From 3rd -21st March, Mr. Le Huu Luat, Lecturer in the DTU Tourism Department and two DTU students, Le Nguyen Trung Thanh (K15 NAD2) and Phan Thanh Lap (K16 CMU-TPM) participated in the Learning Express program held by Singapore Polytechnic in Singapore and Indonesia. Participants included 41 students and lecturers from Singapore Polytechnic, the Kanazawa Technology College (Japan), Duy Tan University (Vietnam), and the Universities of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) and Pembangunaan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta (UPN) from Indonesia.
The “Learning Express” program was an opportunity for students majoring in Business, Mechanics and Aviation Technology, Electronics, Information Technology and Communications, Tourism and so on to enjoy the cultural exchange while improving their teamwork and awareness of local community requirements.
Students in the “Learning Express” program
After the convention on Design Thinking methods in Singapore, they started conducting three community projects at two villages in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, lasting for ten days. Mr. Le Huu Luat, Le Nguyen Trung Thanh and Phan Thanh Lap were in Group 1, with two lecturers and seven students from the Singapore Polytechnic to conduct the project “Improving the quality of the Cassava Plant and Production Process in the Kradenen and Polengan villages”.
Mr. Le Huu Luat said: “The Learning Express program is a short-term course combining theoretical and practical experience. It provides students with the skills to plan a community project by applying the four steps of the Design Thinking method: observing and defining the problem in a practical environment; researching requirements based on survey and analysis; developing ideas from the basic requirements; refining the ideas through models, getting feedback and finalizing the models and ideas”.
By practically combining their knowledge, soft skills and the Design Thinking method, the groups came up with innovative solutions tailored to community requirements. This proved to be a unique experience for students to collaborate and work together to contribute to society by understanding and solving local needs. They also had time to learn about the customs and life-styles of the local residents during their expedition.
The program left unforgettable memories of the feelings of friendship and teamwork shared by the participants. Le Nguyen Trung Thanh said: “Personally, this trip is really important. In addition to the useful knowledge and teamwork skills gained during the program, I had a wonderful time meeting new friends from Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. My sincere thanks go to the DTU Board of Provosts for offering us such a good opportunity to participate in the program”.
DTU frequently sends students to foreign countries for practical programs as a way of improving the quality of teaching at DTU.
(Board of Website Editors)