On October 2, 2026, the Quality Management Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade (HUIT) participated in the national scientific conference “Vietnamese Higher Education in a New Era: Strategic Autonomy, Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Sustainable Integration,” held in Quy Nhơn Ward, Gia Lai Province. The Center contributed one presentation delivered at the conference and two research papers selected for publication in the conference proceedings.

An academic forum on higher education reform in the digital era

Jointly organized by the Association of Vietnam Universities and Colleges and the Vietnamese Higher Education Quality Assurance Network Club, the conference brought together a large number of administrators, experts, researchers, and representatives of higher education institutions and research institutes from across the country.

From more than 350 submissions, the Organizing Committee selected 263 research papers by over 500 authors for inclusion in three volumes of conference proceedings. The papers addressed key issues in Vietnamese higher education, including strategic autonomy, university governance reform, digital transformation, artificial intelligence applications, innovation, quality assurance, and international integration.

The conference provided an important forum for academic exchange, identifying opportunities and challenges and proposing directions and solutions for the development of Vietnamese higher education at a time when science, technology, and artificial intelligence are profoundly reshaping governance, teaching and learning, and research.

Delegates attending the conference

A proposed framework for applying artificial intelligence in higher education governance and quality assurance

At the conference, Dr. Le Thi Linh Giang, Deputy Director of the HUIT Quality Management Center, delivered a presentation entitled “Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Governance and Quality Assurance: A Proposed Framework for Vietnamese Universities.”

The presentation examined the role and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in reforming university governance and improving the effectiveness of educational quality assurance. In the context of digital transformation, combining data use with AI technologies opens up new approaches to strengthening analytical and forecasting capabilities, supporting decision-making, and enabling continuous quality improvement.

The proposed framework seeks to connect technology, data, and quality management practices, thereby helping guide AI applications that are appropriate to the practical circumstances of Vietnamese higher education institutions.

In particular, the use of AI in quality assurance needs to go beyond data digitization and the automation of operational tasks. It should also improve information quality, strengthen risk identification, monitor performance, and support evidence-based decision-making. These elements are essential to the transition from a predominantly compliance-oriented approach to quality assurance toward proactive quality management and continuous improvement.

Dr. Le Thi Linh Giang, Deputy Director of the Quality Management Center, delivering her presentation at the conference

Two research papers selected for the conference proceedings

In addition to the presentation delivered at the conference, the HUIT Quality Management Center contributed two research papers selected for publication in the proceedings, reflecting a research focus on practical issues in developing internal quality assurance systems.

The first paper, “Developing AI-Integrated Databases for Internal Quality Assurance Systems at Higher Education Institutions,” was authored by Nguyen Xuan Hoan, Le Thi Linh Giang, and Tran Thi Nuong. The study explores directions for developing databases to support internal quality assurance (IQA) systems, with a focus on the potential to integrate and apply AI in accessing and analyzing quality-related data. This research direction is relevant to strengthening data interoperability, consistency, and usability for monitoring, evaluation, identification of areas for improvement, and support for quality management at higher education institutions.

The second paper, “Mapping Accreditation Criteria to Stakeholder Feedback Data in Higher Education,” was authored by Le Thi Linh Giang, Tran Thi Lan Anh, and Nguyen Huu Dung. The study approaches quality assurance by linking the requirements of accreditation criteria with systems of feedback data from stakeholders, including students, lecturers, alumni, employers, and other relevant groups. This mapping aims to strengthen the use of survey data as a source of information and evidence for assessing the extent to which quality criteria are met, while also improving analysis, problem identification, and the development of evidence-based improvement measures.

Together, the two studies demonstrate the connection between data infrastructure development, technology applications, and the use of evaluation findings in quality assurance, helping advance a systematic, data-driven approach to quality management.

Representatives of the HUIT Quality Management Center attending the conference

Quality assurance must become part of routine governance

One of the key messages emphasized at the conference was the need to rethink approaches and practices in higher education quality assurance in the context of institutional autonomy, digital transformation, and international integration.

In his closing remarks, Prof. Nguyen Đinh Đuc, Chair of the Vietnamese Higher Education Quality Assurance Network Club, highlighted the role of higher education institutions in promoting innovation, advancing scientific research, mastering technology, and strengthening their capacity for international integration.

Prof. Nguyen Đinh Đuc, Chair of the Vietnamese Higher Education Quality Assurance Network Club

In particular, the conference called for quality assurance to become a routine governance practice, connected to institutional missions, objectives, educational outcomes, measurement data, and stakeholder participation, rather than being undertaken solely to meet accreditation criteria.

This perspective aligns with the research orientation of the HUIT Quality Management Center, which emphasizes the role of data, artificial intelligence, and feedback in quality monitoring, evaluation, and improvement.

Connecting research with quality assurance reform at HUIT

Participation in the conference and the selection of its research papers for publication in the proceedings marked a meaningful academic contribution by the HUIT Quality Management Center. These activities helped strengthen professional exchange, facilitate the sharing of approaches, and connect research with university governance practice.

The three studies introduced at the conference are academically interconnected, focusing on three areas: proposing a framework for applying AI in governance and quality assurance; developing AI-integrated IQA databases; and mapping stakeholder feedback data to educational quality accreditation criteria.

These research directions help establish a scientific basis for the effective use of data and for strengthening analytical, monitoring, and decision-support capabilities within internal quality assurance systems.

Through research and academic exchange, the HUIT Quality Management Center continues to fulfill its advisory and research roles and propose solutions for modernizing quality assurance through systematic, evidence-based approaches.

As higher education undergoes profound changes driven by artificial intelligence and digital transformation, connecting research with quality management practice provides an important foundation for HUIT to progressively develop an effective internal quality assurance system, promote a culture of quality, and strengthen its capacity for sustainable development.

Quality Management Center