A Spring School of the PROMENT project was held at Shota Rustaveli State University in Batumi, Georgia.
Representatives of Ukrainian and Georgian universities took part in this event, including:
- Lviv Polytechnic National University;
- National TU Dnipro Polytechnic;
- Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University;
- Chernihiv Polytechnic National University;
- Shota Rustaveli State University;
- Georgian Technical University;
in particular, Lviv Polytechnicians – the First Vice-Rector Oleh Matviikiv and Associate Professors at the Department of Computer-Aided Design, the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Uliana Marikutsa, Nataliia Bokla, Tamara Klymkovych, and Andrii Kernytskyi.
This spring school had a clear goal: to increase the participants’ qualifications in the field of successful implementation of the Tutoring and Mentoring (T&M) program in their home universities. The training program brought together the future staff of all T&M university centers from the target HEIs-partners from Ukraine and Georgia, who will later conduct trainings for mentors and tutors at their alma mater.
During the spring school, the participants:
- learned about the key concepts of mentoring and tutoring, gaining a thorough understanding of their principles and practical application;
- explored the impact of the T&M program on employment and social change, recognizing its potential to improve students’ life trajectories;
- mastered the methods and techniques of teaching, the approaches to teaching in practice, and acquired the necessary tools for effective support of students;
- studied the needs of mentees, tutees, which would help to better understand the context in which the T&M program functions;
- developed the skills of working in a multicultural environment, active listening and communication, critical thinking, decision-making, cooperation, positive conflict resolution and working with IT tools, and becoming more flexible and adaptable specialists;
- developed a sense of responsibility for their own actions, commitment to personal development and social change, curiosity, open-mindedness, appreciation of diversity, empathy and solidarity with those less fortunate to become role models for their students.
The result of fruitful work was the development of recommendations regarding:
- further development of the T&M program in the countries participating in the PROMENT project, which will help it become more sustainable and effective.
- training of mentoring and tutoring specialists, ensuring the availability of qualified personnel for the successful implementation of the program.
- use of inclusive learning methods in educational institutions, creating a fairer and more accessible environment for all students.
- organization of similar events for professionals who work with young people, expanding the range of knowledge and skills in this important area.
Feedback from school participants was unequivocally positive. They highly appreciated the content of the program, the competence of the trainers and the friendly atmosphere that contributed to fruitful cooperation and exchange of experience.
The PROMENT Spring School was a significant step on the way to increasing the ability of Ukrainian and Georgian universities to successfully implement the tutoring and mentoring program.
