The EducationUSA network in Ukraine has selected participants for the Internationalization Leadership Academy, which aims to create opportunities for virtual exchanges between students from Ukraine and the United States.
Applicants who already have professional contacts with the American colleagues had a special advantage in the selection of participants. National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” has permanent partners in the United States and an agreement on scientific and educational cooperation with Santa Fe College initiated by the rector of the university, Professor Volodymyr Onyshchenko.
EducationUSA advisors together with the SUNY COIL center taught educators and scientists to create virtual modules and integrate them into the teaching process of their discipline. Within the framework of the Academy, Ukrainian participants together with their American colleagues developed and implemented virtual exchange modules for their students.
The educational and preparation stage lasted from March to December 2021, and the main achievements of Ukrainian and American scientists, practitioners are to be implemented during 2022.
Within the framework of the project “Internationalization Leadership Academy” Anna Aheicheva presented an auspicious international experience of the university and shared successful cases of virtual exchanges during the global pandemic COVID-19.
“Our university is an active participant in virtual exchanges; faculty lecturers have already held a series of presentations for American youth interested in current issues in science, art and higher education; popularized Ukrainian culture, traditions and history of our country. Together with the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs of Santa Fe College Vilma Fuentes and Head of International Education Programs Jessica Surana we discussed priority areas for research and education, opportunities for academic mobility and youth exchanges.
Partaking in such international projects provides an opportunity to learn about the content and form of educational courses, methods of lecturers, organization of the educational process as well as research activities, to communicate with students and lecturers from around the world. In addition, it is extremely important for any lecturer and scientist to be able to develop a network of professional and personal contacts, update their knowledge, exchange practical experience and generate new creative ideas. The exchange program, implemented with the support of Education USA and SUNY COIL, allows to significantly improve the quality of teaching subjects in a foreign language,” – shares her impressions program participant, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of Poltava Polytechnic, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences Anna Aheicheva.
The scientist also spoke about joint international projects and shared her experience of conducting international events online, noted the active participation of partners and friends from the United States in joint projects and invited to take part in future scientific events.
“Such international programs will help the academic community learn more about American culture, society, history, politics, and relations with Ukraine. The exchange program emphasizes the values, hopes, and aspirations shared by Ukrainians and Americans and will certainly strengthen our partnership with Santa Fe College. I hope to continue our fruitful cooperation and express my sincere gratitude to our American colleagues for additional opportunities for professional development and useful international experience,” – commented the head of the Faculty of Humanities. According to her, participation in the “Internationalization Leadership Academy” program has become an incredible professional and personal experience, and Polytechnic students will be able to actively travel online, study the academic and social life of one of the leading educational institutions in the United States. The relevance of such an exchange program lies in the wide educational prospects and opportunities for student youth to master the necessary soft skills, to implement creative ideas as well as gain practical experience in communicating with native speakers.
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” provides comprehensive support and assistance in the development of various educational projects aimed at improving the quality of foreign language teaching. Today, Polytechnic has the most up-to-date conditions for learning foreign languages and the most favorable conditions for the implementation of international educational projects: there are multilevel English language courses for students and lecturers of special disciplines, “Foreign Language Center” operates actively and scientists successfully apply progressive experience.
It should be recalled that the lecturer of the Faculty of Humanities underwent training on teamwork, communication and conflict management, scientists shared effective life hacks of teaching foreign languages in a pandemic, and participants of the International Teleconference of Friendship presented scientific and educational cases of forming the communicative competencies.
Previously, a university lecturer took part in an academic exchange program in the United States, the Faculty of Humanities held a virtual tour around Ukraine for American colleagues, scientists from four countries discussed innovations in foreign language training of specialists, and a polytechnic scientist won a grant from DAAD to participate in a project on internationalization management as well as German-Ukrainian academic cooperation.
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
