Faculty of Journalism of ZNU participated in the final conference of the international project "DESTIN"

Teachers, students and postgraduates of the Faculty of Journalism of ZNU joined the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Journalism of the Future: challenges, trends, prospects of development ". The online event was held at Ivan Franko Lviv National University. The conference was a unique outcome of the implementation of the large-scale international project of the European Union ERASMUS+KA2 " Journalism Education for Democracy in Ukraine: Developing Standards, Integrity and Professionalism (DESTIN)", which was implemented in 10 Ukrainian institutions of higher education that train specialists and professionals in the field of journalism for four years. Among them was the Faculty of Journalism of ZNU.

Participants of the conference were welcomed by a representative of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Sergey Shkabko: «Today, we prioritize cooperation of higher education institutions with foreign universities by implementing double degrees programs, participating in alliances with European partners, using educational platforms, academic mobility, and so on. The extend of integration of Ukrainian educational institutions is now quite high, which was made possible, first of all, thanks to the ERASMUS+programs». The conference coordinator, Professor at the Bath Spa University (UK) Ian Gadd spoke about the results of the "DESTIN" project. He recalled that "DESTIN" had two goals, namely: alignment of the Ukrainian and European systems of journalistic education and improvement of media literacy. «These are not just changes in the curriculum. We are talking about conceptual, technical, and cultural changes that are not so easy to implement. Students should be principled in their profession and promote the core values of ethical journalism. Of course, the lockdown and the war prevented full-fledged work within the project, but the Ukrainian and European partners did a lot of things: they purchased equipment, updated curricula, issued methodological recommendations for developing training programs in journalism, conducted many master classes, consultations, and study visits. I am convinced that all our steps will contribute to the development of journalism in the future», - Ian Gadd remarked during the plenary session.

For the Faculty of Journalism of ZNU, as well as for other Ukrainian partners, the "DESTIN" project has become a kind of impetus for the implementation of new approaches in the provision of educational services. First, an important step was the development of student-centrism at the faculty. This means that students participate in all stages of the educational process, from discussion of educational programs to evaluation of training courses. Secondly, the curriculum was also updated, individual modules were expanded, and the content of practical courses was revised. We were lucky to add new equipment to the faculty laboratories. We have also established cooperation with stakeholders who are involved in reviewing educational programs at the faculty.

Journalism is a very mobile profession, so educational institutions should also respond quickly to changes in the media field. A professor at the Windesheim University (Netherlands) Nico Drok spoke about the main trends in practical journalism. He presented the results of a survey of European and Ukrainian media professionals. The study showed that the priority in the future will be given to slow journalism ( analytical, investigative), as fast journalism (news) is likely to be replaced by artificial intelligence and aggregators. «What implications will this have for journalism education? It should develop analytical skills, the ability to establish a connection between events, understand the context, verify information, and create stories. Communication skills, teamwork, and language competence also remain relevant», – said Nico Drok during his speech.

The project is coming to an end, but there is still a lot of work ahead, as all its participants will continue to work on the implementation of the results in the educational process, test new educational programs and training courses, and work on improving the content of modules, taking into account changes in the media market and the needs of employers. At the Faculty of Journalism of ZNU, "DESTIN" inspired the team to another European project "EU-INDY - Jean Monnet Module", which introduced teaching European media studios at the university and continued the implementation of European values in the educational process of future professionals in journalism.