Regulations on use of textbooks and materials for teaching in university in Vietnam

Regulations on use of textbooks and materials for teaching in university in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. Requirements for university textbook in Vietnam

 Requirements for university textbook according to Article 4 of Circular 35/2021/TT-BGDDT are as follows:

- A textbook is the main teaching material of lecturers and students of a training institution in teaching, learning, and researching a course in the training program. Such textbooks shall be published in writing with names that do not cause confusion for the general textbooks in training institutions.

- A textbook shall concretize the requirements for knowledge, skills, and attitudes prescribed in each course of the training program, field, and level; satisfy the requirements for the innovation of teaching method, examination, evaluation of learning outcomes, and training quality assurance.

- The content of a textbook shall be consistent with the target and content of the training program, ensuring the standard of knowledge, skills and satisfying the output standard of the course.

- The knowledge in a textbook shall be presented in a manner of science and logic, ensuring the balance between the theory and practice; be appropriate with the reality; be updated with new knowledge in terms of science, technology, and socio-economic development that is certified and approved.

- The content cited from reference materials for the compilation of textbooks shall have its origins and notes specified. Such content shall be consistent and meet the requirements for the targets of textbooks, ensuring compliance with regulations of relevant laws.

- The language used to compile the textbooks is Vietnamese or a foreign language. Such a language shall be consistent with the teaching language of the course.  

- A training institution shall stipulate the content, structure, form, and specific requirements for its textbooks, ensuring the uniformity and consistency in accordance with regulations of relevant laws.

2. Regulations on use of textbooks and materials for teaching in university in Vietnam

Regulations on use of textbooks and materials for teaching in Vietnam according to Article 7 of Circular 35/2021/TT-BGDDT are as follows:

- With regard to published textbooks, training institutions may provide, distribute, gift, lease, trade, lend, use them as general textbooks, or contribute them to open educational resources in order to bring published products to users. Such processes shall comply with regulations of relevant laws.

- Approved textbooks of training institutions shall be used as the main materials for lecturers and students in teaching, learning, and researching the courses. A textbook may be used for many courses with suitable or similar content.

- With regard to higher education training, training institutions shall ensure each course has at least one textbook used as the main material for lecturers and students to use in teaching, learning, researching the course. The content of such a textbook shall satisfy at least 70% of the knowledge content of the course. 

- With regard to master’s degree training, training institutions shall have textbooks as the main materials for lecturers and students to use in teaching, learning, and researching each course of the training program; If a course does not have its textbooks, training institutions shall have teaching materials used as replacements for the textbooks.

The content of such replacements shall satisfy at least 70% of the knowledge content of the course.

- With regard to doctoral education training, training institutions shall have textbooks or materials (as replacements for textbooks) for students and lecturers to use in teaching, learning, and researching of each content or major of the training program.

Such textbooks or materials shall include announced monographs, scientific works related to the content, major of teaching, learning, and researching of lecturers and students, satisfying the requirements of the training program; ensuring conformity with the target and content of the training program, knowledge standard, skills; and ensuring the output standard of the training program.

- Textbooks used in training institutions shall be compiled, selected, appraised, and approved in accordance with this Circular and other relevant laws. Materials (as replacements for textbooks) for teaching, learning, and researching for lecturers and students used in training institutions shall be approved in accordance with regulations of the department of training, ensuring conformity with regulations of relevant laws.

- Training institutions shall rely on their target, teaching content, output standard of the training program, and field of teaching to disclose their textbooks, materials for teaching, learning, researching for each content, major, and course in the training program, arranged in order of preference in use.

- A training institution shall stipulate the entitlements and responsibilities of its affiliates, lecturers, and students in using textbooks and materials for the teaching of each content, major, course of the training program, field, and level.

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