The teaching of military subjects in a standardised and modernised manner at military academies and schools in general and at the Army Academy in particular, is a crucial task and a factor directly affecting the quality of training military personnel. Therefore, researching to innovate and enhance the quality of theoretical teaching of these subjects is both a regular task and an urgent requirement in the current period.

In light of higher echelons’ resolutions, directives, and instructions regarding fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training, especially Resolution No. 1657-NQ/QUTW dated December 20, 2022, of the Central Military Commission on innovating education and training to meet the requirements and tasks of building the Military in the new situation, military academies and schools in general and the Army Academy, in particular, have attached importance to leadership and direction to innovate and enhance the quality of teaching in a standardised and modernised manner. Adhering to the principle that “the training quality of colleges is the combat readiness capacity of units”, and in order to achieve the training objectives and requirements, the Army Academy has focused on directing its departments and faculties to research and promote innovation in the theoretical teaching methods of military subjects. This aims at equipping cadets with scientific and logical methods, fundamental knowledge, and practical experience to study military issues, as well as refining the qualities and personality of command and staff officers at regimental and division levels, thus meeting the requirements and tasks of building and defending the Fatherland in the new situation.

To fundamentally and comprehensively innovate education and training, the Academy has actively propelled innovation in content, curricula, and teaching and learning methods. It has flexibly employed positive teaching methods, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the quality of theoretical teaching in general, and of military subjects in particular, to deepen students’ understanding of the subjects, enabling them to exhibit self-awareness, enthusiasm, proactivity, and creativity in education and training. As a result, the teaching and learning quality of the Academy has undergone fundamental, robust, and comprehensive transformations across all subjects. This practical approach ensures that upon graduation, the students can effectively apply and leverage the qualities, competencies, and knowledge they have acquired to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, thus advancing in leadership and key managerial roles in various units and bodies throughout the Military.

In addition to the achieved results, in the process of theoretical teaching of military subjects, some instructors still harbour apprehensions about innovation and do not timely update modern teaching methods. Besides, the integration of teaching methods lacks flexibility, creativity, and alignment with each specific audience while the digital technology foundations that support research, lesson preparation, and teaching practice remain limited. To overcome these limitations and shortcomings and continue to enhance the quality of theoretical teaching of military subjects, contributing to the development of high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of building the military, strengthening national defence, and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation, it requires a more robust and comprehensive innovation from the Academy’s teaching staff. With this spirit, this article discusses several issues related to the innovation and enhancement of the quality of theoretical teaching of military subjects at the Army Academy in the present context.

Firstly, the theoretical teaching of military subjects should focus on developing the cognitive abilities of the learners, based on the principles and objectives of education and training. It is a common knowledge that cognitive ability is the capacity for self-thinking, learning, and scientifically solving problems to achieve the highest efficiency in the practical activities of everyone. For officer cadets at regimental and division levels, this ability encompasses their capacity to perceive, analyse, evaluate situations, and make appropriate decisions regarding the content of the subjects, aiming for the best learning outcomes. Therefore, the requirement for the faculties and instructors in teaching military subjects is to grasp the capabilities of each cadet and their ability to absorb and apply the knowledge acquired into learning and working practices and resolution of military and national defence situations, thus providing appropriate teaching methods. To achieve this, the teaching staff should regularly interact and exchange ideas with cadets and cooperate with the managerial staff to understand cadets’ capabilities and learning methods. It necessitates a shift in teaching methods from one-way knowledge transmission to nurturing the cadets’ skills to apply the knowledge for self-research, thus cultivating cadets’ logical and scientific thinking in military matters.

Additionally, the faculties should closely follow the perspectives, objectives, and training requirements of each target audience, defining specific criteria for each subject. This guides the educational staff to instruct using an approach that focuses on cadets’ capabilities, rather than simply delivering content. It entails shifting from being concerned about what the cadets “learn” to “applying” the content. Simultaneously, emphasising the cultivation of cadets’ active, proactive, and creative learning spirit is an objective demand and a core element in improving teaching quality. During the teaching process, there is a strong emphasis on training cadets to study military issues through the Marxist-Leninist methodology, Ho Chi Minh’s military ideology. This approach enables cadets to provide objective assessments, analysis, and practical problem-solving flexibly and creatively. Furthermore, it is essential to focus on cultivating the qualities, personality, and ethics of revolutionary military personnel, especially mid-level and high-ranking officers in the Military. This cultivation is considered as a factor contributing to the development of the cognitive abilities of cadets.

