Pilot online courses "International Development", "English for Business Purposes" and "Intercultural Communication and Competence" were held in Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno. The courses were organized with the support of the International Summer School of the University of Oslo.

The courses were designed by the lecturers of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno in cooperation with colleagues from the Norwegian University taking into account the latest trends in higher education.

The subject matter of the courses attracted not only students, but also employees of higher education institutions of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. As a result of competitive selection, 30 participants were enrolled in the courses.

During two weeks, the participants listened to the lectures, worked in groups on their own projects, studied different thematic cases and shared their personal and professional experience.

The courses contained the most relevant topics and contributed to the development of the necessary competencies of business and intercultural communication of the participants.

Nita Kapoor, the Director of the International Summer School at the University of Oslo, warmly welcomed the participants of all three courses. Students had the opportunity to ask their questions and discuss actual trends and problems in the field of higher education, including the advantages and disadvantages of studies during the pandemic, the features of communication in multicultural environment, the competencies that today's specialists and professionals in various fields should possess. The students of the «International Development» course also had the opportunity to meet online Anders Bjørndahl Iversen, the lecturer of the University of Oslo, who gave a guest lecture on one of the most interesting course topics.

After the completion of the courses, all students received the certificates and other official documents confirming the courses completion, as well as, the additional materials on the topics of the courses.