A student of UzhNU spent semester studying at the University of Evele (Sweden)
Erasmus+ is a well-known exchange program for students, teachers, and researchers. The program provides an opportunity to study, do an internship or teach in another country participating in the program. Every semester, UzhNU students gladly agree to become part of a foreign university. Recently, a 1st year master's student of the English Department of the Faculty of Foreign Philology Olesia Hoban completed a semester study at the University of Evele (Sweden) and shared her impressions of this incredibly interesting adventure:
- "My Erasmus+ trip to Sweden began on a hot August day and I had a challenging route ahead of me: Uzhhorod - Krakow - Warsaw - Stockholm - Evele. What a contrast I felt between the summer, sunny Uzhhorod and the cold, windy Eureka! It seemed as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on me. And then the rhythm of life accelerated significantly, because I had to do everything: move into the dormitory, fill out documents, explore the city, get acquainted with the university.
I would like to add a lyrical digression about the dormitory, as that place became my home for 6 months. I could feel the famous Scandinavian style: simplicity and functionality. My room was divided into 2 parts: a kitchen-studio and a small separate bedroom. Undoubtedly, the kitchen was my favorite place, because a large international company often gathered there to taste Transcarpathian kiflyky or real borscht (everything turned out quite tasty, so the representation of Ukrainian cuisine was at a decent level).
Now let's get back to the most interesting part - the training. Sweden is the country where you should look for the answer to the question "How to teach EFL?" because almost the entire population speaks English as if it were their native language. For myself, I have identified two main points without which it is impossible to survive in a Swedish university: self-education and academic integrity. I was pleased with the detailed instructions of the teachers, who helped me to come to the seminars already prepared, discuss the points that were not clear during the independent study and express my opinions on some aspects. Most of the work was done in groups, and it was impressive how diligently my classmates prepared for classes, freely expressed their thoughts and touched upon the most complex problems that can occur in a modern European classroom.
As for the written assignments, the preference was given to essays, which are a kind of reflection on the topic. To write this type of work, it was necessary to study a number of books, so the assignment took several days to complete (I remind you of academic integrity). The essay was written in two stages: preparing a draft version, which was checked by other students, and correcting and then attaching the finished version of the text with a response to the changes.
Speaking of checking by other students, or the so-called peer review. This technique was the basis for all written assignments because it was beneficial for all students. The author of the review has to show his or her knowledge in practice, because it is not so easy to find flaws in someone else's work without the necessary knowledge. Meanwhile, the author of the essay received feedback that opened up new perspectives for improving the work. The emotional intelligence of the students was particularly impressive, as they gladly accepted constructive criticism and saw it as an opportunity to improve the text, but not as something offensive.
When talking about a modern country like Sweden, it is impossible not to mention digital technologies. They were everywhere: online syllabi and instructions, various programs to train the necessary skills, spaces for debates, etc. Teachers accepted that it was difficult to fight against the use of AI, so they suggested using it to facilitate their work, for example, to select or create exercises, develop lesson plans, etc. It was mandatory to add an acknowledgment of the use of neural networks. Sometimes students who were suspected of dishonesty were asked to describe how they worked with the text. This kind of work defense shed light on the student's true knowledge.
I would like to include all the stories in this text, but it is impossible. So much remains "behind the scenes"! Every day was like an adventure or a moment from a movie. Erasmus+ is not just about studying or traveling. It is something much deeper, something that is difficult to describe, you can only feel. It is also an opportunity to see the greatest achievements of humanity, such as architectural wonders or paintings by Edvard Munch. It is also those famous student days, full of loud parties, spontaneous decisions and new acquaintances. It is also about incredible courage that overcame the fear of the unknown. It is also about moments of loneliness that harden you and help you find some inner strength that was hiding somewhere inside under the warm embrace of your family. It's also an invaluable experience that improves both hard and soft skills, which is valued in the labor market. All in all, Erasmus+ is something that every student should do.
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