Many changes in 2017-2018 Violympic Competition

On February 06, 2018, the Violympic Center (under FPT Corporation) has announced the 2017-2018 Violympic, an online math and physics competition. There are many changes in this year's competition. The number of rounds drops as there are not rounds at all levels of the Competition. It only consists of free rounds and the final round. The content and technology are also improved.

The ceremony was attended by some representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, local education and training departments, teachers, students and leaders of FPT Corporation.

The number of rounds drops to reduce pressure on students. Math ViOlympic (Vietnamese) consists of 13 rounds, Math ViOlympic (English) and Physics ViOlympic include 10 ones. There are not rounds at all levels of the Competition, so it only consists of free rounds and the final round. In particular, the final rounds lasting 60 minutes includes 03 same parts with free rounds do and an unlimited number of additional answers. In terms of prize structure, there are seven first prizes, 14 second prizes, 21 third prizes and 70 consolation prizes with a total value of over VND200 million. However, the units can organize their own competitions and assess their students' performance via three last coded rounds.

FPT CEO Bui Quang Ngoc affirmed that FPT would keep investment in terms of both technology and content to better Violympic.

Applied math problems and puzzles for thinking development are added into the test. FPT Corporation has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences under the Ministry of Education and Training. The Institute will study and adjust the contents of Violympic in order to encourage student participation. It also partners with FPT to develop other online learning and educational products in the future.

"The Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences will assess and continuously update the question bank in accordance with the program developed by the MoET. They stick with what students are taught in schools, while the number of applied math problems and puzzles for thinking development grows," Tran Huy Hoang, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences said.

"FPT always supports educational technology applications and Violympic is one of them. Over the past nine years, Violympic has become an attractive and useful playground for millions of students at all levels. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Vietnam needs to invest heavily in mathematics, helping young people quickly access computers and Internet in order to be ready for this revolution. FPT will keep investment in terms of both technology and content to better Violympic, helping improve Vietnamese students' skills and knowledge," said FPT CEO Bui Quang Ngoc.

The representatives of FPT Corporation and the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences signed the strategic cooperation agreement.

The technology improvements which make Violympic website more user-friendly, easier to use, increase processing speed and enhance security are considered the breakthrough change of this year's competition. The technology trends in Industry 4.0 will be followed to personalize the learning for students. Candidates will be given the most suitable assignments, then developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses as quickly as possible.

During the upcoming, FPT will launch a mobile version of Violympic; chatbot - robot answering frequently asked questions. The organizers will take advantage of in-depth technologies such as virtual reality or augmented reality to get students to be more interested in Violympic. Students easily find out their ranking and history on the system as well as recover their accounts with email or phone number.

This is the 10th year Violympic has been held. FPT hopes to create a friendly and healthy learning environment for pupils, shortening the distance to education for all, helping Vietnamese students get ready for the fourth industrial revolution.