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APPLICATION OF AI IN TEACHING ACTIVITIES AT VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN HO CHI MINH CITY
IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT
Vu Thi Thu Huong, M.A.
Academy of Public Administration and Governance in Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 0903129807
Email: vuthithuhuong141978@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Education in general and vocational education in particular in the current context has been
and is being influenced by digital technology, in which AI is confirmed to play an important
role in improving accessibility, quality and efficiency of vocational education, especially in
developing countries like Vietnam. Besides the notable benefits, the application of AI in
teaching activities at vocational education institutions in Vietnam in general, and some
vocational education institutions in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in particular, also faces
many difficulties and challenges.
This article addresses the use of AI in teaching at vocational education institutions, through
which the author discusses the role of AI, advantages and difficulties when applying AI to
teaching activities at vocational education institutions. Based on that, the author proposes
some solutions to enhance the ability to apply AI in teaching activities for teachers at
vocational education institutions in HCMC in the coming time.
Keywords: digital technology, AI, teaching, vocational education
1. INTRODUCTION
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (also known as the digital revolution) is taking place
strongly and extensively worldwide, because through technologies such as Internet of
Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR),
social networks, cloud computing, mobile, big data analytics (SMAC)... the entire real
world has transformed into a digital world.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a breakthrough tool with profound impact on many
fields of social life, including education and training. For vocational education institutions,
the application to teaching activities for teachers has contributed to affirming the special
role of AI, which not only changes the approach to knowledge but also contributes
importantly to improving teaching quality for teachers and instructors. At the same time, AI
helps vocational education institutions improve training efficiency in the digital age.
Vocational education is a level of the national education system aimed at training
elementary, intermediate, college levels and other vocational training programs for workers,
implemented in two forms: formal training and continuing training. The goal of vocational
education is to train direct human resources for production, business and service sectors,
ensuring learners have practical professional competencies corresponding to their training
level; have ethics and health; have professional responsibility; have creativity and
adaptability to work environments in the context of international integration; ensure
improvement of labor productivity and quality; create conditions for learners to find jobs,
create their own jobs or continue to higher levels after completing courses.
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's major economic center, with the most dynamic economic
growth rate in the country, and is home to many vocational training institutions. Some
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prestigious vocational training institutions include: Viet My Vocational College, Nam Sai
Gon Polytechnic College, Ho Chi Minh City Technical Technology Vocational College,
Saigon Vocational College, Saigon Tourism Vocational College, Ton Duc Thang Technical
Vocational Secondary School, International Human Resources Vocational Secondary
School, Bach Viet Vocational Training Center... Some trades considered both easy to find
jobs after graduation and providing stable income for workers, currently considered super
hot include: chef, automotive repair, restaurant and hotel management, refrigeration,
makeup, driving, etc.
In the current period, when artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming one of the core
technologies with profound impact and transformation across all fields, including education
and training, the requirement for vocational education institutions is to necessarily innovate
content, methods and improve teaching tools to adapt to new trends and be suitable for the
digital age.
In addition, Circular No. 02/2025/TT-BGDDT dated January 24, 2025 of the Ministry of
Education and Training issued the Digital Competency Framework for learners, identifying
the central role of lecturers and teachers in guiding the development of necessary digital
skills for students in modern learning environments, including the ability to use and interact
with technology effectively, safely and creatively. Furthermore, along with the urgent
requirement for digital transformation in education in the current context, the application of
AI in the teaching process at vocational training institutions is also an issue that needs
priority attention.
According to research and reports from the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Market Information
and Human Resource Demand Forecasting Center (Falmi), in 2024, the human resource
demand of some sectors in HCMC tends to increase compared to the same period last year,
including human resources for 4 key industrial sectors (mechanical engineering,
electronics-information technology, food processing, pharmaceuticals-rubber) and 9 main
service sectors (trade, transport, tourism, education, healthcare...), Falmi also predicts that
the human resource demand of these sectors will continue to grow strongly in the coming
time. Therefore, vocational education institutions in HCMC are facing many challenges in
meeting the requirements of the modern labor market, where digital technology is gradually
replacing traditional working models. Thus, for technology to truly create positive change,
the key factor is still people. AI does not replace teachers, but AI can effectively enhance the
teaching effectiveness of lecturers and teachers when used by those who understand the
pedagogical role, know how to ask the right questions at the right time and use technology
in the right place and way in teaching, especially in the context of strong digital
transformation currently taking place.
