Phan Chính Dũng found his passion for information technology when he became an IT student specializing in software technology at the University of Science.
People are an especially important asset in the development of any organization or nation in the new era. Human development is the sustainable development of the future. Investing in education means investing in a sustainable future.
Recognizing this tremendous value for human development, combined with a burning passion for information technology, led to the birth of Guru Education.
In 2010, Dũng and his colleagues started the OSeeYou Educational Social Network project, building an online self-learning community for young people. They wanted to provide an open environment and space that gave everyone more convenient learning opportunities. Despite high expectations and great passion, OSeeYou did not succeed as hoped at that time. Nevertheless, building OSeeYou taught many lessons and also became the initial inspiration for today’s GURU.
In 10/2013 came a breakthrough as Dũng continued pursuing knowledge and building his career with the idea for GURU. GURU Education is an online learning space where members can study anywhere and whenever convenient, without constraints or imposition. It offers freedom of choice: students can study subjects they like, choose teachers whose methods suit them and learn and improve together. GURU is expected to bring a fresh online learning environment to students and the internet community.
GURU's products are the online courses learners want to take. In this initial period, the project focuses on Business and Finance, with a team of reputable instructors from economics universities, experienced entrepreneurs, and senior managers with management experience and the ability to present, explain, and convey appropriate content.
GURU Education answers the questions: “How can we change mindsets? How can we sow knowledge across regions? How can we bring more students the opportunity to learn valuable knowledge from good teachers? How can we instill a desire to learn, the joy of creativity, and enthusiasm for knowledge in young people?” GURU brings that opportunity to everyone passionate about learning, changing their thinking, and expanding their knowledge. GURU also stimulates learners' creativity. Phan Chính Dũng always keeps this in mind: “Creativity accelerates humanity's level of knowledge. The influence of creativity comes from knowledge; that is the generation of our descendants. As long as creativity exists, we will be even more surprised by the future and can predict almost nothing.” GURU is a catalyst for those creative learning processes.
With a background as an IT student and solid technical knowledge, Dũng recognized what he lacked, including experience and skills in personnel and financial management… He therefore learned and researched step by step to develop his skills and gradually overcome those difficulties.
Part of the challenge facing GURU Education is that educators in Vietnam still take a fairly strict view of online education. When approaching older lecturers, there always seems to be an invisible wall caused by differences in thinking between generations. Many lecturers only want to teach in person for easier interaction, or because that is the only way they feel comfortable teaching... Since the format is still so new and unfamiliar, GURU Education's members continually seek ways to persuade lecturers to help build the GURU project.
Online education is now considered a global trend, an inevitable and objective trend resulting from the power of technology. Although this form of learning is still very new in Vietnam, it can be seen as a fertile gap in the market that GURU has an opportunity to enter.
GURU is currently being developed by young team members:
- Phan Chính Dũng – founder and key figure in building Guru’s foundations and managing the team’s operations…
- Nguyễn Phan Lộc, Responsible for Interface Design and Feature Development for the Guru Website
- Nguyễn Thanh Tuyến Is the Team Member Responsible for Building the System’s Database
- Trần Khánh Duy is responsible for developing functions and applications to make Guru compatible with multiple devices and convenient for users
To date, GURU has completed 90% of its core functions and is expected to launch soon. By the end of 2014, GURU plans to partner with around 5 universities in Ho Chi Minh City to promote the program, jointly develop content, and introduce GURU into universities as an official support tool. Over the following 3 years, the project will expand to more universities and schools within the education system, formalizing this form of online learning and hoping to bring new changes to teaching and learning methods. GURU will be integrated to become a trusted destination, creating a more dynamic, proactive learning environment that stimulates school and university students' curiosity and creativity. Initially, GURU will focus on Ho Chi Minh City.
What makes GURU special is the benefits it offers learners. Once someone enrolls in any GURU course with a valid registered account, they can study forever, review it repeatedly and interact with instructors and other students through GURU's integrated features. In its first development stage, GURU plans to build community connections by dedicating around 10–20% of learning time to face-to-face meetings with instructors or fellow students, exchanging ideas and socializing to strengthen motivation. Students' evaluations will motivate the GURU team and encourage further improvements to the system it offers the community. This is a truly feasible project, helping change learning habits, inspire students and create enthusiasm for more effective exploration and learning.
While preparing for the project's launch, entrepreneurship training and support organization YUP! drew on its training experience and entrepreneurial expertise to accompany and support GURU's development. This included business and education knowledge, a convenient place to nurture GURU, and advice on refining the product and learning methods from a customer's perspective. Accompanying GURU's growth, witnessing participants mature, and feeling the project team's spirit of connection have brought YUP! joy and pride.
Dũng and the GURU team always welcome community feedback to help improve GURU's presentation, content, and ways of operating. The team also believes that the more interaction, ideas, and interest it receives from the learner community, the more deeply and broadly GURU will grow and the more positive a mark it will leave on education in the future.
Mr. Phan Chính Dũng once described entrepreneurship as a wonderful journey. It brings sadness at times and joy at others, but most importantly, it helps us live as ourselves, with our passion and life purpose. Always remain enthusiastic and believe in what you do; that belief will help each person reach the right destination.
We wish GURU Education success exceeding the team's expectations in the very near future.
Source: YUP INSTITUTE
