Educational paradigm shift: a joint search for solutions

    The term “paradigm shift” was introduced in 1962 by Thomas Kuhn, an American philosopher of science, who described this process as a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. Currently, this term is widely used in other areas of human activity.

    We, the Ukrainian scientific and teaching community, are witnesses and participants in fundamental changes, which can rightly be called a shift in the educational paradigm of mankind. The coronavirus pandemic is an impetus for global change in all fields, including the educational field.

    Research and teaching staff of the Department of Analytical and Bioinorganic Chemistry and Water Quality actively participated in the study of international experience and direct communication with foreign colleagues on the issue of interactive teaching methods.

    Thanks to the assistance and support of the Head of the ERC for International Activities, Candidate of Economic Sciences Olexander Labenko and responsible person for international activities of the Agrobilogical Faculty, Candidate of Biological Sciences Olga Kravchenko international contacts of scientific and pedagogical staff of the department increased significantly in 2021.
 

     International activities in 2021 included:

• International internship at Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologieі (Jelgava, Latvia) “Innovative approaches in education and science: multidisciplinarity” and “Innovative approaches in education and science”. Associate Professor Tetyana Ushchapivska, Associate Professor Olga Kravchenko, and Associate Professor Larysa Voitenko discussed teaching/learning and assessment methods; European qualification requirements and learning outcomes; statistical and econometric methods in the teaching of natural sciences. The internship after submitting the final creative work is confirmed by certificates;
   

• Associate Professor Olga Kravchenko and Associate Professor Nadiya Prokopchuk took advanced training courses as a part of the food safety program “PSA Grower training course”, organized by the University of Pennsylvania and received the appropriate certificates;
  

• International internship at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science (Germany) - Professor Volodymyr Kopilevych and Associate Professor Valentyna Galimova;
• Head of the Department Volodymyr Kopilevych, Associate Professor Valentyna Galimova and graduate student Vladyslav Chobotar underwent an international online internship within the course “Innovative Food Biotechnology” at the Department of Production and Processing of Crop Products at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science (Germany);
  

• Associate Professor Larysa Voitenko participated in the training on modern interactive teaching methods within the DAAD project “Digital Modernization of Lecturing in Ukrainian Agricultural Universities” at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science (Germany).
  

     Within the framework of the Erasmus + KA 107 international mobility program, Olga Kravchenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Analytical and Bioinorganic Chemistry and Water Quality, underwent an internship at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science (Germany). During the internship, Olga Kravchenko delivered lectures to German students on “Biological assessment of water quality” and “Bioassay: An important tool for evaluating water safety”. During the internship under the guidance of the Head of the Department of Cultivation and Processing of Plant Products, Professor Iryna Smetanska (by the way, the former graduate of NUBiP of Ukraine) Olga Kravchenko conducted a series of experiments in the university laboratories on the topic “Identification of systemic immunity in plants induced by chelated compounds”.

     Staff, graduate students and students participated in the following online and offline international scientific conferences:

• XII International Student Agronomic Conference at the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Kragujevac in Čačak (Serbia) on August 18-20, 2021. It was attended by Associate Professor Olga Kravchenko and a 2nd year student of the Agrobiological Faculty, Anastasia Chyzhyk, who presented the report on “Sensitivity of phytopathogenic and nodule soybean bacteria to micronutrient drugs, obtained by methods of electropulse ablation”, which was awarded a II-degree diploma;
  

• Yelyzaveta Zalenska, a graduate student of the Department of Analytical and Bioinorganic Chemistry and Water Quality, and V. Gebre, a third-year student of the Faculty of Plant Protection, Biotechnology and Ecology, presented the work “Climate Changes-Water Pollution: Forecasting for Ukraine” (research advisor - Associate Professor Larysa Voitenko), which was awarded a III-degree diploma;
  

• 8th VUA YOUTH Scientific Session “Challenges of Nowadays in the Light of Sustainability'', held online on November, 26 at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (‎Gödöllő‎, ‎Hungary) under the auspices of the Visegrad University Association. Yelyzaveta Zalenska, a graduate student of the Department of Analytical and Bioinorganic Chemistry and Water Quality, presented the report “Assessment of water quality for agricultural use: Which method is the most suitable” (research advisors - Prof. Volodymyr Kopilevych and Assoc. Prof. Larysa Voitenko);
  

• VII International Scientific and Practical Conference "Clean Water. Fundamental, Applied and Industrial Aspects”, which took place on November 25-26, 2021,at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”. Master student Yan Kochetov and Associate Professor Larysa Voitenko presented the report “ Comprehensive assessment of water quality: problems and solutions”;
  

• Associate Professor Ruslan Lavryk presented his scientific achievements at 7 international conferences, which is confirmed by the relevant certificates.
  

    Publication activity of the department. In 2021, the staff of the department published 11 articles in Scopus and Web of Science (WOS), which belong to the first or third quartile. Professor Victor Maksin is one of the university's most published staff members, having co-authored 5 articles in the Scopus database and 2 in the WOS database over the past year.

    Participation in the international scientific competitions. Under the guidance of Associate Professor Olga Kravchenko, Denys Nykonenko, a student of Kyiv Regional Council “Fastiv Boarding School”, won the second prize of the National Stage of the International Youth Competition “Stockholm Youth Water Prize”.

Larysa Voitenko, Olga Kravchenko,
Associate Professors of the Department of Analytical and
Bioinorganic Chemistry and Water Quality