YANKA KUPALA STATE UNIVERSITY EXPANDS COOPERATION WITH EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITY OF TÜBINGEN

Within the framework of the Erasmus + programme, a lecturer of the Eberhard and Karl University of Tübingen Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Olga Keller underwent an internship at Yanka Kupala State University.

Olga Keller gave lectures for the 2nd year students of the specialty “History (Belarusian and World History)” on the topics “From the history of the Reformation on the Belarusian lands of the GDL and in Württemberg: Francisk Skorina, Radzivil, Baron von Ungnad, Primus Truber” and “Transfer of German Land Rights Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, including the Belarusian lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th-18th centuries”. The lectures aroused great interest and a lively discussion about the role of German law in the formation of European state associations.

During the visit, issues and prospects of cooperation of Yanka Kupala State University of Belarus with German universities were discussed. Dr. O. Keller met with the leadership, teachers and students of the Faculty of History, Communication and Tourism. It is worth noting that Olga Keller is the coordinator of the University of Tübingen for cooperation with universities in Eastern and Southern Europe. She informed in detail about the operation of the Erasmus + programme and the participation of partners from the Republic of Belarus.

Participants actively discussed the cooperation of the faculty within this programme. It is noteworthy that in 2019 the Department of History of Belarus, Archeology and Special Historical Disciplines will take part in the implementation of the “Erasmus +” programme in the direction of cooperation between historical specialties of German and Belarusian universities.

IN YANKA KUPALA STATE UNIVERSITY CELEBRATED THE 79TH ANNIVERSARY

The landmark  event of the holiday was the Solemn meeting of the staff of the university, dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the founding of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno.

The festive meeting brought together leaders, teachers, staff and students of Kupala University. Among the honored guests of the holiday was the rector of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno from 1994 to 1997 Leonid Kivach and the rector of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno from 2005 to 2013 Evgeny Rovba.

The rector of Grodno State University, Iryna Kiturka, congratulated all those present on their common holiday - Happy Birthday Alma-mater.

- Today, with great pleasure and pride, I want to congratulate us on our birthday, the 79th anniversary of the foundation of our alma mater. We can say that today we have a family holiday. The fate of the university is the fate of the people who were, are and will be. Thanks to the careful work of many generations, thanks to those leaders who were at the head of the university, Yanka Kupala State University acquired a name that is known not only in Belarus, but also abroad, - said Iryna Kiturka.

The main achievements for 2018 were announced:

- The President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, visited Yanka Kupala State University for the first time, we opened a new building of the Scientific and Technological Park, laid the Alley of Graduates, next to which a new dormitory that will appear in 2020 as a gift for the 80th anniversary of the university, - Iryna Kiturka noted and continued:

- We were the first of the regional universities to enter the pilot project for the implementation of the “University 3.0” model, ambitiously stated that we are preparing a global project “Digital University”.

The rector thanked all the staff, teachers and students for their great contribution to the development of Kupala University:

Today I want to congratulate for your dedicated work, for the fact that you really achieve your own successes, which make up the general achievements of the university,” Iryna Kiturka emphasized and congratulated the work team of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno: - I want to wish everyone good health, inspiration, and love! Set ambitious goals and achieve them. Happy birthday, native university!

Within the framework of the solemn meeting, employees, teachers and students of the University were awarded certificates of honor from the Ministry of Education, Grodno Regional Executive Committee and Yanka Kupala State University, as well as cash prizes. In addition, on the eve of the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus diplomas were awarded to officers of the military faculty.

During the event, the names of the faculty and the department, who took the leading position in the ranking of the faculty, became known.

It should be noted that the next, 2020, year will be the anniversary for Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno. In honor of this, an official countdown was announced. You can see the number of days remaining until the next Birthday of Yanka Kupala State University on the home page of the grsu.by website.

IN YANKA KUPALA STATE UNIVERSITY HELD A MEETING THE ASSET OF FRATERNITIES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITH THE RECTOR IRYNA KITURKA

Students were able to offer their fresh interesting ideas, as well as discuss with the head of the university all their concerns in the format of a sincere open dialogue

Opening the meeting, rector Iryna Kiturka thanked the international students for the initiative they showed in organizing the event:

«I thank you for the invitation and congratulate on the significant date, which served as the reason for our meeting - the three-year anniversary of the founding fraternities of international students in Yanka Kupala State University», Iryna Kiturka noted.

During the meeting, representatives of fraternities of international students told Iryna Kiturka about the directions of their activities, the result of which - scientific, sports, creative achievements, participation in various competitions and festivals. Students voiced existing problems and suggested ways to solve them. There were topical issues of the organization of the educational process, their activities in public organizations and living in a dormitory.

The students wondered if there was a possibility of holding a graduation party for international students, to which the rector called on the meeting participants to be united with all Kupala students:

«I would like every international student to feel like a part of his group, faculty and the entire Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno. We strive to make the university your home and family», - said Iryna Kiturka.

The rector supported the initiative to create a Museum of National Cultures and stressed that the university is actively implementing the project "University-Museum", of which the Museum of National Cultures can become a part of the project in the future.

