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Vietnam has received worldwide esteem lately due to their pro-active and enthusiastic response to the SARS-COV-2 virus strain which appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. By January, there was increasing local and global concern that this virus could and would spread during Tet Holiday. Although Wuhan began to lock down on January 23rd, other areas of China were beginning to see spread of the virus.
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Students and teachers in Vietnam rested from work starting on January 21st in preparation for Tet Holiday on the 25th. Normally this break would last from the 21st until the 31st, but with concerns from the coronavirus, schools across Vietnam began to post-pone their start date. On February 10th, teachers in the Faculty of Biology at Hanoi National University of Education received notice from Faculty Dean, Nguyen Lan Hung Son, that all classes would transition to online for the foreseeable future. In a great effort of collaboration and teamwork, all teachers made adjustments to their curriculum to ensure the safety of their students and colleagues. This fast-acting response, and flexibility of the students and teachers is just one aspect contributing to the low case numbers in Vietnam (only 257 as of April 15th). Many teachers had as little as 10 days to learn a new internet platform, transfer their entire curriculum online, and begin teaching their advanced level courses. By February 17th, teachers and students were starting to teach entirely online. In contrast, American and European universities began the transition to online only around mid-March.
Teachers worked together to support each other by creating tutorials and instructions for those teachers who had a difficult time with understanding the new technology. Several tele-conference options were created as a back-up to ensure success for the entire semester, but one of the most amazing feats was the creation of an entirely new online platform created by HNUE (http://fitel.hnue.edu.vn/login/index.php). This platform allows teachers to share PowerPoint lectures, assignments, videos, and quizzes with students which ensures that they are staying active in learning in the comfort and safety of their home.
With these tools at their disposal, the Faculty of Biology did their best to prepare for every scenario and remain optimistic in this challenging time. Dr. Le Ngoc Hoan said, “At the beginning, this transition was a little difficult, but now I have been confident with this and feel as comfortable as the traditional teaching method.” However, Dr. Trieu Anh Trung was enthusiastic to be challenged in this way from the beginning. He felt it was a good experience for both teachers and students and was one of the teachers to assist in the technology instructions. We thank him for his contributions! His best advice for teachers and students is to be prepared. Students should do all their work before class, so they can understand everything, and teachers should be prepared for technology problems as they are a common occurrence for everyone.
Dr. Tranh Khanh Van acknowledged that the change was time consuming at first, especially because she had to record videos of laboratories instead of the traditional hands-on approaches. However, the most difficult part was not being able to see the students: “Most students have to turn their webcam off during learning time so the teacher cannot see the interactions and feelings of the students; whether they are engaging with the material, feeling bored, etc”. Later, she acknowledged gratefully that so far the students in her classes have done a great job of remaining engaged and responding promptly when asked a question. Additionally, Assoc. Prof. Mai Sy Tuan contributed this important insight: “Online learning is becoming a popular trend, especially in developing life-long learners, so everyone must adapt”.
Although most teachers and students knew this would be challenging, all teachers agreed that this was the best course of action to take during this time, and happily did their part to support the battle against COVID-19. Many were quick to point out that there are several positive aspects such as saving time on travel, trying a new skill in technology, and learning new ways to keep their students motivated. We thank all of the students and teachers for their flexibility and enthusiasm during this difficult time.
Finally we thank the faculty, university, and government leadership for taking wise and swift action. Although online learning is not an ideal situation, everyone has done a great job to ensure that learning continues, and all students and faculty remain safe and healthy!
Image 1, 2: Training for all Faculty’s lecturers on online teaching techniques
Image 3: Online classroom using Zoom’s software
Image 4: Filming tutorial theory practice section
Image 5: Using filming software to practical guidance
Image 6, 7, 8: Assistance lecturers complete practice videos and upload them to the online teaching platform of the HNUE.
Alyssa Meyer