Since August 2024, Sumy State University has been a partner of JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Jyväskylä, Finland) within the framework of the international grant project Pedagogy in the State of Emergency. The initiative is funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education under the Team Finland Knowledge program.
Project duration: 01.08.2024 – 31.01.2027
The aim of the project is to develop and implement an online educational module for university teachers working under difficult conditions caused by war, crises, or emergency situations. The project focuses on creating a flexible and resilient educational environment, considering the impact of stress and traumatic experiences on learning, and using student-centered, inclusive, and distance teaching methods.
The project addresses a critical need of Sumy State University (SumDU): like students at many other universities, SumDU students strive to continue their studies while experiencing significant psychological pressure and/or trauma as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The project explores pedagogical strategies that help SumDU students achieve learning goals and make academic progress under challenging conditions. It also draws on research into the educational experiences and difficulties faced by university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Together, teams of experts from JAMK and SumDU will co-develop a pedagogical training module titled Pedagogy in the State of Emergency for university teachers, which will then be piloted among SumDU faculty members.
As students are the primary beneficiaries of higher education services, their perspectives will also be included in the project. Four student mobility trips to JAMK (two students per visit, two visits in total) will take place along with SumDU staff. During these visits, students will contribute to the development of the module by:
- Providing input from the student perspective for the initial planning phase (as informants);
- Assessing the module’s relevance;
- Offering ideas for the content and format of the materials.
The main content of the module will include:
- How to create more resilient and flexible learning environments and educational processes/courses during a major crisis;
- Which pedagogical methods are appropriate to apply in such contexts.
In developing the module, the project will research and apply relevant theories, particularly those related to student-centered learning, cognitive load, and trauma-informed education. As a result of the project, a new training module will be produced, along with methodological materials, models, and guides.
Development will also be supported by four staff mobility visits (4 individuals) from SumDU to JAMK, facilitating direct interaction and the adoption of JAMK’s pedagogical solutions where relevant. In addition, both teams will collaborate remotely using online tools.
The module will be piloted by SumDU experts among the university’s teaching staff. This pilot will provide valuable feedback regarding the content, relevance, quality, and delivery format of the module.
SumDU project team members:
- O.M. Zamora – Associate Professor, Department of International Economic Relations
- Yu.M. Petrushenko – Head of the Department of International Economic Relations
- A.V. Krasulia – Head of the International Cooperation Office, PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor, Department of Germanic Philology, Faculty of Foreign Philology and Social Communications
- T.M. Maiboroda – Deputy Head of the International Relations Office, Associate Professor, Department of Management
- D.L. Tsyhanyuk – Head of the Human Resources Development Office