Participating in the InnoAIQA-VN project as a mentor and a member of the training team, and accompanying groups from many universities across the country, was a very special experience for me. This was not only a professional activity on the application of artificial intelligence in higher education quality assurance, but also a journey of sharing knowledge, building connections, and working together to create practical values for Vietnamese education.
Most of the lecturers participating in the project came from quality assurance units of higher education institutions. Therefore, developing AI systems by themselves to directly support their professional work was a significant challenge. Many lecturers did not have a strong background in technology, programming, or AI system design. However, this made the project even more meaningful, because the goal was not only to create products, but also to help lecturers understand, master, and apply AI in a practical, effective, and responsible manner.
The training team took a commemorative photo with the lecturers participating in the project at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (Workshop 1)
In Workshop 1, I provided guidance on foundational topics, ranging from basic concepts of AI and ways of thinking about AI applications in work, to methods for developing a personal AI assistant for specific tasks. Throughout the implementation process, I monitored the progress of the groups, supported them in solving technical difficulties, gave feedback on their ideas, and accompanied them step by step as they completed their products. What impressed me was that, although the groups had different starting points in terms of technology, their spirit of learning, perseverance, and desire to create practical value were very clear.
I was particularly impressed by the team from Ton Duc Thang University with their product TCORA, a tool used to review programme learning outcomes based on the OBE philosophy. The product demonstrated careful preparation, high attention to detail, and strong alignment with practical needs in programme management. The team from Pham Van Dong University also left a strong impression on me through their systematic approach, with training courses focusing on ethics and effective and responsible use of AI, despite their limited infrastructure conditions. In addition, I could clearly feel the enthusiasm and aspiration of the University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy at Da Nang team to create technology-oriented products. For Lac Hong University, where I am currently working, the two chatbot products supporting students and lecturers in community service activities showed efficiency, applicability, and the ability to quickly implement AI solutions in a university environment.
Taking a commemorative photo with the Lac Hong University team
In Workshop 2, I presented a paper on “Data Repositories in Quality Assurance”, focusing on the role of data in supporting QA managers to retrieve information more quickly, conduct better analysis, and make more accurate decisions. Through working with the groups, I became more aware that AI only becomes truly valuable when it is connected with structured data, specific workflows, and the practical needs of users. In the field of quality assurance, building a data repository not only helps reduce administrative workload, but also contributes to forming a culture of evidence-based decision-making.
As a mentor, when I reviewed the reports and products of the groups, I experienced a feeling that was difficult to describe. In each product, I could see a part of my own contribution, not as someone who did the work for them, but as someone who accompanied them, opened up ideas, and shared methods so that the groups could create their own products. This gave me a great sense of pride, because personal knowledge, when shared in the right way, can spread, be transformed into community capacity, and create values that go beyond the scope of one individual or one institution.
Through the project, I also had the opportunity to connect with many colleagues from different regions of Vietnam. From online discussions and technical mentoring sessions to invitations to visit universities and share my experience, I could feel that an educational community was gradually being formed around the spirit of innovation, learning, and human-centered technology application. This was one of the greatest values that the project brought to me.
Sharing professional expertise at the University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy at Da Nang
Looking back on my journey with InnoAIQA-VN, I realize that the project brought me a great deal of joy, both spiritually and through practical experience. It helped me gain a deeper understanding of how to guide lecturers without strong technology backgrounds to create AI products that serve their own professional work. More importantly, the project created connections and formed a community that supports, shares, and promotes the application of AI in higher education quality assurance.
For me, InnoAIQA-VN is not only an AI project. It is a journey of spreading knowledge, awakening the creative capacity of lecturers, and opening up a new approach to improving the quality of higher education through technology, data, and collaboration.
By Le Truong
