Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences housed a discussion on approving the content of grant applications within the program Horizon-2020

     The changes that take place in higher education of Ukraine require modern educational institution to make a timely response, continuous improvement and finding pathways of development. A positive solution of these problems depends on understanding by each employee of the educational institution how they should be solved, their sense of personal responsibility and desire to implement the declared high-level modernization processes on the level of life of the institute, department, and chair.

    According to these arguments, starting from January 1, 2016, by the order of the Rector in the structure of the Research and Development Institute of Postgraduate Education, a self-supporting educational-consulting division of the professional development of staff was created, among its tasks being: promoting cooperation with foreign and domestic universities and enterprises; organization of diverse workshops and foreign internships for teaching staff; formation of research teams of contributors to prepare grant applications for participation in international competitions.

     Setting up and operation of a new subdivision of staff professional development of the University is in need of a team of concerned, go-ahead people among the staff of their educational institution and the involvement in cooperation of foreign colleagues.

     Basically, with this purpose in early March, delegation of NULES of Ukraine consisting of the Director of the Research and Development Institute of Postgraduate Education Kulayets M.M., Dean of the Department of Information Technology Hlazunova O.H., senior lecturer of the Chair of Foreign Philology Dankevych L.R. and Professor of the Chair of Agricultural Sector Innovations (and concurrently acting as Head of Staff Professional Development subdivision) Demeshkant N.A. visited Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences – partner educational institution, which for many years maintains scientific cooperation and friendly contacts with our University.

     Here is just a small fact which distinguishes this foreign university from those, with which NULES of Ukraine signed a memorandum on cooperation. It is about its personal university research scholarship named after Stanislav Tolpa (former Rector and founder of the time Wrocław Agricultural Academy, 1952-1954). Scholarship of Tolpa S. is annually appointed to young scientists from Eastern Europe who come to Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences for 1-3 months for research and development purposes and achieve professional contacts. This opportunity has been used over the last few years by more than 30 postgraduates, doctoral students and young scientists of the University.

     In addition, the management and academic and teaching staff of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences are always committed to every positive initiative coming from the University. So, this time, on our offer to prepare a joint grant application for participation in the competition RISE (Research and Innovation Staff Exchange) under the European program “Horizon-2020”, a joint Ukraine-Poland travelling workshop “Partner approval of the content of grant applications within the program Horizon-2020”, was organized and took place on March 1-4, 2016 on the territory of Polish university.

     The workshop program included a series of meetings and discussions in various sub-departments of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

     In particular, Center of Excellence (Centrum Kształcenia Ustawicznego) held a discussion on the possibility of organizing short-term training for specific research areas and pre-agreed programs for Research and Production Enterprises both from NULES of Ukraine and other agricultural universities of Ukraine. By the way, this structural unit is completely self-supporting and includes two sections: a section of organization of alignment training and workshops, and suburban regional agricultural center with modern conference rooms and hotel rooms. Center of Excellence of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences for the last three years implemented several European grant programs (e.g. “Preparing e-textbooks for secondary schools”, “Management of didactic potential of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences through the introduction of information technology”, “Advanced training courses – Allinclusive”) with of involvement of personnel potential of the whole university. That means, the Center alone and professionally performs managerial and organizational function similar to a modern business firms, but in the structure of the university.

Kulayets M.M. at the entrance to the Centre of Excellence of the University of Wroclaw natural University

     The Centre for Distance Education (Centrum Kształceniana Odległość) discussed the semantic fullness of grant applications, agreed measures and partners that would be included in the grant application. After all the name of the competition RISE provides for exchanges of scientists, technical and managerial personnel to collect and study material for subsequent organization of trainings, seminars, workshops, summer schools, and creating a common Internet agro-platform.

Members of the delegation during a working meeting at the Center for Distance Education

     It is important to note that in October 2016, the third international conference «E-learning in the natural Universities" will be held. It was launched jointly by the Department of Information Technology of NULES of Ukraine and the Center for Distance Education of the Wroclaw University of nature, which testifies to a fruitful long-term cooperation and good scientific contacts.

