergraduate and graduate elevating higher education in Vietnam, boost the country’s economic outlook studies programs, and faculty, student particularly in engineering, science and helps to strengthen key U.S. governmental and academic support staff exchanges technology. Projects involve developing and marketplace relationships in between the universities. advanced curriculum and improving Southeast Asia, says ASU President 2 Visit our website at heeap.org HEEAP Quarterly Newsletter | January 2018 Michael Crow. to succeed in an international market American higher education system so “ASU’s goals in the collaboration economy. that we can adapt it to our university and agreement with VNUHCM align with VNUHCM President Dat views the to the Vietnamese system. “We are trying the international investment interests of collaboration with ASU as particularly to do everything we can” to achieve that U.S. industries,” Crow says, “and just as pivotal in Vietnam fulfilling the quest to transformation as completely as possible, importantly with our goals in preparing modernize its higher education system. Dat says. ASU students to thrive in a global Dat and a contingent of Vietnamese He emphasized that the joint ventures marketplace.” education officials have been on an with ASU will help Vietnam education The first major undertaking will be extensive trip across the United States, leaders institute a more advanced planning and development of a National visiting San Francisco, the Boston area university governing system, including Assessment Project to evaluate the quality — including Harvard University and the improvements in administrative practices, of higher education in Vietnam. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — and financial management and fund- Inspired by ASU’s New American Washington, D.C., before coming to ASU. raising strategies, as well as cultivating University strategy, the Vietnam National “We came here to learn about the entrepreneurship and the generation Assembly Chairman for Education of business startup ideas from within asked ASU leaders to support Vietnam research and academic programs. in its efforts to improve access to its The memorandum signing ceremony universities in addition to ramping up was hosted by the office of Global educational quality. Outreach and Extended Education The outcome of the assessment, ASU’s goals in the in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of along with specific recommendations for collaboration agreement Engineering, which has been at the initiating improvements, will be presented forefront of ASU’s collaborations with at a national conference in October. with VNUHCM align with Vietnamese universities in partnership The delegation of 10 Vietnamese the international investment with the U.S. Agency for International education leaders that attended the interests of U.S. industries, Development and major industry partners. memorandum signing at ASU included a USAID also sponsors the BUILD-IT member of Vietnam’s National Assembly and just as importantly with Alliance at ASU, which is leveraging Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, our goals in preparing ASU government, industry and academic Adolescents and Children. The committee partners to match science, technology, students to thrive in a global is responsible for the monitoring and engineering and math instruction at evaluation of Vietnam’s education system. marketplace. Vietnam’s higher education institutions to Vietnam’s government wants to the needs and capabilities of the country’s see its education system advance to Michael Crow key industries. a level where it can help to meet the Arizona State University President SOURCE: fullcircle.asu.edu/fulton-schools/asu- requirements for the industrialization and sets-stage-expand-productive-collaborations- modernization necessary for the country with-vietnam-higher-education-leaders BUILD-IT Alliance launches second Maker Innovation Space in Vietnam By Erik Wirtanen uilding off the success of its August 11 and will help students gain first Maker Innovation Space in skills to launch and test new technologies B Ho Chi Minh City, the USAID and innovative solutions to community Building University-Industry Learning and development challenges. These spaces Development through Innovation and enable students to design, prototype and Technology Alliance, better known as the create manufactured projects. BUILD-IT Alliance, has launched a second Students will be able to translate the Students showing Craig Hart (in gray suit) some makerspace in Danang, Vietnam. theory they learn in the classroom into of the capabilities of the new Maker Innovation The new Maker Innovation Space at prototypes for technological solutions Space in Danang. Photo courtesy of Hoang Tang the University of Danang opened on for real-world problems. It is not only an Kim Nam Phuong. Follow Us on Social Media /heeap /weareheeap /photos/heeap 3 HEEAP Quarterly Newsletter | January 2018 From left: Samuel Harris, Education Program manager, Amazon AWS; Thai Ba Canh, director, Danang City Department of Science and Technology; Jeffrey Goss, associate vice provost for Southeast Asia Programs at ASU and executive director of Global Outreach and Extended Education; Bruce Newton, vice president of Worldwide Human Resources, eSilicon; Guyen Thi Thanh Thanh, event interpreter and lecturer of English at University of Danang; Le Thi Uyen, event emcee and Danang University of Education student, Associate Professor Doan Quang Vinh, vice president, University of Danang at the opening of the Maker Innovation Space in Danang. Photo courtesy of Hoang Tang Kim Nam Phuong. educational facility, but also a solutions its second facility based on the city’s I also expect, though, is that Vietnam’s and inventions laboratory. reputation for innovation and the strength inventors and technology leaders of “Technology is changing everything of its partners there. Both the University of the future will come out of the Maker we know…countries and people that Danang and Danang University of Science Movement.” embrace innovation are in the driver’s and Technology invested considerable ASU has been an active part of recent seat. Innovators get to shape these effort, expertise and resources in the new STEM innovation initiatives in Vietnam, changes,” said USAID Vietnam’s Deputy Maker Innovation Space. including the 2017 STEM Conference Mission Director Craig Hart at the With the introduction of Maker Spaces hosted by Arizona State University’s launch event. around the country, USAID aims to Higher Engineering Education Alliance The BUILD-IT Alliance is a five- help coming generations of university Program and BUILD-IT, the Women in year project funded by USAID and graduates lead inclusive,

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