Participation in the Kick-Off Meeting within the Project “International Students Adaptation and Integration”

22.2.2021

Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University took participation in the kick-off meeting within the project “International Students Adaptation and Integration”.

2021 is the year for the implementation of Development Strategy 2021 – 2031 for Higher Education in Ukraine, the aim of which is to “… elaborate a model of autonomous higher education institution, which will have the right to use contemporary opportunities for attracting grant investments, promoting the development of academic mobility by means of increasing the competitiveness of higher education institutions” (according to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Serhiy Shkarlet). The document is being developed in pursuance of the Decree of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (Decree № 210/2020 “On Improving Higher Education in Ukraine”) and the relevant instructions of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (№ 23502/2/1-20 of 12.06.2020; № 23502/3/1-20 of 13.06.2020).

Accordingly, among the tasks of 2021 in the sphere of higher education there are the following:

• Ukraine’s accession to EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation “Horizon Europe” (2021-2027) and Euratom Research and Training Program (2021-2025);
• elaboration and launch of the Unified interdepartmental electronic platform for the enrollment of foreign students;
• implementation of the Plan for promoting of higher education in Ukraine for foreign students.

The proactive approach of Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University as for the abovementioned, expressed, in particular, by the university’s participation in the project “Management of Internationalization of Ukrainian Higher Education Institutions and German-Ukrainian Academic Cooperation 2020 – 2021 with the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the German-Ukrainian Academic Society, the German Union of Managers of Science and the University of Leibniz and the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD), provides for a number of measures and innovations within the context of internationalization of educational, research, and administrative activities of HEI scheduled for the year 2021.

Among the latest one should mention the participation in the kick-off meeting of the International Students Adaptation and Integration project on February 19, 2021 on the basis of Sumy National Agrarian University (LTSNU was represented by Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Expert on Internationalization of Higher Education, Analyst of the Educational Initiatives Agency Ms. Iryna Myhovych). The event was also attended by the representatives of the Dutch Academy of Business (Netherlands), Foggia University (Italy), East Bavarian Technical University Amberg Weiden (Germany), Mykola Romeris University (Lithuania), KROK University (Ukraine), Chernivtsi National University named after Yuri National Polytechnic University, Mariupol State University, Kharkiv National University named after V.N. Karazin, Ivan Franko National University, National University of Water Management and Environmental Sciences.

The project envisages: 1) integration of foreign students into the cultural, ethnic, social environment of Ukraine and the European Union; 2) professional development of academic staff on the peculiarities of work with foreign students; 3) capacity building of international offices, improving the quality of administrative services. As a particularly stressed issue during the meeting was introduction of an interdepartmental electronic platform for foreign students, which will ensure the transparency of the mechanism for recruiting foreigners for higher education in Ukraine and optimize the procedure for issuing invitations. It has been noted that the platform would be launched in September 2021.

Among the preplanned systemic innovations are the following: 1) development and pilot testing of the training course “Internationalization as a key factor for the development of modern university”; 2) elaboration and approval of LTSNU Internationalization Strategy as a normative document that will summarize the vision of the university community on the future of the institution in accordance with the requirements of European integration; 3) elaboration and approval of Strategy for the development of foreign language skills among students and staff of the university; 4) elaboration and approval of the Monitoring and Evaluation System for foreign students with regard to the level of quality of services provided at LTSNU to foreign citizens; 5) elaboration and approval of the University Action Plan for Internationalization of educational, research, and administrative activities for 2021 – 2022.

It is envisaged that the implementation of these (and other) activities will contribute to further internationalization of HEI with regard to the implementation of world institutional innovative practice into LTSNU educational, research, and administrative directions of work.

Ms. Iryna Myhovych,
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences,
Expert on Internationalization of Higher Education,
Analyst of the Educational Initiatives Agency