First Successful Steps of Cooperation

Zaporizhzhia National Polytechnic University (Ukraine) https://www.neuphil.uni-wuerzburg.de/anglistik/abteilungen/fachdidaktik-moderne-fremdsprachen-tefl/cooperations/zaporizhzhia-national-polytechnic-university-ukraine/

The first results of cooperation between Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg (JMU), Germany, and Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University (ZPNU), Ukraine, were published in Spring 2023. The results of this diverse and multifaceted cooperation were represented at international academic events in various conference contexts in Sweden, Canada, and Germany during the spring months of 2023.

On 7th of March, 2023 during the sixth workshop “Cross-university collaboration in digital humanities & social science (DHSS) and digital humanities & cultural heritage (DHCH) education” in Sweden, organized by  Linnaeus University, University of Gothenburg, Uppsala University (Sweden), Aarhus University (Denmark), and University of Helsinki (Finland), Prof. Dr. Maria Eisenmann (JMU), Prof. Dr. Prykhodko (ZPNU), PD Dr. Nataliia Lazebna (JMU), and Dr. Kateryna Lut (ZPNU) gave a presentation on their paper on “Global, social and cultural competencies of future EFL teachers: Germany-Ukraine universities cooperation”. The main findings collected during the sessions in a hybrid format and delivered through digital tools (Voyant tools, Miro White Board, eMargin) focused on Digital humanities (DH) as a potential meta-framework for TEFL students’ learning.

On 27th of April, 2023 at the international multidisciplinary conference “Main challenges and issues of university education in war conditions: Ukraine – 2022”, Winnipeg (Canada), organized by the University of Manitoba, the presentation on “Germany-Ukraine Universities Cooperation in the Field of EFL and Linguistic Studies (Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University and Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg)” was given online by PD Dr. Nataliia Lazebna (JMU), Dr. Elena Dieser (JMU) and Dr. Kateryna Lut (ZPNU). A general overview of the events that have taken place in the framework of the cooperation between the universities, such as hybrid sessions in TEFL, German-Ukrainian language club, hybrid lectures and seminars, as well as further planned steps were presented and discussed.

On 4th and 5th of May 2023, the participants of cooperation gave their talk on “Multimodal hybrid interaction of EFL students from Germany and Ukraine in the meta-framework of digital humanities” at the Ukrainian-Bavarian Conference on Double Degree Programs in Regensburg, organized by the Bavarian Academic Center for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (BAYHOST) and the Leibniz-Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS), PD Dr. Nataliia Lazebna, Prof. Dr. Gesine Drews-Sylla, Dr. Elena Dieser (JMU), and Dr. Kateryna Lut (ZPNU) represented their joint efforts to implement cooperation between the departments of TEFL and Slavic Studies (JMU) and Theory and Practice of Translation (ZPNU). Germanic and Slavic languages were presented in a harmonious symbiosis during the hybrid formats, live and online sessions with students from Germany and Ukraine. Communicative patterns, linguistic agendas, and methodological issues were the central anchor points that consolidated the interaction between students and teachers during the abovementioned events and were lively discussed by the conference participants. A wide range of perspectives for further development of the abovementioned cooperation between German and Ukrainian universities will contribute a lot in the future to a multifaceted academic cooperation, to the integration of teaching and learning environments, and to the individual and professional development of the parties involved. 

Both universities benefit from ongoing collaboration that ensures sustainable development and fosters a sense of global connectedness and cross-cultural understanding.  All participants look forward to future fruitful cooperation across all borders.

As part of a newly established German-Ukrainian cooperation, two pre-Christmas hybrid seminars between students from Julius Maximilian University and Zaporizhzhya National Polytechnic University focused on TEFL methodology.

On 21 December, future EFL teachers had the perfect opportunity to discuss multi-perspective representations of cultures through different texts and media forms.

The second workshop took place on 23 December 2022 and was based on inclusion, differentiation and individualisation in EFL teaching.

We would like to thank the students and colleagues who actively participated in these two meetings! It was a good starting point.

We are already looking forward to further cooperations in the future.