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Organizing Experiential Learning Activities for Development of Core Competences of Technical Students in Vietnam

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Organizing Experiential Learning Activities for Development of Core Competences of Technical Students in Vietnam Universal Journal of Educational Research 7(1): 230-238, 2019 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2019.070129 Organizing Experiential Learning Activities for Development of Core Competences of Technical Students in Vietnam Oanh Duong Thi Kim Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Vietnam Copyright©2019 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract The transition towards a sustainable 1. Introduction economy has given a new term “green competences”. Green competences build upon the foundation of core Experiential learning and the value of experiential competences including literacy, numeracy, communication, learning have been proved by philosophers and scientist teamwork and problem-solving - which along with such as Confucius, Aristotle, Comenius, Rousseau, Locke, awareness of environmental issues and entrepreneurship, Hahn, Dewey, Kolb and so on. Beard & Wilson (2006) [2] facilitate lifelong learning and adaptability to stated that learning from experience is one of the most environmental change (Marsden, Medhurst & Irving, 2014) fundamental and natural means of learning available to [1]. Organizing experiential learning activities is not new everyone. Students are more active and motivated in to the learning environment in higher education institutions experiential learning. They engage closely together to deal in the world. However, it would be a new approach to some with learning tasks associated with practical contexts. cultures like Vietnam， where most of students are not Their academic/professional and core competences are familiar with studying in proactive and experiential ways. developed by learning from experience. Experiential learning activities provide students with We are living in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 with the opportunities to self - construct their competences from requirement of a massive transformation in employee experience. This article describes a brief theoretical competences and training. Employers are not just looking approach to core competence and experiential learning for technical competences to do the job but also equally activities (Project-Based Learning, Learning Games) for looking for what experts call cognitive competences, social developing core competencies (problem-solving, and behavioral competences such as teamwork, teamwork) of technical students at Ho Chi Minh City problem-solving, critical thinking, creative thinking and so University of Technology and Education (HCMUTE) in on (Christian & Magnusson, 2013) [3]. Core competences Vietnam. In addition, qualitative (observation and will be combined with technical or professional interview) and quantitative methods were used to describe competences, enable an individual to fulfill a job (OECD) a progression of improving core competences of technical [4]. students. Finally, minor suggestions for lecturers to To meet the demand of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, develop core competences of technical students through higher education institutions must shift from the organizing experiential learning activities by carefully Teacher-Centered Teaching to Student-Centered Teaching. considering a consistency of learning outcomes, This transformation concentrates mainly on the learner, the teaching-learning activities and assessment according to learning process and organizing experiential learning the “Conceive Design Implement Operation” (CDIO) activities related to dealing with real-world learning tasks approach to engineering education at HCMUTE were to develop holistic competences of learners. given. Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education (HCMUTE) are the leading university in Keywords Core Competence, Experiential Teaching, educating and training, engineers as well as technical and Project Based Learning, Learning Games vocational teachers in Vietnam. Be deep awareness of the value of core competences of the engineer at the workplace in the near future and the shift toward the Student-Centered Approach in training, HCMUTE is coping with a big Universal Journal of Educational Research 7(1): 230-238, 2019 231 question: How to develop core competences of technical distinguished core competences according to the KSAVE students through organizing experiential learning activities (Knowledge Skills Attitudes Values Ethics) framework efficiently? This paper offers a selected review of listed below: literature on core competence and experiential learning • Ways of thinking: Creativity and innovation; Critical before describing sample experiential learning activities thinking, Problem-solving; Learning to learn and designed to develop core competences of technical meta cognition. students at HCMUTE. • Ways of working: Communication; Collaboration and Teamwork. • Tools for working: Information literacy, Information, 2. A brief Literature Review of Core Communications and Technology (ICT) literacy. Competence and Experiential • Living in the real world: Citizenship, local and global; Life and career; Personal and social Learning responsibility. st 2.1. Competence and Core Competence The Partnership for 21 Century Learning (P21) (2015) [9] developed the Framework for 21st Century Learning The term “competence” is a very popular concept to with knowledge, skills and expertise students must master express an ability to do something successfully or to succeed in work and life. The framework comprises of efficiently. Deißinger & Hellwig (2011) [5] stated that 4 categories: Competence (in the British context) or competency (in the • Learning and Innovation skills: Creativity and Australian context) is derived from Latin - Competentia Innovation; Critical thinking and Problem solving; meaning agreement or conjunction. Competence is not Communication and Collaboration. just knowledge and skills but an ability to meet complex • Information, Media and Technology skills: demands by drawing on and mobilizing psychosocial Information literacy; Media literacy; ICT literacy. resources (including skills and attitudes) in a particular. • Life and Career skills: Flexibility and Adaptability; According to Hoskins & Crick (2008) [6], a competence is Initiative and Self-direction; Social and best described as a complex combination of knowledge, Cross-Cultural skills; Productivity and skills, understanding, values, attitudes and desire which Accountability; Leadership and Responsibility. lead to effective, embodied human action in the world, in HCMUTE has implemented the engineering training a particular domain. programmes developed according to the CDIO approach “Core competence” is built up based on distinguishing since the school year 2012-2013. HCMUTE’s training the term “competence” in two groups: core competence programmes provide students with a comprehensive set of and technical competence (OECD, 2014) [4]. Core technical and core competences by engineering practice competence can be defined as personal attributes or through the entire lifecycle of engineering processes, underlining characteristics, which combined with products, and processes. Students develop core technical or professional skills, enable the delivery of a competences such as problem-solving, creativity, role/job. Core competences do not define individuals’ collaboration and teamwork during the engineering technical roles and accountabilities, nor do they include practice through experiencing, learning by doing or the technical skills necessary to do the jobs. On the hands-on. contrary, technical competences cover the various fields To sum up, core competences have been drawn of expertise relevant to the specific work (OECD, 2014) attention by scholars and organizations. The international [4]. Core competences are closely related to technical discussion on core competences stated that mastering core competences. The development of core competences has competences help students be successful in work and life. an effect on technical competences and vice versa (Ry & Respecting the international discussion on core Que, 2015). competences and based on requirements of HCMUTE’s Ry and Que (2015) [7] classified core competences in 3 engineering training programmes, this article focuses on groups: developing teamwork and problem-solving of technical • Autonomous activity and personal development students at HCMUTE. competences comprise of self-study, Problem-solving, Creative thinking and so on. • Social competences contain Communication, 2.2. Experiential Learning Teamwork and so on. “Experience” is a familiar word to know things around • Tool competences consist of language, computer, through doing or practicing. In Oxford Learner’s calculate and so on. Dictionaries, “experience” means the knowledge and skill Study on Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century that people have gained through doing something for a Skills (ATC21S), Griffin, McGaw and Care (2012) [8] period of time; the process of gaining this; the things that 232 Organizing Experiential Learning Activities for Development of Core Competences of Technical Students in Vietnam have happened to you that influence on the way you think Silberman, 2006) [16, 17], learning games (Silberman, and behave. In the philosophy, it means an internal action 2006 & Ukens, 2007) [17, 18], field trip (Lei Li, Fan from heart connected with life and existence (Dongmei Cheung, Ning Wang, Lixing Lao, Yibin Feng, 2016) [19], Sheng, 2016) [10]. Project-Based Learning (PBL) (Lee
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