Open day 2021 College of Natural Sciences Can Tho University

In the framework of the project " Research-Based Curriculum Development in Molecular and Materials Sciences (MOMA)", the Natural Science Open Day is held annually at the College of Natural Sciences, Can Tho University. The event aims to help pupils of secondary and high schools in Can Tho city and the Mekong Delta provinces to have a better understanding of natural subjects through direct access to modern equipment, as well as to practically conduct basic experiments in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Thus, pupils have more opportunities to practice the knowledge learned at schools and to understand the applications of natural sciences in the real life. Additionally, the event partly helps pupils developing practical skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills, thereby nurturing their passion for natural sciences and guiding them on orienting career choices in the future more precisely.

This year (2021), the Open Day event was held from 7.00 to 14.00 h, on April 04, 2021, at Can Tho University. The event attracted over 1000 visitors, mostly pupils, with more than 15 experiments in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Pupils also had a chance to visit the laboratories that are currently being used to teach students of the College. In addition, senior students and experienced teachers readily gave out advises directly to the pupils on subjects in the College of Natural Sciences, Can Tho University, career opportunities, as well as concerns about the study processes at the College.

To evaluate the Open Day 2021 (to get experience for the following events), the organizers collected information from 58 pupils, teachers, and students representing different schools through a survey questionnaire. The survey results are summarized in Table 1. Accordingly, most of the participants were pupils from secondary and high schools (91.38%), who acquired information about the Open Day mainly through information pages from the College of Natural Sciences, Can Tho University (51.72%), with the main purpose of attending the event was to find and investigate the courses/majors related to Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics (31.03%); and to get orientation in choosing professions/occupations related to Natural Science (34.48%). Among them, the majority came to the event for the first time (75.85%) and rated the contents and organization of the event as very good (> 65%). Out of more than 15 experiments, the majority of pupils mostly liked the experiments on Electrocardiograms Signal (32.76%), Mini Show The Colors of Chemistry (36.21%), and Antibacterial activity (27.59%). Therefore, these experiments need to be carefully invested in the next time to attract more pupils.

Last but not least, sincerely thanks were given to the staffs, teachers, and students of the College of Natural Sciences, Can Tho University for their valuable contributions in the preparing and operating the Open Day 2021. Special thanks to the attention of pupils from secondary and high schools in Can Tho city and the Mekong Delta provinces. Best wishes to you, and look forward to seeing you again as students of the College of Natural Sciences..