On 25 September 2023, the team of the Educational and Research Centre "European Studies for Technical Universities" held an interactive event "Sharing best practices in teaching European studies and creating interdisciplinary programmes in Ukrainian higher education institutions: students' visions" with the participation of second-year students of the International Relations speciality and members of the Innovation Hub student initiative.
At the event, Yaryna Turchyn, EUSTS Project Manager and Director of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, presented her personal experience of implementing European Studies at Lviv Polytechnic. The speaker told the students about the genesis of European Studies, projects supported by the Erasmus+ programme in the Jean Monnet in Higher Education area, the peculiarities of teaching European Studies in higher education institutions on the example of Lviv Polytechnic, as well as the possibilities of introducing interdisciplinary educational programmes in European Studies based on the results of professional focus-group interviews presented during the event.
Olena Lukachuk, Innovation Hub mentor, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Researcher of the Science Commercialisation Group of the Research Department, member of the EUSTS project team, presented the organisation of project and innovation activities of Polytechnic students. She told about the work of the Innovation Hub, the experience of students writing their first project applications, the opportunities of the Erasmus+ programme in the area of Youth Capacity Building, as well as the establishment of student cooperation with the Rotaract Club Lviv, Tech StartUp School, House of Europe, the Ambassadors of European Youth and European Cultural Spaces initiatives. The speaker also noted the need to join Lviv Polytechnic in the pan-European student organisation Erasmus Student Network.
Anastasiia Shkil, a student of the MB-24 group, a member of the Innovation Hub, presented her own vision of using STEM learning approaches in the study of European studies, in particular, she proposed to jointly develop interdisciplinary projects, invite foreign experts to meetings with students, and organise regular science fairs and excursions, as well as introduce elements of gamification into the educational process.
A student of the MB-24 group, Innovation Hub member Maria Pikh, noted that the main areas of STEM education will help students develop the most important characteristics that define a competent specialist: the ability to see a problem; the ability to see as many possible sides and connections in a problem as possible; innovation, deviating from the standard; the ability to abstract or analyse; the ability to specify or synthesise; flexibility as the ability to understand a new point of view and resilience in defending one's position.
Oleksii Nahirnyi, a student of group MВ-24 and coordinator of the Innovation Hub, analysed opportunities aimed at improving the teaching of green energy courses at universities in different countries, as well as the work of student environmental organisations, and highlighted aspects that Lviv Polytechnic should adopt and use on a regular basis. These include holding events, seminars, and information sessions.
Nataliia Vasylytsia, a student of the MВ-24 group and a member of the Innovation Hub, commented on the report and highlighted the importance of partnerships initiated by the EU and UNESCO between educational institutions, research centres and industrial partners in the green energy sector.
Marta Dmytriv, a student of the MB-24 group and a member of the Innovation Hub, devoted her speech to an overview of innovations in the study and teaching of European studies. The speaker proposed to change locations for lectures and practical classes, use new interactive support programmes for the material presented, establish uninterrupted feedback between students and teachers, use simulation technologies, provide opportunities to deepen communication with potential employers, and form a start-up culture in the student environment.
Anastasiia Burban, a student of the MB-24 group and member of the Innovation Hub, viewed European studies as a means of shaping the environmental culture of future professionals. She noted that many universities and educational institutions in Europe offer programmes and courses that integrate aspects of ecology and sustainable development into European studies: in particular, the Master's programme in European Studies and Environmental Protection, the discipline European Ecology, the programme on Regional Development and Ecology in Central and Eastern Europe, and the course European Energy and Climate Change.
Zlata Klymova, a student of the MB-24 group, a member of the Innovation Hub, commented on this report, underlining that the formation of environmental awareness of specialists can only be ensured through non-formal education, using learning by doing techniques, outdoor activities, etc., as well as through interesting interdisciplinary curricula that can be studied at universities and the introduction of eco-settlements popular in Europe on campuses.
The event was also attended by teachers, guarantors of the educational programmes of the Department of Political Science and International Relations: Professor Halyna Lutsyshyn, Associate Professors Iryna Malyk, Ruslan Demchyshak, Yurii Tyshkun, Lesia Kornat, assistants Yaryna Zavada and Artem Kokosh.
The training on teaching methods, participants of the EUSTS project, Associate Professors of the Department of Political Science and International Relations Olha Ivasechko, Oleh Tsebenko, Olena Lukachuk, provided the second-year students of the International Relations speciality with the practical part of the event using simulation technologies to develop knowledge about the activities of key EU institutions. The simulation game "Meeting of the European Council" was chosen.
Three topics were on the agenda of the meeting:
- Ukraine's progress in European integration reforms, in particular, the status of implementation of seven recommendations from the EC;
- analysis of the EU enlargement process and preparation of the European Commission's report within the framework of the 2023 enlargement package in October 2023;
- EU assistance/support for Ukraine after 24 February 2022 and the establishment of the Ukraine Facility.
During the meeting, the students chose the roles in which they represented Olha Stefanishyna, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Oliver Vargei, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, and EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Anne Luhrmann, German Minister for European Affairs and Climate Change, Laurence Boone, Minister for European and Foreign Affairs of France, Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and a POLITICO correspondent.
The event concluded with the recommendations for Ukraine to continue the judicial reform and take further anti-corruption measures.
Associate Professors Nataliia Vovk and Oleksandr Markovets (Department of Social Communications and Information Activity), Lidiia Kasha (Department of Electromechatronics and Computerised Electromechanical Systems), and Iryna Sukhorolska (Department of Political Science and International Relations) also contributed to the preparation of the event.
The event was held within the framework of the European Studies for Technical Specialities at Lviv Polytechnic National University (EUSTS) project with the support of the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme. A total of 61 people took part in the event.
More information about EUSTS is available on the project website within the Lviv Polytechnic Portal.
