NDMU Takes Strategic Step Toward AUN-QA Programme Assessment through Tier 1 Training in Vietnam

Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU) advances its quality assurance and internationalization agenda through its participation in the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) Tier 1 Training Course for Accomplishing Programme Assessment, held on September 8–11, 2026, at the New World Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Representing the University are Dr. Wilter C. Friales, Vice President for External Affairs, and Dr. Joan P. Palma, Vice President for Academics. The four-day intensive training provides higher education professionals with a rigorous engagement with the AUN-QA framework and its approach to programme-level quality assurance.

The ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) system was initiated in 1998 as a regional initiative to strengthen and harmonize quality assurance among higher education institutions in ASEAN. Initially implemented among leading AUN Member Universities, AUN-QA has developed into a robust regional quality assurance system supported by trained quality assurance professionals and an expanding network of higher education institutions. Its continuing development reflects AUN's belief that the advancement of higher education in the region requires collective and simultaneous efforts toward quality improvement. This has also led to the expansion of AUN-QA engagement beyond AUN member universities to other higher education institutions across the region.

The AUN-QA Tier 1 Training develops participants’ knowledge and practical competencies in understanding the AUN-QA framework, interpreting programme assessment criteria and requirements, conducting gap analysis, examining evidence of quality, and preparing a Self-Assessment Report (SAR). Through intensive discussions, workshops, group exercises, and assessment activities, participants gain a deeper appreciation of how academic programs can systematically demonstrate quality and pursue continuous improvement.

NDMU’s participation forms part of the University’s strategic preparation for its planned AUN-QA Programme Assessment in the coming years. The engagement is intended to build institutional capacity, identify areas for further improvement, and strengthen the alignment of academic programs and quality assurance processes with regional and international standards.

More than preparation for external assessment, the training reinforces NDMU’s continuing commitment to a whole-institution culture of quality. It builds on the University’s existing quality assurance systems, outcomes-based education practices, internationalization initiatives, and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, while providing new perspectives for continuous institutional improvement.

Through this proactive undertaking, NDMU continues to strengthen its systems, people, and programs as it prepares for greater engagement with the ASEAN higher education community and advances its mission of providing relevant, responsive, and globally competitive Marist education.