Students offered to organize a language cafe and master classes in the Russian language for more rapid and high-quality immersion in the cultural environment of the country, to actively include in national holidays and events of Belarusian students. Iryna Kiturka noted that all conditions were created for this at Yanka Kupala State University: every student can take the initiative and implement any project.

During the meeting, letters of appreciation, certificates of merit and souvenirs were presented to representatives of fraternities of international students. International students, in their turn, presented to Iryna Kiturka an exclusive Turkmen accessory: a red bag with national patterns.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO HOLDS A MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PUBLIC ASSOCIATIONS AND THE MEDIA

The rector of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno Iryna Kiturka took part in this event.

"A great conversation with the President" took place in the exhibition center "Belexpo". More than 200 people became its participants. Among them were political scientists, economists, employees of the economic sector, representatives of public associations and faiths.  In this event took part also heads of state bodies and members of the government.

As the presidential press secretary Natalia Eismont noted, “A great conversation with the President” is very important not only because it is a great opportunity to take stock of 2018 and discuss the most bright, resonant events with Belarusian and foreign journalists and experts.

- Another important aspect is that, as you know, in mid-spring, the President traditionally addresses the people and parliament with the message. - "A great conversation" is a kind of litmus test for the President - an opportunity to get feedback, first of all from people, as there are numerous polls on the Internet on the topic that our society cares about today.

The training seminar «Video as a learning tool for teachers and students» has been held at the University of Porto (Portugal)

During the seminar, the representatives of the leading institutions of Armenia, Georgia and Belarus were offered to discuss a wide range of issues related to using video as a learning tool in academic process of higher educational institutions:

– Video as a tool in higher education.

– Interactive technologies in the classroom: video as a tool for flipped learning.

– Using video for educational purposes as viewed from teachers’ and students’ perspectives.

– Development and editing of educational video contents within Panopto platform.

– Educational video in distance learning.

– Video as a tool for teaching special needs students.

The participants not only visited the lectures, seminars and workshops but also developed their own educational video using Panopto educational platform working either individually or in groups. The videos presented at the final day of the course were highly assessed by the course moderators Maria Pinto and Nuno Regadas and lead to a lively discussion among the participants.

After studying educational innovations at five European institutions, the participants of PRINTeL project from Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno will become moderators of skills upgrading courses “Educational innovations university: theory, methods and practice of modern education” for the university faculty. The courses will be conducted in several stages from January till May, 2019. The faculty of all University departments will have an opportunity to take part.

Two representatives of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno have taken part in the training «Active Learning in the Flipped Classroom» held in Linköping University (Sweden)

Representatives of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno took part in the training organized by Catholic University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven is one of the oldest and well-known universities in Europe.

It was founded in 1425. Catholic University of Leuven is one of the leading research centres in Europe. According to the data of 2018, the university holds 47th position in Times Higher Education rating and 81^st position in QS World University Rankings. 

The training organized by Catholic University of Leuven welcomed the participants from Armenia, Georgia and Belarus and covered a wide range of higher education issues:

• Active learning: scope, principles and forms.
• Active learning methods.
• Using ICT in teaching.
• Evaluation of active learning methods.
• Innovative educational institutions.

The participants applied the knowledge and experience received during the trainings in the educational projects presented at the closing class.

After studying educational innovations at five European institutions, the participants of PRINTeL project from Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno will become moderators of skills upgrading courses “Educational innovations university: theory, methods and practice of modern education” for the university faculty. The courses will be conducted in several stages from January till May, 2019. The faculty of all University departments will have an opportunity to take part.

Representative of YKSUG took part in “Hybrid / Blended Teaching and Learning” training in FH Joanneum University of Applied Science in Graz

Iryna Korlyukova, PhD, Head of the Department for Modern Technologies of Pre-University Training has taken part in the first seminar of Erasmus+ project “Change in classroom: promoting innovative teaching & learning to enhance student learning experience in Eastern partnership countries” (PRINTeL).

The training on “Hybrid / Blended Teaching and Learning” was conducted by FH Joanneum University of Applied Science in Graz (Austria).

The training which lasted five days attracted the participants from Armenia, Georgia and Belarus and covered a wide range of topics:

• Advantages and disadvantages of hybrid/blended teaching and learning.
• E-moderating in hybrid/blended teaching and learning.
• Reflection in hybrid/blended learning and teaching.
• MOODLe-based e-learning.
• Online-Portfolios of students.
• Online learning material production.
• Customised mobile programmes and instruments.
• Online tools to support Project Based Learning.

The participants applied the knowledge and experience received during the trainings in the educational projects presented at the closing class.

After studying educational innovations at five European institutions, the participants of PRINTeL project from Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno will become moderators of skills upgrading courses “Educational innovations university: theory, methods and practice of modern education” for the university faculty. The courses will be conducted in several stages from January till May, 2019. All university faculties and departments are supposed to take part.