     There also was an interesting and informative meeting in the dean’s office of the Department of Nature and Technology Sciences, in which the vice-dean and head dean presented documentation and introduced to the principles of automated e-dean’s office system.

Introducing dean’s office of the Department of Nature and Technology Sciences

Meeting with Deputy Dean of the Department of Nature and Technology Sciences

     Thanks to the implemented system of electronic dean’s office in most universities in Poland the score books, examination records and paper documents were completely abandoned. The accumulation of student’s data begins with the registration for admission to the university, assigning a personal number and adherence to a personal bank account. Further, in the learning process the final assessment is made, debts – marked, and most importantly, all information can be automatically generated in a report to the Ministry of Education. That system is transparent and understandable, but usually requires a single management center that combines information systems of e-dean’s offices, personnel department, library, accounting, PBX, all other units of an educational institution. We were also able to get to that information "heart" of the University, talk to head, ask questions, and most importantly, the opportunity to negotiate the exchange of experience, assistance in setting up the same system at the University.

Meeting with the Director of the Center for Computer Systems P. Savitskyi (pictured in the center), theme of the meeting – introduction a centralized system of electronic control (USOS, e-dziekanat) in the university

Hlazunova A.H. in one of the technical facilities of computer center

     One of the important objectives of the trip was the acquaintance with the functioning of the department of foreign languages (Studium Języków Obcych) and establishment of visiting professorships of foreign language teachers of the University to share methods of language training for students and teachers.

     Director Eva Haydash explained us that the status of a department of foreign languages as a separate business unit, which serves all faculties of the university and consists of several sectors (English, German, Russian and Latin) is shown at least in that this branch is located in a separate building in a quiet area of the university campus so that other sounds could not force to speak aloud in the class.

Dankevych L.R. in front of the building of the department of foreign languages

    For foreign language classes, students are recorded through e-dean system independently and according to their level of proficiency (defined by the test in the first year of study), time of classes and teacher who holds classes in this group.

Dankevych L.R. talks with the head of the department of foreign languages E.Haydash

Foreign language classrooms look like this

     Certainly, visit of delegation contemplated a meeting with the Vice-Rector for international cooperation Velichko A., who expressed her interest in organization of internships at the Research Institutes of the University on the territory of departments and chairs of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and strongly contributed to the work of the delegation.

Meeting in the office of Vice-Rector for international cooperation Velichko A. (pictured in the center)

     Rector Kolach R. also found some time to meet with the delegation. The conversation touched upon joint efforts to prepare grant applications, organizing international summer school “Agricultural Science for provision of sustainable development”, approval of training opportunities for Research Institutes of NULES of Ukraine, double diplomas and on-line training courses, and the verbal cue of Rector Kolach R. about the unwillingness of professors to use modern technology, was met with praising our rector Nikolaenko S.M., who placed his course on the Moodle platform, motivating other teachers to do so.

Meeting of the delegation with Rector Kolach R.

     At the very end, Rector Kolach R. signed an additional agreement on cooperation between the Centre of Excellence of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and the Research and Development Institute of Postgraduate Education of NULES of Ukraine, and expressed his hope for further development of fruitful contacts between our educational institutions and invited to visit the nearest event - the festival of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences – “Naturalists Days” to be held in late May 2016, and as far as this holiday implies primarily the concerts, contests and students’ amateur performances, a separate invitation was retold by the Rector to performance ensembles of NULES of Ukraine, whose talented performances struck him during the festival on September 1, of 2015-2016 academic year.
     We, in turn, invited their salsa band to the University Holiday (May 28, 2016). The band literally “lit” the hearts of participants and the international summer school in Zalishchyky in July, 2015. Vice-Rector Velichko A. also promised to come to our holiday.

Commemorative picture in the office of Rector Kolach R. after signing a supplement agreement

Natalia Demeshkant