FAIE’ Major-Based Club Model Wins First Prize in the 2022–2023 Innovation Initiative Award.

The rate of course failure and student dropout has always been a matter of special concern to the Board of Rectors and Faculty leadership. In particular, during Semester 1 of the 2020–2021 academic year, the entire country in general and Lac Hong University in particular were significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. All teaching and research activities encountered difficulties and had to shift from in-person to online formats. Teaching content was inevitably affected to varying degrees, which had a considerable impact on students’ academic performance. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic “paralyzed” common activities and recreational programs, affected students’ psychology, and significantly influenced student satisfaction with support services at the Faculty of Business Administration – International Economics in particular and Lac Hong University in general.

Recognizing this situation, the Faculty of Business Administration – International Economics implemented major-based activities through student clubs to supplement knowledge and invite experts to share practical experience and expertise with students. This was especially meaningful for first-year students of the 2021 cohort, who had not yet been able to attend campus and whose activities were entirely online. Club meetings became an important channel for the Faculty to receive feedback, provide support, and communicate with students, helping them feel secure in their studies.

The Faculty’s clubs operate in various areas, including academic, interest-based, and volunteer activities. At the Faculty of Business Administration – International Economics, students can connect and make friends with peers in the same major, supporting one another in learning and group work. In particular, when participating in academic clubs, students can apply the specialized knowledge they have learned. Beyond classroom learning, students also gain practical knowledge from enterprises through talk shows and competitions organized by the clubs. Moreover, they receive experience sharing from professionals and business leaders. These activities have contributed to improved academic performance and reduced the rates of course failure and outstanding course credits at the Faculty.

Currently, the Faculty of Business Administration – International Economics offers four majors: Business Administration, Economics (Foreign Trade), Economic Law, and Tourism and Travel Management. In parallel with specialized teaching, the Faculty established four major-based clubs corresponding to the four programs in March 2021 (Semester 2 of the 2020–2021 academic year). These major-based clubs provide a platform for academic engagement and organize activities that supplement practical knowledge related to each field of study, thereby contributing to the practical application of specialized knowledge.

The Faculty’s major-based clubs include: Business Administration Club; Economic Law Club; Economics (Foreign Trade) Club; and Tourism Club. They have organized numerous specialized activities and regular club meetings. To maintain and create a “channel” for meeting, exchange, guidance, and to enhance the satisfaction of new students with service quality at the Faculty, these clubs have played a significant role in improving satisfaction among students and freshmen, enhancing the Faculty’s and the University’s image in the eyes of students, prospective students, and parents.

On 4 July 2022, this model of the Faculty was honored with First Prize in the Innovation Initiative Awards for the 2021–2022 academic year. At the ceremony, the author group consisting of PhD Nguyen Van Tan – Head of FAIE, and MB Ta Thi Thanh Huong – Vice Head of FAIE, presented the achieved results, including: reduction in outstanding course credits; increased student satisfaction; strengthened connections among stakeholders such as enterprises, alumni, and students across cohorts; enhanced opportunities for students to apply knowledge through participation in major-based clubs; improved brand value of the Faculty of Business Administration – International Economics at Lac Hong University; increased internal student enrollment in the future; and enhanced value of FAIE students in the eyes of employers.

In addition, at the Ceremony Honoring Innovation Initiatives and Science and Technology Awards, PhD Nguyen Van Tan was also commended as a lecturer supervising students who achieved Second Prize in the “Students with Startup Ideas” Competition, First Prize in the Engineering Projects in Community Service – EPICS 2021, and First Prize in the CIC Startup Ideas Competition 2021. MB Ta Thi Thanh Huong and MB Dang Dai Hung also received Fourth Prize in the Innovation Initiative category for the solution titled “Connecting healthcare units to care for the health of staff, lecturers, employees, and F0 students, and creating job opportunities for students at Lac Hong University.”

These achievements represent remarkable accomplishments of the Faculty of Business Administration – International Economics in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting the Faculty’s dedication and commitment to continuously enhancing the value delivered to its students and to Lac Hong University as a whole. It is hoped that in the coming time, the Faculty will implement further initiatives to increasingly improve benefits for students at the University.