2. CONTENT
2.1. Concept and Role of AI
AI, known as artificial intelligence, is a technology capable of solving problems like
humans. AI's operating method can simulate human intelligence; AI can recognize images,
write poetry and make predictions... based on user-provided data.
First, AI can create images, helping to produce completely new images or based on user
descriptions. This technology is used in art, entertainment and marketing, allowing creators
to visualize concepts quickly and efficiently.
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Additionally, AI can generate text; AI has the ability to automatically write text, mimicking
human writing ability. This technology can create anything from simple sentences to
complete articles, poems or stories. This technology is used in chatbots, content creation,
email or report writing.
Furthermore, AI can create speech similar to how virtual assistants talk to users. This
technology is widely used in voice-activated devices, customer service hotlines and even in
helping disabled people communicate more effectively.
Moreover, AI has multimodal capabilities, combining different types of data such as text,
images and audio to create more comprehensive understanding of information. This
technology is used in fields like autonomous vehicles, where understanding and interpreting
multiple types of data simultaneously is crucial for safe operation. Thus, it can be seen that
AI plays an extremely important role in various fields of social life, including education and
vocational training.
2.2. Some AI Tools Applicable to Vocational Teaching Activities
Using qualitative research methods, with the main skill being collecting and synthesizing
information from official admission websites of vocational education institutions in HCMC,
results show that most vocational training institutions have been training trades related to
fashion design, graphic design, electronics, refrigeration, culinary arts, restaurant and hotel
management, beauty care, driving, automotive repair...
Therefore, in teaching activities, to enrich and make lesson content attractive while
contributing to improving teaching quality in the digital age, within the scope of this article,
the author proposes and introduces to lecturers and teachers some AI tools that can be used
to analyze, personalize learning paths for learners, design and build lesson content, and test
and evaluate learning outcomes such as: Canva, ChatGPT, Quizizz, SchoolAI, Gamma,
Slidesgo, Turnitin, Gradescope, ClassPoint, Synthesia.io, Gradescope, Duolingo, Labster...
First, the group of tools used to analyze and personalize learning paths for learners includes:
SchoolAI, Duolingo for Schools, Labster.
SchoolAI:
SchoolAI is an intelligent educational tool designed to support teachers and learners in
optimizing teaching and learning processes. With artificial intelligence (AI) integration,
SchoolAI brings creative solutions that help personalize learning experiences, improve
teaching effectiveness and save time for lecturers and teachers (analyze learner capabilities
and suggest appropriate learning paths; create lessons, exercises and learning materials
including text, images and videos; support grading and evaluation of learning outcomes...)
Duolingo for Schools:
Duolingo for Schools (AI-based language learning) is an AI tool used by teachers and
lecturers to personalize foreign language learning paths for each student and trainee, based
on each person's actual ability. This tool is particularly useful for trades requiring foreign
language communication such as tourism, hospitality, IT...
Labster:
Labster is a tool used to simulate experiments and practical professional skills in virtual
reality (VR/AI) environments. This tool is particularly useful and suitable for technical,
technological, and medical fields...
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Second, the group of tools used to design and build lesson content includes: Canva Magic
Studio, Gamma (Grammarly/WriteSonic), Slidesgo, Synthesia.io, ClassPoint, ChatGPT.
Among them:
Canva Magic Studio:
Canva Magic Studio is not just a simple graphic design platform but also integrates many
powerful AI tools. It helps lecturers and teachers develop ideas and design quality lesson
content in a short time (Magic Write); helps lecturers and teachers design lesson plans,
posters or infographics quickly (Magic Design); allows adding animation effects to lesson
slides (Magic Animate)...
Gamma (Grammarly/WriteSonic):
Gamma (Grammarly/WriteSonic) is an AI tool that helps lecturers and teachers save time in
designing professional and attractive lessons (create automatic presentations; provide
diverse template varieties...), while supporting students and lecturers in text editing and
improving writing skills.
