During May 2023, scientific and pedagogical workers and students of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” (Ukraine) took part in the successful implementation of an international educational online project together with colleagues from. Avans University (Netherlands).
Teachers from Avans University – Juliana Brugman and Annette Ammeraal together with scientists from the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” – Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Management and Logistics Alina Chaikina, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Pavelieva and PhD-student of the Department of Management and Logistics Olena Olkhovyk held lectures, meetings with stakeholders and practical classes for student youth from different countries of the world.
The purpose of the project was to investigate the peculiarities of conducting business and entrepreneurial activity in different countries, taking into account cultural and national characteristics, as well as to acquaint foreign colleagues and students with the functioning of the education system and business institutions during a full-scale war.
16 students of various specialties of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” took part in the project, in particular, specialties 073 “Management”, 072 “Finance, Banking and Insurance”, 292 “International Economic Relations”, 076 “Business, Trade and Exchange Activities” and 075 “Marketing”.
22 students from the Netherlands, France, Mexico, Poland, Spain and Hungary participated in the project from Avans University (Netherlands).
Students were divided into 5 joint groups, where they had the opportunity to work on their own research throughout the period.
During the first – introductory meeting – teachers and students got acquainted with the history and culture of both countries, the structure of universities and educational programs, discussed the purpose and goals of the project as well as distributed tasks among students.
Invited lecturers – Dutch and Ukrainian stakeholders – held meetings during which students got acquainted with the basics of business management, features of opening startups, finding their own competitive ideas, peculiarities of financing entrepreneurial activity and finding investors for their project, the main risks and threats that accompany entrepreneurial activity at different stages of the life cycle.
They also learned the skills of building business models; namely, they learned to determine their value, their customers and partners, sales channels, resources needed for effective business functioning in modern conditions. Special attention was paid during the lectures to cultural differences and peculiarities of doing business in different countries of the world.
Practitioners who are stakeholders of educational and professional programs were also involved in the educational process. From Avans University (Netherlands) Joris Oudejans, the founder of the BASH company, and Zijian Wang, the founder of Honey Badger Technologies, gave interesting presentations and shared their own experience.
After the lectures, the students had to conduct research on the creation and functioning of successful startups in their own countries and compare cultural differences in doing business.
The project participants presented meaningful presentations of their scientific and practical research, demonstrated teamwork and intercultural interaction skills. All teams successfully defended their projects and received positive feedback from all participants.
After completing the project, the students shared their impressions:
Erwan Gardelle, student of Avans University of Applied Sciences
As one of the 50 students who participated in the project about start-ups between National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” and Avans University of Applied Sciences, I can say that it was an incredible learning experience. We explored, compared, learned about start-ups from seven different countries. Thank you to everyone involved in this academic partnership!
Yelyzaveta Cherniavska, student of specialty 073 “Management”
I can confidently say that working in a team with foreign students was extremely interesting and informative, since we had the opportunity to exchange different approaches to solving problems, share cultural characteristics and skills. It allowed me to broaden my horisons and improve my communication skills in English. Working with different people, I learned to be more open to other views and find compromises to achieve common goals.
Oleksandr Naumenko, student of specialty 072 “Finance, Banking and Insurance”
Cooperation with students of the Netherlands university was very thought-provoking and important for me. The first thing I liked was that the students were very experienced and motivated, as well as discussing ideas together and exchanging ideas with them brought a new dimension to the project.
In addition, cooperation with students of the university of the Netherlands allowed me to expand my intercultural skills and deepen my understanding of the culture and characteristics of the Netherlands. This was an important aspect of our joint work, as we were engaged in a project that had a global focus.
Overall, the joint project with Avans University was a very positive experience for me, impressed by their professionalism, motivation and receptiveness to new ideas.
Sholokh Dana, student of specialty 292 “International Economic Relations”
This project is an extremely rewarding experience! Working with students from other countries allowed me to see a diversity of cultures, approaches and perspectives. This project was incredibly exciting and left a positive impression as it was a great opportunity to learn, collaborate and grow together.
“We are sincerely grateful to our partner Avans University (Netherlands) for the opportunity to exchange experience, enrich ourselves with new knowledge, practical skills of scientific and educational activities. Special thanks to all students from different countries of the world for excellent teamwork, active interaction, thorough research, which gave an opportunity to compare the peculiarities of running a business, especially startups in different countries of the world and to adopt the experience of advanced companies. We hope for further fruitful cooperation!” – commented Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Management and Logistics of the Poltava Polytechnic Alina Chaikina.
“Intercultural communication skills are extremely important for the European integration of Ukrainian youth, as they advance the education of tolerance and sensitivity to various kinds of differences, contribute to the intercultural exchange of experiences as well as increase confidence in one's own strengths and knowledge, removing language barriers,” – adds the Candidate of Philological sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Anna Pavelieva.
Earlier, young scientists of higher education institutions discussed academic integrity in Ukraine and abroad, a scientist from the partner University of London shared effective professional cases with young people and teachers of the Polytechnic, and female students participating in the second International Virtual School shared their impressions of studying at a leading Polish university.
Media Center of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
