Aims and specific objectives:
Wider objective:
TO INTEGRATE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS INTO UKRAINIAN AND EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL SPACE BY THE MEANS OF CULTURAL, ETHNIC, SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC ASSETS.
Aim of the project:
- To develop and implement a Roadmap, that includes all aspects of IS integration and adaptation
- To improve the quality of training and administrative services, assure informational support of IS
- To upgrade qualifications of administrative and academic staff
- To create a tolerant multicultural international environment at Ukrainian HEIs
- To disseminate project results among Ukrainian HEIs
The project has one general objective, that designates the main idea of the project – integration and adaptation of students. This will be achieved by implementing of 4 specific goals.
THE FIRST GOAL– to develop and implement a Roadmap, that contains a multi-aspect approach towards students’ integration, thus ensuring a complex approach to the project’s problematic topic. The implementation of the Roadmap will be helpful for various target groups – first of all for IS, as it will greatly improve the conditions of their training and staying in Ukraine and provide understanding about the region (Europe) and country where they obtain education (Ukraine). It is envisaged that IS will be involved in the life of the University, have more communication with local students, and will learn EU and UA culture, way of life, and values for better understanding and faster adaptation. The implementation of the Roadmap will also provide information on practical issues on studying and living in Ukraine.
The Roadmap will be also helpful for international students’ offices, providing them with a systemic approach and activities to dealing with IS.
THE NEXT SPECIFIC objective is to upgrade the qualifications of the staff, thus including administrative staff of international offices, that will participate in study visits, will undergo training with the aim to enhance qualifications regarding implementation of administrative procedures, increase the efficiency of work, knowledge about cultural differences and dealing with other cultures, master the methods of communication, including basic mediation skills, learn how to prevent conflicts and deal with them, learn methods of reaction to some behaviour, understanding the origin of motivation and behaviour, that can seem to be strange or different.
Academic staff of HEI, that works with IS will also participate in the study visits and training or will undergo the seminars at their HEIs from those who acquired EU experience. At such activities, they will learn more about methods of instruction in dealing with interculturalism, methods to work in groups with different cultures, methodological features and peculiarities of international students training, also some information will be the same as for administrative staff – methods of communication, intercultural misunderstandings and conflicts prevention. Academic staff will also learn the best practices, principles and methods of how to develop the adaptation course, together with EU experts will work on curricula offered for IS to adjust them to the needs and expectations of IS.
The administrative staff and partially academic will be the performers, that will develop and implement the content (roadmap) for the main target group (IS).
The administrative staff will upgrade and implement administrative procedures, while the academic staff will ensure the increase in the quality of training by adaptation of educational programs to IS. To reach these goals, the EU experience, that will be learnt, is very important and will be the foundation for the implementation of administrative procedures and increasing the quality of education.
More comfortable conditions for IS will be created by MODERNIZING THE UNIVERSITY INFRASTRUCTURE – thus making it more friendly for IS, especially for newcomers, when the structure of the university building is unclear; also translation of documentation to the languages of IS origin will also help them to understand the legislation, rules, procedures of the country and of the University clearly, feel more safe, secure and find the environment more positive. This specific objective will also contribute to the efforts directed on Ukrainian students and university staff as they will participate in seminars on intercultural competencies, will be involved in a promo campaign on interculturalism and tolerance, and also will participate in the activities together with IS (envisaged by strategy). Such preparation of students and staff and in the long run society will help to make people more helpful for IS, less suspicious, prevent bullying or other possible negative effects and will result in the diminishing the barrier among interaction of different cultures.
THE DISSEMINATION PART of the project is extremely important and it will cover the abovementioned needs and demands at other HEIs on the national level. The Ukrainian HEIs will have a clear roadmap, procedures, and developed documents for all the processes of IS integration. It is expected that other Ukrainian HEIs will see the benefits of the activities, which will be widely disseminated at the seminars, social media, and mass media and due to the participation of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education, which will ensure support and promotion of the project results at the national level.