A new building of the Science and Technology Park of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno was opened in Grodno

Head of the Presidential Administration Victor Sheiman, Head of Grodno Oblast Executive Committee Vladimir Kravtsov, Rector of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno Irina Kiturko, Rector of Grodno State Medical University Victor Snezhitsky, Rector of Grodno State Agrarian University Witold Pestis, Director of the company-developer and Director of the IT-company “Neirika Technologies” Andrei Kamornik became the participants of the opening ceremony.

The new building of the Science and Technology Park housed five research and production laboratories, administrative offices of the residents of the Technopark, a conference hall, Fablab- and Coworking areas, production facilities. The total area of ​​the building is over 1 thousand m². Technopark aims to unite the potential of scientists and the capabilities of enterprises and organizations of Grodno region, to become a territory where new highly skilled jobs and high-tech industries are created, which will increase the competitiveness of the regional economy.

“Technopark is a joint project of Grodno Oblast Executive Committee and Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, and we are implementing it step by step. Today we made another step - we opened the first building of the Technopark. This is a multifunctional center that will serve as a solution to the challenges facing the Technopark. And the main thing is innovation. From ideas, developments to implementation in production. Technopark will allow to combine three important components of the successful development of the economy of our region and country: education, science and commercialization of promising scientific developments. In addition, this startup will allow solving one of the priority state tasks - to create conditions for the development of advanced, gifted young people of our region”, – said the governor of the Grodno region, Vladimir Kravtsov.

Rector of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno Irina Kiturko noted that the Science and Technology Park is an innovative core of “University 3.0” concept”. “The opening of the Technology Park not only provides an opportunity to develop the entrepreneurial competencies of our students, but also to form the needs in the region for the advanced development of the economy, social sphere and society in general,” –  explained Irina Kiturko.

The guests of the event got acquainted with the equipment of the laboratories of the Technopark, the developments of YKSUG scientists, with the work of the Fablab zone. In addition, they talked to students, participants of the finals of the university open contest for student start-up projects “InnoStart”; the winners of this contest will have the opportunity to get free advice on starting a business with experts and specialists of the Science and Technological Park.

The continuation of the event was a round table discussion on the development of Technopark. During the dialogue, Viktor Sheiman, the Head of the Presidential Administration, noted that not only the result of a certain work but the ability to see the future for several years ahead is paramount in the conditions of dynamic development of the world economy. “First of all, we should take care of the training of qualified staff. Such technology parks should be in all regional cities of Belarus. This will allow our promising young people and searching students to implement themselves and realize innovative ideas that will help the development of our country”, – said Victor Sheiman.

As a part of the event, a joint innovation agreement was signed with another resident of the Technopark, IT-company “Neirika Technologies”, which provides communication services for effective business development based on its own cloud platform. As the director of the company Maxim Mikhailov noted, that in Belarus all conditions for running a successful business have been created. “In Grodno, in two months, we prepared documents and signed an agreement on the status of a resident. Everything was very fast and smooth. The main thing is that you have highly skilled personnel who have to implement our tasks, develop and promote our product”, – said the Director of “Neirika Technologies”. To organize its activities, the company plans to create 45 workplaces.

Today among the projects implemented by the residents of the Technopark are the IT project on the implementation of the tasks of building a digital economy and the first in Belarus production of equipment for diagnosing the state of sewage pipelines.

The opening of a new Еechnopark building is the next stage of its development. Next year it is planned to reconstruct another building with an area of ​​more than 6,000 m², which will attract new residents and create enterprises of various sizes. Every resident will be able to choose the premises in accordance with the goals and specifics of their work.

Associate Professor Anatol Bahdzevich and Leslie Gibson, a guest teacher from the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program, present an example of co-teaching methods in the English Philology Chair at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno.

Co-teaching is an educational approach that involves two teachers working collaboratively to plan, structure, and implement lessons. The technique of co-teaching in higher education aims to establish an interdisciplinary approach in which both teachers and students have an opportunity to formulate and solve different problems in a new interactive format. This problem-solving is based on knowledge of different specialized fields and will enrich the lessons with practice-oriented content.  A co-taught lesson aims to involve teachers and students as collaborators and the latter have the opportunity to practice and develop different professional and personal skills.

“Co-teaching broadens the scope of interaction between the lecturers and the students within a lesson, especially those who are mastering a foreign language,” commented Anatol Bahdzevich. “Within this kind of lesson the instructors demonstrate the culture of professional communication and involve students in discussions while providing them with opportunities to ask questions, present their points of view, form their own attitude towards the topic, and express their emotional engagement in the educational activities.”

Leslie Gibson considers co-teaching a way to transform traditional lessons into “exciting, productive, and interactive activities. The main goal of co-teaching is to provoke students’ cognitive processes but also to get them to practice their speaking.”  

Co-taught lessons encourage students to form not only professional linguistic skills, but provide a real possibility to master new forms of interpersonal communication. For others, it may be an opportunity to try their hand in public speeches or a chance to practice different ways of critical thinking.

Master’s students who take part in the co-taught lessons believe that they have not only gained the ability to practice communication with a native speaker, but that they also have the chance to be fully immersed in the subject with the expertise of two instructors each providing his or her own concept of the material.