Secondly, the innovation of teaching methods for military subjects necessitates a seamless integration of tradition with modernity. Innovating teaching methods in general, and theoretical teaching of military subjects, in particular, involves changing the approach to effectively deliver knowledge to learners, allowing them to approach and deeply understand the nature of the problem in a logical and scientific way, grasp the fundamental and core contents, and actively engage in teaching - learning process in a proactive and creative manner. To achieve this, the teaching staff needs modern teaching methods that enhance the learners’ capabilities to absorb knowledge. This entails switching from traditional teaching methods to modern ones, eliminating unreasonable elements of traditional teaching, selecting, and leveraging scientific elements in modern teaching. Educators can utilise various teaching methods such as role-playing, lecturing, mind maps combined with PowerPoint presentations, simulation software, and visual methods through specific images. The change in teaching methods should be conducted scientifically and methodically based on existing teaching methods, adding new elements, and expanding the scope of active learning approaches. Furthermore, the innovation of teaching and learning approaches should be based on digital foundations and the application of digital technology, thus ultimately enhancing the quality and effectiveness of both teaching and learning.

An important point to note is that the theoretical teaching of military subjects differs from the theoretical teaching of social sciences and humanities subjects, as military subjects emphasise the development of problem-solving skills in learners. Therefore, instructors teaching military subjects need to develop their own methods, focusing on a close integration of presentation, problem identification, and content orientation for cadets to conduct individual and group research. When raising and addressing problems, especially theoretical contents linked to practical application, instructors should concentrate on orienting and identifying problems, bringing learners close to actual combat situations, and creating favourable conditions for cadets to express their opinions and present problem-solving approaches. When concluding a topic, it should be done in a suggestive way, but must be based on the lecture content and cadets’ opinions. Additionally, the teaching staff should nurture research and information-seeking methods to enhance students’ knowledge and foster their self-learning capabilities. Moreover, they should inspire and instil a passion for learning and research in military science within the cadets. 

Thirdly, enhancing the level of specialisation and pedagogical skills for the teaching staff is a critical factor that determines the innovation and enhancement of teaching and learning in general and the theoretical teaching of military subjects in the Army Academy in particular. Therefore, in addition to standardising the teaching staff based on the criteria set by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of National Defence, party committees and commanders at all levels should attach importance to in-depth training, coaching, and fostering, thus honing skills, vocational expertise, and psychological understanding in military pedagogy for the instructors. This should be coupled with sending them for training at the National Defence Academy to elevate their professional levels and increasing rotation for instructors to go on field trips to accumulate and improve their practical knowledge. Besides, it is imperative to provide opportunities for the teaching staff to pursue doctoral studies to achieve the titles of associate professor and professor as well as recognition as outstanding educators and people’s educators. Based on the training content, curriculum, and teaching practice, the teaching staff should engage in self-study and self-research to elevate their competency levels, focus on staying updated and expanding knowledge, especially in the military art, national defence, and security strategies of different countries in the world. Besides, they should timely understand new aspects of modern education programmes to apply them to teaching methods to stimulate cognitive needs and foster the positive mindset and creative thinking of learners.

Fourthly, ensuring adequate facilities for teaching and learning tasks is a fundamental and imperative requirement that directly influences the innovation and enhancement of theoretical teaching of military subjects. It also serves as a vivid visual image providing knowledge directly related to the subject. Moreover, it facilitates communication and enhances information exchange between instructors and cadets, thus shortening teaching time while still ensuring the amount of knowledge to be imparted. Therefore, leaders and commanders at all levels need to prioritise the assurance of adequate facilities and equipment to support educational and training tasks, such as classrooms, projectors, computers, digital libraries, simulation software, virtual reality technology, etc. These resources aid instructors in analysing and exploiting teaching content. Additionally, investments should be made in repairing, upgrading, constructing, and modernising lecture halls, libraries, etc., aligning with the modernisation roadmap of the Military, ensuring that the instructors and cadets are provided with the best possible conditions for study and research.

These aforementioned aspects are crucial foundations and urgent requirements for faculties and teaching staff of various academies and schools to research and integrate into the teaching process, contributing to the improvement of the training quality of military personnel in order to meet the requirements of building the Military, strengthening national defence, and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Colonel, Dr. HO VINH HIEU, the Army Academy