KSU Representatives Took Part in the International DigiUni Project Conference
The team of Kherson State University participated in the International Conference “Digital Transformation For The Ukrainian Higher Education: Building An Integrated Ecosystem” held within the Erasmus+ CBHE project “Digital University – Open Ukrainian Initiative (DigiUni)”. The event took place on 27 November at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Kherson State University was represented by:
• Rector Oleksandr Spivakovskiy;
• Vice-Rector for International, Social and Humanitarian, Research and Education Affairs Veronika Denysenko;
• Vice-Rector for Digitization, Innovations, Investments, Research and Education Oleksandr Lemeshchuk;
• Head of the Press Center Oksana Kazakova;
• Specialist of the International Relations Department Alina Hlushko;
• Acting Head of the Video Content Production Laboratory Artem Orlyk.
During the opening session, speeches were delivered by DigiUni Project Coordinator and Vice-Rector for Education (International Cooperation) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Kseniia Smyrnova, Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Volodymyr Buhrov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mykola Trofymenko, Policy Officer for Ukraine and Moldova at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission Adrien Olszak-Olszewski, Advisor – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sports Olha Budnyk, and Deputy Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine Zhanna Talanova.
“This conference is an intermediate result of the DigiUni project, which has now reached its midpoint. It is an opportunity to summarize certain outcomes and present the results of two years of active work that began in 2023. This work has involved discussions, learning from EU partners, training activities, testing the outputs of various project working groups, and implementing the first results.
Moreover, it serves as a platform for presenting the best practices of digital transformation, both at the national level and at the level of individual universities, so that through the synergy of ideas and technologies, the DigiUni project becomes even stronger,” noted Oleksandr Spivakovskiy.
During one of the panel discussions, Vice-Rector Oleksandr Lemeshchuk delivered a presentation titled “KSU24: Building a Digital Ecosystem for a Displaced University.”
“One of the goals of the DigiUni project is, in a broad sense, accessibility, quality, and evidence-based education. In this case, our platform demonstrates how digital technologies can enable students dispersed across Ukraine and worldwide to study, while ensuring the ability to monitor every administrative and business process. Our experience can be scaled up. We are grateful for the high recognition from our colleagues and the project coordinator, Kseniia Smyrnova. Kherson State University serves as the coordinator of the work package responsible for disseminating project results. At the same time, we actively contribute to all processes related to the creation of the DigiPlatform, methodology, and requirements for the educational courses that will be hosted there,” emphasized the Rector.
The conference also showcased the evolution and essence of the national digital educational ecosystem – the DigiUni platform – and analyzed its impact on the institutional development of Ukrainian partner universities. The state digital ecosystem Mriia, which brings together more than 2,500 schools and has goals similar to DigiUni in ensuring accessible and high-quality digital education, was also presented.
The best practices of European university alliances in the field of digitalization were presented, and issues related to digital educational content, methodology, as well as quality assurance and inclusiveness in education were also discussed.
“Part of the journey has already been completed, and it has not been easy, since the project is large-scale and ambitious, involving many partners with strong expertise. Yet this is precisely what ensures professional discussion and gives confidence that the outcome will not be trivial but will truly lead to the creation of a high-quality digital education ecosystem,” emphasized Oleksandr Spivakovskiy.
Rector Oleksandr Spivakovskiy and Vice-Rector for International, Social and Humanitarian, Research and Education Affairs Veronika Denysenko presented the new KSU publication “Crisis Management of a Modern University: Educational Resistance, Resilience, and Development in Wartime” to Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Volodymyr Buhrov and Vice-Rector for Education (International Cooperation) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Kseniia Smyrnova, who also serves as the DigiUni Project Coordinator. They additionally offered a warm southern treat – coffee grown on Kherson watermelons.
“We know for certain that sometimes the situation is such that there are no easy solutions, and they must be sought. Therefore, we wished our colleagues the ability to always choose the right paths.
The war and the full-scale invasion have stolen our most valuable resource – time. On the other hand, it has become a stimulus, as we now have to do everything several times faster, sometimes on the fly, in order to ensure high-quality education and integrate into the global educational community. Projects like DigiUni and the support of international partners help implement digital tools in Ukrainian education, making it competitive, high-quality, and evidence-based,” summarized Oleksandr Spivakovskiy.
The DigiUni project aims to support higher education in Ukraine during wartime and in the post-war recovery. It is the largest project under the Erasmus+ program ever implemented in Ukraine. It has brought together participants from Ukraine and EU member states, with 21 institutions as full partners and 5 institutions as associated partners.
The project began on December 1, 2023, and is scheduled to last for four years. The coordinator is Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Press Center of KSU