Slidesgo:
Slidesgo is a tool that provides professional and free templates for Google Slides and
PowerPoint, helping lecturers and teachers easily design vivid lessons suitable for each
lesson's requirements and objectives.
Synthesia.io:
Synthesia.io is an AI tool capable of creating instructional videos using AI avatars and
machine speech, suitable for instructional lessons and simulating professional processes.
ClassPoint:
ClassPoint is an AI tool integrated with Microsoft PowerPoint, helping lecturers and
teachers build more attractive and vivid lesson plans, as it can help lecturers and teachers
transform predominantly presentation-based lessons into active learning methods with
dynamic and attractive interaction between teachers and learners.
ChatGPT is a model used effectively for lecturers' and teachers' teaching work. In
vocational education, ChatGPT helps lecturers and teachers create tests, exams and build
lesson plans for each module and class, suitable for objectives, requirements and
characteristics of related trades. Thanks to this tool, teachers can use ChatGPT to generate
creative ideas for lessons through animations (for fashion design, culinary, beauty,
automotive repair, refrigeration trades...), or scripts and films (for advertising, event
trades...).
Third, the group of tools used to build tests and evaluate learners' learning outcomes
includes: Quizizz (Quillionz/Conker), Gradescope, Canva Magic Studio, Turnitin,
ClassPoint...
Quizizz (Quillionz/Conker):
Quizizz (Quillionz/Conker) is an AI tool capable of automatically creating multiple-choice
questions and tests from lesson content. It can transform boring assessments and reviews
into engaging activities for both teachers and learners. To use this tool, lecturers and
teachers only need to upload a document, PDF presentation or link to a website or video,
and AI will automatically generate a series of questions to test the class. Tests can include
various question formats such as multiple choice, surveys, open questions and even image-
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based questions, thereby saving time building test banks for lecturers and teachers, while
learners can completely answer questions on their personal devices.
Gradescope:
Gradescope is an AI-assisted grading tool for lecturers and teachers, helping simplify the
grading and evaluation process while leveraging AI to increase speed and accuracy.
Teachers can use Gradescope to grade homework and tests, ensuring more consistent and
objective evaluation compared to manual grading.
Canva Magic Studio:
Canva Magic Studio is not only a tool helping lecturers and teachers develop ideas and
design quality lesson content, but it can also integrate with learning tools like Google
Classroom and Microsoft Teams, helping lecturers and teachers easily share and evaluate
learners' learning outcomes.
ClassPoint:
Besides its role as a tool supporting lecturers in building lesson plans, ClassPoint also has
features like attendance, progress tracking and learning outcome management, helping
teachers easily manage classes effectively.
Turnitin:
Turnitin is a useful tool for tracking plagiarism and has recently been updated with features
to detect AI-generated content. This tool is particularly important for lecturers and teachers
when there are concerns about learners using AI to complete assigned tasks.
2.3. Benefits of AI for Teaching Activities at Vocational Training Institutions
- AI contributes to improving teaching quality
First, AI helps innovate teaching methods, because currently, online learning is in a strong
development phase. The change in learning methods from offline to online learning through
applications like Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams... has promoted the use of AI
application tools for lecturers and teachers in teaching activities.
Applying AI in teaching, artificial intelligence will search, collect and synthesize necessary
data to support lecturers' and teachers' teaching organization processes, specifically building
teaching plans; designing lessons suitable for each content, audience, and field of study;
grading exams; managing learners' learning processes...
With AI support, lecturers and teachers will also design and build lessons more easily and
quickly. Detailed content in lessons also becomes more vivid, understandable, and visual
compared to traditional lessons. Learning through various media such as videos, images,
audio... instead of presentations will be more effective for learners in absorbing and
remembering knowledge. Through this, AI helps lecturers and teachers build modern
teaching methods centered on learners, gradually shifting to guidance and advisory roles,
thereby contributing to improving teaching quality.
- AI makes important contributions to saving training time and costs
Integrating AI into simulation and integrating virtual reality (VR) technology for some
professional skills in teaching and learning processes for trades such as electronics, repair,
culinary, machinery operation, patient care, beauty care, fashion... has helped learners
practice and experience reality vividly and authentically, helping learners master knowledge
