On October 15, 2023, the second stage of the joint international partnership project”Higher Education in the Context of Pandemic and War: Challenges, Solutions and Prospects” started in Styria. The participants – Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University and the Styrian Pedagogical University. The delegation from Drohobych University included Head of the Department of English Language and Translation, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Yuliia Talalay, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of English Language and Translation Lesia Shahala, second-year master’s students Anastasiia Yuzefiv and Iryna Lypak. They presented their work and exchanged experience with their colleagues and other students in Graz.
The program was extremely intense. On Monday, October 16, the delegation made presentations, discussed the difficulties of the educational process with the students participating in the Erasmus+ exchange program in the context of war and pandemic. Yuliia Talalay talked about the learning process using the innovative foreign language learning platform My English Lab in the context of a pandemic and war as well as various methods of studying a foreign language in blended and distance learning.
Iryna Lypak and Anastasiia Yuzefiv shared their own experience of their studies hampered by blackout, air-raid sirens, shelling alerts showing videos from bomb shelters, etc. Lesya Shahala focused on the key points of the training process, obstacles and challenges in the war. The delegation of the Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University had conducted a survey among the students of the Faculty of Ukrainian and Foreign Philology and shared the results with representatives of the Pedagogical University in Styria. The harsh reality of the Ukrainians made an impression on the peaceful civilians from Germany, Spain, France, Austria, etc.
On Tuesday, October 17, the delegation gave an interview on the local radio and television station Radioigel,about the obstacles Ukrainians have faced since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of peaceful and prosperous Ukraine. In addition, the radio host was interested in the issues of crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border. The working languages of the radio interview were English and German. At the request of the radio host, Yuliia Talalay concluded the interview by reciting a poem by Lina Kostenko.
Later, the delegation of DSPU visited the federal government of Styria, where they had an official meeting with Dr. Eva Zoberer-Brander, spokesperson for the Styrian state government, Department for Culture, International Relations and Sports.
On Wednesday, October 18, the delegation had a meeting with the Rector of the Pedagogical Institute of Styria, Professor Beatrix Karl. Also present were the staff of the Institute for Diversity and International Relations: Director of the Institute, Professor, Master of Philology, Susanne Linhofer and Deputy Director, Professor Heiko Haas-Fogle. The representatives of the two delegations discussed prospects for further cooperation between the universities.
On Thursday, October 19, the delegation of the DSPU visited the library and got acquainted with the teaching aids and curricula of the Pedagogical Institute of Styria. In addition, Yaroslav Lopushansky conducted a tour of the sights of Graz.
The project is funded by the federal government of Styria, the concept and management of the project is provided by the Austrian Library (founder and director in Drohobych, Associate Professor Yaroslav Lopushansky).
The delegation expresses their gratitude to Associate Professor Yaroslav Lopushansky.
