News

We continue to enhance our instructors’ digital competencies and introduce innovative approaches to teaching!

As part of the development of the self-paced online course “The Ukrainian Language and Culture” (A1 level) on the Moodle platform, a working meeting was held with a representative of the Karazin University team — Natalia Ihorivna Leonova, a leading specialist in the use of the LMS Moodle platform and Deputy Director of the Center for Digital Learning Support of the Academic Office.

Thanks to her expert guidance, the course developers received valuable consultations and practical recommendations on designing a high-quality, interactive, and user-friendly online course.

The project aims to promote the Ukrainian language and culture internationally and to create a modern digital learning environment for self-study.

The upcoming online course will serve as a useful resource for international students as well as for anyone interested in the Ukrainian language, culture, and contemporary Ukraine — including the University’s international partners and friends of Ukraine.

The Virtual Resource Center Digital Language Hub launched at the School of Foreign Languages

As part of the DigiFLEd project, the School of Foreign Languages' website now features the Digital Language Hub – a modern virtual educational space that brings together digital tools, teaching and research resources and opens up new opportunities for students, teachers and researchers.

The Digital Language Hub has been created to make the educational process more accessible, innovative and efficient for all users. The platform offers easy navigation and a clear structure with the following main sections:

  • Digital Academy – video tutorials and interactive materials for mastering digital tools used in education.
  • For students and graduates – tips on using AI tools, useful resources and job opportunities.
  • For teachers and researchers – access to academic articles, official guidelines and links to digital platforms for research and teaching.
  • Forum – a space for sharing ideas, discussing initiatives and supporting each other.

Explore the Digital Language Hub at:

https://foreign-languages.karazin.ua/en/international-center/Digital-Language-Hub

School of Foreign Languages contributes to the publication of the DigiFLEd Benchmarking Report

The Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Svitlana Virotchenko, together with the Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Business Language and Translation, Natalya Oliynyk, have made a significant contribution to the completion of Work Package 2 of the international DigiFLEd project. This milestone resulted in the publication of the Benchmarking Report, with V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, as the project's national coordinator, ensuring its timely submission.

On 28 November, during an online meeting of the DigiFLEd Project Managing Board, Natalya Oliynyk presented the report, which was successfully approved.

The Benchmarking Report includes:

  • Analysis of data and practices on the use of digital tools in language teaching, based on findings from study visits to leading universities: Maynooth University (Ireland), the University of Western Macedonia (Greece), and Tampere University (Finland).
  • Recommendations for educators, including the development of digital literacy, the modernization of teaching methods, and the integration of contemporary ICT tools.
  • Guidelines for updating foreign language curricula in higher education institutions.

The report has become a solid foundation for the next steps in the DigiFLEd project, which aims to enhance digital competencies in foreign language teaching.

View the report via this link: Benchmarking Report

School of Foreign Languages Faculty Participate in Training Modules within the International DigiFLEd Project

The School of Foreign Languages of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University has become actively involved in the new phase of the international DigiFLEd project “Modernization of university education programmes in foreign languages by integrating information technologies” (№101128713 – DigiFLEd – ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE).

This phase of the project involves participation in modern educational and methodological modules developed by leading European partner universities: Tampere University (Finland), National University of Ireland Maynooth (Ireland), and the University of Western Macedonia (Greece).

The training modules are being attended by the Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Associate Professor Svitlana Virotchenko, along with esteemed faculty members, including: Professors Olena Morozova and Oleksandr Rebrii; Associate Professors Natalya Oliynyk, Iryna Morozova, Anna Kotova, Iryna Avdieienko, Iryna Kholmohortseva, Hanna Husieva, Olha Kuznietsova, Olga Meleshchenko, Olha Pieshkova, Alevtyna Kaliuzhna, Iryna Lavrinenko, Valeriia Vlasova; Senior Lecturers Olha Matviichuk and Valeriia Nikolaienko; and Lecturers Anastasiia Vakulenko and Diana Klimova.

In November 2024, representatives of the School of Foreign Languages started their studies in the following modules:

National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM):

  • Moodle Online Course Design Essentials (Moodle Basics);
  • Gamification and Engagement in FL Teaching.

University of Western Macedonia (UOWM)

  • Multimedia content creation for Education & Theories and Principles of Multimedia Learning;
  • Digital storytelling;
  • Digital tools for creation, communication, and collaboration;
  • Virtual and Augmented Reality;
  • Communication and Digital Media;
  • Supporting university virtual centres.

Tampere University (TAU)

  • Digital Tools for Language Teaching;
  • Writing for Research Publication Purposes.

DigiFLEd marks a significant milestone in the modernization of education at the School of Foreign Languages. The integration of innovative information technologies enhances teaching quality, expands the range of research tools, and fosters deeper global scientific collaboration and intercultural exchange.

Additionally, the DigiFLEd project unlocks new opportunities for the professional growth of the faculty of the School of Foreign Languages and the elevation of educational standards.

On March 24, an online meeting of DigiFLEd project participants took place. On the agenda the representatives of partner-universities from Tampere, Ireland, Greece, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, Horlivka, Dnipro, Donetsk approved the project plan on “Communication and Dissemination”. In addition, during the meeting, the participants discussed the project website and agreed on a navigation menu.

There was an online meeting of the partner-universities participants within the international project DigiFLEd. During the event, issues regarding the content of educational courses “Translation Technology” (4 credits), “Writing for Research Publication Purposes” (4 credits), and “Digital Tools for Language Teaching” (4 credits) were discussed. As a result of the meeting, course programmes were agreed upon in accordance with the feedback and recommendations of all project participants.

On the January 30, at the University of Tampere (Finland), the Erasmus+ international grant project “Modernisation of University Education Programmes in Foreign Languages by Integrating Information Technologies” (DigiFLEd) was launched. This project aims to improve the quality of higher education in Ukraine by strengthening the foreign language-related curricula with information and communication technologies (ICT). Its objectives are: to address mismatches between the requirements of the labour market and the offer of higher education institutions (HEI); to provide foreign language teachers with the necessary training in ICT; to foster cooperation between partner universities; to strengthen the relationships between HEI, schools and other stakeholders; to enhance the international visibility of the Ukrainian language and culture.

The first meeting of the project participants started with a welcoming speech from the coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, Svitlana Shytikova, and the lecturer of Faculty of Information Technologies and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Kate Moore. The project coordinator, Yulia Shumilova, focused on the main aspects of the first project year (tasks, plans and expected deliverables).

The participants of the meeting who are the representatives of 10 universities from 4 European countries Tampere University, National University of Ireland Maynooth, University of Western Macedonia, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, V. O. Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv, State Higher Educational Institution Donbas State Pedagogical University, Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University presented their institutions and the working groups involved in the project, and outlined their areas of responsibility within the project.

At the end of the first day of the meeting, the speakers discussed working points about the project management. They agreed the project implementation plans and further events.

On January 11, 2024, an organizational conference of DigiFLEd consortium members was held to successfully launch and further implement the project "Modernization of University Foreign Language Education Programs through Integration with Information Technology". V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is the national coordinator of the project and is actively working on its implementation.

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”