Digital transformation, sustainable development and inclusiveness in higher education: an expert meeting was held at UzhNU
On Monday, June 3, UzhNU hosted a focus group study as part of the project ‘Rethinking (RE-DIRECTION) Higher Education in the Digital Context and Updating the Overall Inclusive and Green Framework Based on EU Best Practices and Policy Recommendations’. The purpose of the study is to obtain stakeholder input in identifying gaps in the curricula and plans of Ukrainian higher education institutions in terms of digital transformation, sustainable development and inclusiveness.
The meeting was attended by Ihor Korol, Vice-Rector of UzhNU for Scientific and Pedagogical Work, Mariana Marusynets, Director of the Department of Education and Science, Youth and Sports in Zakarpattia Oblast, Vitalii Andreyko, Dean of the Faculty of History and International Relations, Mykhailo Shelemba, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of History and International Relations, Oksana Svezhentseva, Head of the International Relations Department of UzhNU, Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Regional Risk Analysis, Leading Research Fellow of the Western Region of the NISR Anatolii Holovka, Hanna Melehanych, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development of UzhNU, Marianna Kolodiy, Head of the Centre for Gender Education of UzhNU, Coordinator of the 1325 Transcarpathia Coalition, Olena Bilanina, Head of the Uzhhorod Youth Council, Maryna Stashyna-Neymet, Specialist of the Centre for Innovation and Development of UzhNU, Accessibility Expert at the Public Holding ‘GROUP OF INFLUENCE’, and Anton Radko, Deputy Head of the Student Council of the FSS, expert of the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
The meeting addressed issues related to digitalisation, sustainable development and inclusion. The discussion with stakeholders during the focus group allowed us to identify a number of problematic issues related to the three-phase spectrum of digitalisation, sustainable development and inclusion in Ukrainian HEIs, in particular in UzhNU. Guided by their experience, they were able to outline a range of pressing issues that need to be improved and addressed in the current educational learning environment. The discussion participants offered ideas/recommendations to address gaps in digitalisation, sustainability and inclusion skills. The experts addressed the issue of inclusion, in particular the areas that are currently lacking in educational and professional programmes and standards, how confident students and employees are in using digital tools and software, what initiatives and practical measures are aimed at integrating modern digital technologies into education, and how educational and professional programmes take into account the European paradigm of sustainable development.
The RE-DIRECTION project (ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE-STRAND-2) is being implemented at UzhNU together with 15 partners from Ukraine, Georgia, Germany and Greece and involves transformational work on issues that have arisen after the expansion of the use of digital technologies in higher education, involving national actors and stakeholders to demonstrate the needs of different higher education institutions in Ukraine and Georgia, as well as at the country level. The aim of the project is to train staff and faculty on the redesigned curricula developed and to develop policy recommendations for connecting remote HEIs, with the ultimate goal of equally meeting the needs of the labour market as well as the needs of students, meeting the basic skills required in the workplace, adapting to rapidly changing workplace demands, and developing innovative skills. RE-DIRECTION aims to strengthen Ukrainian and Georgian universities with innovative forms of teaching by modifying and updating current curricula to cover digitalisation, sustainability and inclusion.
