Collaboration with American colleagues within the COIL project

There are four key elements that define any COIL project:

It involves a cross-border collaboration or interaction with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

The implementation of such a project between the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of NULES of Ukraine and the College of Veterinary Medicine of the State University of North Carolina (USA) was made possible with the support of EducationUSA together with SUNY COIL, which jointly organized the Academy of Internal Leadership to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to create virtual modules and their integration into the process of teaching your subject.
During the intensive online trainings, which took place from mid-November 2020 to March 2021, American and Ukrainian teachers worked on the project: drawing up a cooperation plan, defining goals, ways and tools to achieve them, discussing possible unusual situations and preparing students to participate in project. Particular attention was paid to encouraging teamwork, team building and overcoming cultural and language barriers.

The practical implementation of the acquired knowledge and the prepared project took place in early December 2021. Thus, the developed module became part of the course "Trade and Globalization" for students of 2nd and 3rd year of the College of Veterinary Medicine in North Carolina, which teaches professor of epidemiology and public health. I am Maria Correa. On the Ukrainian side, it was planned to introduce a module in the course "Veterinary Policy" for 5th year students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine NULES of Ukraine. However, taking into account the interests of students and the level of English language skills, it was decided to unite those interested in veterinary international trade for 4th and 5th year students majoring in 212 "Veterinary Hygiene, Sanitation and Expertise" and 211 "Veterinary Medicine". Thus, the team included the following students - Kalinichenko Margarita, Markova Sofia, Barbara Maria, Davydenko Alona and Ostapenko Kristina, and the working group was headed by an assistant of the Department of Veterinary Hygiene. prof. A.K. Skorokhodka Valeria Yustinyuk.

The acquaintance of students began with a presentation of their educational institutions, features of veterinary education and cultural values ​​in Ukraine and the United States.

As part of the project, teams of students worked on tasks related to the impact of infectious animal diseases on international trade. In particular, the Ukrainian team presented the results of its own research on the epizootic situation of African swine fever (ASF) in Ukraine and the impact of this disease on exports and imports of goods.

In turn, the American team highlighted the economic impact of ASF on world trade and the consequences for the United States in the event of the introduction of the pathogen into its territory.

The highlight of the module was the opportunity to talk to the speakers, Dr. Sylvia Kreindel, Regional Director of USDA-APHIS-IS at the US Embassy in Beijing, China, and Dr. Stephanie Kordick, Import Risk Analyst, APHIS National Export Import Service.

Thus, the implementation of this project not only contributed to the acquisition of new knowledge and professional contacts, but also allowed to immerse oneself in the peculiarities of the culture of a distant foreign country and improve their English. Despite the time difference of 7 hours, the online format of the event allowed for a short time to move to another continent and enjoy friendly communication.

As Maria Barbara, a member of the Ukrainian team, notes: "It was an extremely cool opportunity to talk to our friends and colleagues about global issues and share our experiences on preventing ASF in Ukraine and listening to the American view of the situation."

Valeria Yustinyuk,
assistant of the department of veterinary hygiene named after prof. A.K. Skorokhodko