Introduction to Building Materials Engineering Technology
Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE) was established in 1966 following its separation from Hanoi University of Science and Technology. The Building Materials major enrolled its first undergraduate cohort in the academic year 1966–1967, with 24 students (Cohort 11) under the Faculty of Civil and Industrial Construction. Since then, the major has been continuously maintained and developed, and is currently known as the Building Materials Engineering Technology Programme (BMET). It can be said that the nearly 60 years of development of the Faculty of Building Materials have been closely aligned with the evolution of the BMET discipline.
The programme’s enrolment scale has varied over different periods depending on societal needs, ranging from approximately 50 students per year to peak years with 150–250 students per year, with a long-term stable average of around 100 students per year. After nearly 60 years of education, the programme has educated approximately 3,500 engineers, 200 master’s graduates, and more than 20 doctoral graduates in the field of Building Materials.
The Building Materials Engineering Technology Programme has undergone multiple revisions and improvements to meet advanced science and technology, practical needs, and quality assurance and accreditation standards. In recent years, the programme’s development can be categorised into three major phases:
The programme’s enrolment scale has varied over different periods depending on societal needs, ranging from approximately 50 students per year to peak years with 150–250 students per year, with a long-term stable average of around 100 students per year. After nearly 60 years of education, the programme has educated approximately 3,500 engineers, 200 master’s graduates, and more than 20 doctoral graduates in the field of Building Materials.
The Building Materials Engineering Technology Programme has undergone multiple revisions and improvements to meet advanced science and technology, practical needs, and quality assurance and accreditation standards. In recent years, the programme’s development can be categorised into three major phases:
- Phase before 2023 – Content-Based Approach: The curriculum was structured under the credit-based system with a total of 168–169 credits, designed primarily based on course content rather than Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs). The programme did not yet apply Outcome-Based Education (OBE), had no defined PLOs, and the courses were not linked through Programme Mapping or Curriculum Mapping (CM).
- Phase 2023–2024 to Semester II of 2024–2025 – CDIO Orientation and Initial Adoption of OBE: The curriculum was revised according to the CDIO framework and began implementing OBE. The engineering programme was redesigned to meet Level 7 learning outcomes in accordance with the Vietnam National Qualifications Framework, with a total of 180 credits (under Decision No. 746/QĐ-ĐHXDHN, issued 13 June 2023). Programme Objectives and tentative PLOs were identified, and Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) were included in course syllabi. However, curriculum mapping and systematic CLO/PLO assessment had not yet been implemented, so OBE operations remained at an initial stage.
- Phase from Semester II of 2024–2025 onwards – Completion of the Curriculum to Meet AUN-QA Standards: To prepare for External Quality Assessment (EQA) following AUN-QA standards, HUCE issued Decision No. 971/QĐ-ĐHXDHN dated 24 June 2024 on curriculum improvement, self-assessment, and preparation for external review.
+ In preparation for the AUN-QA assessment dossier, the BMET programme was revised with three Programme Objectives and seven PLOs aligned with AUN-QA principles; however, benchmarking and stakeholder consultations had not yet been fully conducted. Nineteen courses, including the graduation internship and the graduation project, were identified as directly contributing at the Reinforce (R) and Evaluate (E) levels to the PLOs through the Curriculum Map. Course syllabi, examination papers, and assessment rubrics for these 19 courses were developed and partially implemented from Semester II of 2024–2025 for cohorts K66–K69. Partial CLO and PLO assessment was piloted for Cohort K66, with 14 students graduating in Semester I of the academic year 2025–2026 through selected core courses and the two graduation courses.
+ To ensure full compliance with OBE and achieve AUN-QA external accreditation, the BMET programme continued to be reviewed, improved, and completed following the full AUN-QA guidelines. The revised curriculum now includes three Programme Objectives and nine PLOs aligned with HUCE’s ULO framework, national regulations, benchmarking with similar programmes, professional standards, and domestic and international job requirements. A complete Curriculum Map was developed to ensure vertical and horizontal alignment of PLOs across all courses. Course syllabi, examination papers, and assessment rubrics were developed for the entire curriculum and will be fully implemented from Semester I of the academic year 2025–2026 for students from Cohort K70 onwards.
