Faculty of Foreign Philology Summed up the Introduction of New and Updated Training Courses created within Erasmus+ KA2 MultiEd project
Within the framework of the MultiEd project, before the beginning of the semester, in cooperation with European partners, teachers developed programs and syllabi of new bachelor's and master's courses in higher education in specialty 035 "Philology", specialization 035.041 (German languages and literatures).
New disciplines, including "Fundamentals of Written Communication" (Assoc. Prof. O. Pieshkova), "Academic Writing" (Prof. T. Kozlova and Assoc. Prof. K. Vasylyna), "Language, Culture, Society" (Assoc. Prof. M. Zaluzhna and Assoc. Prof. O. Luzhanytsia), "Fundamentals of Learning a Second Foreign Language" (Assoc. Prof. O. Pieshkova), "Information Literacy and Critical Thinking" (Assoc. Prof. M. Zaluzhna, Assoc. Prof. S. Zapolskykh and Assoc. Prof. M. Hladysh), "CLIL-methodology in the Context of Educational Technologies" (Assoc. Prof. N. Nadtochii), "CLIL Methodology in the Context of Humanities" (Assoc. Prof. N. Nadtochii) and others were developed using the latest technologies and teaching methods aimed at promoting the integration of Ukrainian students into the European space.
Course updates, including "Foreign Language Practice", "Introduction to Linguistics", "Discourse Studies and Textology", "Lexicology", "Theoretical Grammar", "Stylistics", "Linguistics", "Theory and Practice of Translation", etc. provided, first of all, the transition to student-centeredness, the use of the latest methods and information technologies, modern literary sources.
Prior to the training, the team lead by the Dean Halyna Moroshkina and the project coordinator, Head of the Chair of Theory and Practice of Translation from English Svitlana Zapolskykh received positive feedback from the stakeholders on educational programs and recommended the introduction of new disciplines. In developing the courses, teachers focused on the approved standards of the specialty, which emphasized the need to form learning outcomes, which are as follows: to develop skills to evaluate educational and scientific-professional activities, build and implement an effective strategy of self-development and professional self-improvement and oral communication, apply the latest methods of philological research, modern methods and technologies, evaluate and critically analyze socially, personally and professionally significant problems and suggest ways to solve them in complex and unpredictable conditions that require new approaches and forecasting, find optimal ways effective interaction in the professional team and with representatives of other professional groups of different levels, etc.
Classes were conducted online using the video conferencing service Zoom, so teachers’ instructions, students’ discussions and brainstorming were visualized with the help of interactive whiteboards Google Jamboard, Miro, Padlet. The use of interactive feedback platforms Mentimeter, Kahoot, Quizziz allowed to diversify the range of tasks and types of control measures.
Since the disciplines are taught in foreign languages, the students passed the entrance and exit language tests. The results showed an improvement in knowledge and skills in a foreign language. At the end of all courses, students took a survey, which was voluntary and anonymous, and was conducted to evaluate the course for further improvement, as reported by students. The Google form was agreed with the Department of Education Quality Monitoring and Licensing of Zaporizhzhia National University, concluded in English in order to keep up with the principles of integrated subject and language learning and posted on the Moodle platform in each of the courses.
It should be noted that the frequency of attending classes online was quite high, despite the martial law and students’ involvement in volunteering. In general, the teaching of lectures and seminars was highly rated - more than 90% gave the highest grade. In open-ended questions, students indicated that the presentations of lectures and seminars were bright, informative, logically structured, and that they were pleasantly surprised by the innovative approach to teaching the discipline of the general cycle. They also assessed the use of integrated subject and language teaching methods, which simultaneously provide knowledge of the subject and improve the level of English language proficiency. The wishes for lectures and seminars are to increase the amount of time for classroom classes, to ensure uninterrupted Internet communication.
In open answers only positive feedback was given. Students noted that the courses not only provide information, but also effectively train skills. The optimal approach is that teachers provide skills training at all levels of cognition, which is essential for future teachers, who will then be able to apply all the exercises in their practice. The undergraduates also appreciated the use of the grouping option in the Zoom video conferencing service, Mentimeter, Kahoot tools, Jamboard and Miro.com interactive whiteboards.
Thus, the experience and results of the course, as well as a survey conducted among students indicate that new disciplines and updated courses are relevant, their content meets the needs of today. Prospects for further work within the project are to continue the practice of updating the materials of disciplines, as well as adapting the courses for further implementation for a wider target audience.
