During the first semester of the 2025-2026 academic year, the Department of General Linguistics and Foreign Languages at Poltava Polytechnic is hosting Virtual English Language Specialist, Professor Jessica Raczkowski, a Fellow of the U.S. Department of State’s Virtual English Language Educator Program.
Professor Raczkowski holds a Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Pittsburgh, a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, and possesses over 16 years of international experience teaching English in higher education.
The Virtual English Language Educator Program is entirely funded by the United States Government. Candidate selection is conducted by Georgetown University in the USA. The program employs only experienced American educators who hold relevant academic degrees and possess significant experience teaching English worldwide.
Poltava Polytechnic has been selected for participation in the Program for the second time among Ukrainian universities. Last academic year, Katya McNutt taught the course “Practice of Oral and Written Speech (English Language)” to first-year (Bachelor’s) students in speciality 014 “Secondary Education,” conducted English conversation clubs, and organised engaging cultural and artistic events for the university's student and teaching community.
This year, Professor Raczkowski’s activities focus on teaching the course “Foreign Language for Professional Purposes” to students in two first-year (Bachelor's) level groups in speciality 122 “Computer Science” and one group in speciality 191 “Architecture and Urban Planning.” Thanks to this program, approximately 60 students in the university’s non-linguistic specialities have the opportunity to work with a highly qualified native speaker, enhancing their English proficiency for successful future professional careers and for the rebuilding of Ukraine.
Associate Professors Tetiana Korol, Yuliia Syrota, and Yuliia Fedorenko from the Department of General Linguistics and Foreign Languages coordinate the project's organisation and implementation. Classes take place weekly, according to the schedule, in a virtual format on Zoom, from September 22 to December 13, 2025. Professor Raczkowski’s customised course curricula cover current, highly specialised, professionally oriented topics in information technology and architecture, involving various interactive tasks, the active use of modern digital resources, and the realisation of creative projects.
We sincerely thank the University Administration for their comprehensive support of the department's initiatives and the Regional English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine for their high level of trust!
Previously, Tetiana Korol presented a report at the TESOL24 International Convention & Expo in Tampa, Florida, USA, and completed international training at leading American educational institutions. Additionally, Anna Pavelieva, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation at Poltava Polytechnic, became a finalist in the “Open World” academic exchange program, established by the U.S. Congress.
As a reminder, faculty members of Poltava Polytechnic are eligible to participate in academic mobility and internship programs. Students can study abroad through Erasmus+ credit academic mobility grant programs for a semester or a full academic year at leading universities in Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
For more detailed information on current internship, teaching, and academic mobility programs abroad, please get in touch with the International Relations Office (office 213-C, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or Poltava Polytechnic’s International Relations Coordinator – Anna Pavelieva, Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation (email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +38-(095)-91-08-192).
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
