Studies in Comparative Education

ASSESSING LANGUAGE LEARNING OUTCOMES IN ONLINE ENVIRONMENTS

2024-12-30T20:57:15+02:00

The changes taking place in our lives necessitate adaptation in our methods of learning. The online environment became especially relevant due to Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, which forced thousands of Ukrainian students to move away to other cities or countries. Many universities in vulnerable locations are unable to continue even remote studies. When offline schooling is not available, distance learning is an answer. Progress in technologies enabled digital broadcasting and the receipt of programmes of study making online learning even more accessible and convenient for everyone. Such technologies are currently increasingly used to bring lectures and teaching materials remote from an institution to students with regular testing of knowledge, which contributes to more effective learning.

The authors aim to present an overview of online language testing and assessment. However, this is not about testing for the sake of grading, but about testing that encourages learning. This means that the test tasks should encourage better learning of the material and have a minimal impact on the assessment. The focus is shifted from simple questioning to different kinds of tests that would address individual difficulties, personality traits, attitudes and preferences for the acquisition process. Evaluating the outcomes while learning a foreign language online is not an easy task. During this process the teacher tries to find out whether the learners are meeting language course goals. This study outlines a number of problems related to fraud, lack of reliability, and increased workload for teachers using online teaching.

INNOVATIVE ECOSYSTEMS AND COOPERATION OF UKRAINIAN UNIVERSITIES WITH BUSINESS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

2025-01-31T15:16:51+02:00

The article discusses the state of innovative ecosystems in Ukraine and the experience of their functioning in the European Union. The author outlines the notion of innovative ecosystems and describes some cases of Ukrainian and European cases of organizing and functioning of innovative ecosystems on the basis of universities in cooperation with business, enterprises and public institutions. The strengths and weaknesses of Ukrainian ecosystems from the results of other Ukrainian and foreign research, analytical reports represented by Ukrainian ministries and international organizations, Ukrainian and European databases, the official sites of Ukrainian higher education institutions, the project reports of their participants are analysed, the prospects for new opportunities are described. The impact of international projects and programmes on the development of innovative ecosystems is studied. The outline of such programmes as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, Digital Europe Programme, Junior Achievement Ukraine is presented as the most valuable for Ukraine as they support innovative projects and ecosystems within their scope regarding separate economy sectors and directions. Besides considering the separate projects or experiences focusing on creation, functioning or improvement of innovative ecosystems in Ukraine, Italy, Czech Republic and Latvia, the article presents the experience of addressing the issues of innovative ecosystems within the third mission of a university and the interim result of Erasmus+ project “Universities - communities: strengthening cooperation”.

PRO-EUROPEAN VALUES OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS: THE EXPERIENCE OF IMPLEMENTING J. MONNET MODULE

2024-12-30T20:28:35+02:00

The article deals with the main features and principles of forming value orientations of higher education students. It emphasizes the role of higher educational institutions in fostering the conditions for the promotion of universal and European values. Based on the analysis of the research works on European integration in terms of education the authors have made a conclusion that higher education in Ukraine is characterized by systemic changes through reforms aimed at creating a system for ensuring and continuously improving the quality of higher education that aligns with the recommendations and standards of the European Higher Education Area. The aim of this paper is to share the experience of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University in strengthening the EU common values in the education and training of future foreign language teachers under the framework of Jean Monnet Module of the ERASMUS+ programme. The authors describe in detail the Module’s objectives and outcomes; emphasize the impact of the Module on the development of future foreign language teachers’ competences in promoting the EU common values; present a list of key activities delivered within the Module framework; show how dissemination process is taking place.

PROJECT TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING SOCIO-HUMANITARIAN DISCIPLINES IN CONDITIONS OF WAR

2024-12-30T20:38:51+02:00

The article is devoted to the analysis of the features of project technology in teaching socio-humanitarian disciplines in wartime. Particular attention is paid to the specifics of the implementation of age-based project activities in secondary and higher education institutions and the cognitive and social differences between secondary school and university students. Changes in the topics of project activities caused by the war are considered. The influence of project technology on the formation of competencies of students is determined. The types of projects that promote the development of critical thinking, civic responsibility, emotional stability, and competencies are characterized. In the practical part of the study, the survey method was used, which allowed us to analyze the project technology from the perspective of educators and students. The theoretical part is based on the principles of nonlinear methodology of cognition, system activity, and axiological approaches. It has been established that the use of project technology in teaching socio-humanitarian disciplines in the context of war helps to increase motivation for cognitive activity, assimilation of knowledge, supports emotional stability, develops competencies, and forms civic consciousness. It is noted that the implementation of project-based learning depends on the age and cognitive capabilities of students. The results of the survey are analyzed, which show the positive impact of project technology on the quality of the educational process and on improving the emotional and volitional sphere, which is especially important in times of war.