From January 29 to February 02, at the Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv, as a part of the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities within a professional development program, they held School for Teachers "Global Synergy through Collaborative Online International Learning." Faculty FPSC SumDU's representatives were among the School's participants and lecturers.
34 representatives of 6 universities participated in the School's work. The participants had the opportunity to develop their skills and acquire knowledge of creating and implementing international virtual mobility projects that contribute to global synergy in the educational environment.
The Program consisted of sessions in which 11 experienced trainers-practitioners with experience in implementing projects on the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) model took part. They shared their knowledge and experience in implementing virtual mobility projects. The proposed format of cooperation between participants and experts from Canada, Colombia, the Netherlands, Germany, the USA, Ukraine, etc., contributed to the discussion of global trends in international education and virtual cooperation's role in opening Ukraine's educational and scientific potential.
Alla Krasulia, a senior lecturer of the Department of German Philology of the Faculty of FPSC, was one of the invited lecturers. She presented a report entitled "COIL Virtual Mobility Model: Definition, Principles and Benefits," in which she talked about the state of internationalization in Europe and Ukraine, proposed a classification of various terms from the field of digital internationalization, shared the experience of implementing virtual mobility projects in SumDU, discussed with the program participants the prospects and challenges of applying the COIL model.
Alla Krasulia expressed her admiration for the high level of expertise of the invited speakers, the intensity and content of discussions on current trends in international education, and the role of Collaborative Online International Learning in opening the Ukrainian potential on the world stage:
"The participation of Sumy State University in this Program reflects our commitment to innovation in the educational field and international partnership. The event opened up excellent opportunities for developing global synergy cooperations and networking with colleagues in Ukraine and abroad through virtual mobility and implementing their initiatives within the Alliance."
Olena Ishchenko, the associate professor of the Department of Journalism and Philology, was one of the participants of the School:
"I was lucky to participate in the "AUU Global Synergy through Collaborative Online International Learning" Winter School at the Ukrainian Catholic University. I already have experience in developing the COIL module. It was an academic mobility program implemented at the Department of Journalism and Philology as a part of the cooperation between Sumy State University and the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Nabua, Philippines. The Winter School proposed by the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities enriched me with knowledge about modern teaching technologies, stages of training, specifics, and difficulties of COIL implementation. I hope to attract the acquired skills during the second semester of the 2023-24 academic year", Olena Ishchenko shared her impressions and expectations from the Program.
Participation in international projects is an essential component of the professional development of teachers of Faculty FPSC SumDU. They actively use the acquired knowledge and skills in the educational process.
