Academic Mobility of School of Foreign Languages Teachers at the University of Palermo

30 may 2025 year

Throughout May 2025, lecturers from the School of Foreign Languages — Associate Professors Iryna Kholmohortseva, Anna Kotova, and Hanna Husieva — took part in an academic mobility program and completed a training internship at the University of Palermo (Italy).

The internship was supervised by Professor Oleh Rumyantsev and Professor Simona Mercantini.

During their visit, the lecturers held a working meeting with partners to discuss the outcomes of the program. The key topics addressed included:

• the process of selecting students for academic mobility;

• the selection of academic staff for mobility and the signing of internship agreements;

• guidelines for students on drafting a Learning Agreement (selection of relevant courses aligned with the student’s curriculum and course syllabi);

• the procedure for recognizing academic mobility results at the host university (automatic recognition, flexible recognition).

From May 12 to 16, 2025, Professor Oleksandr Rebrii, Head of the Mykola Lukash Department of Translation Studies, and Associate Professor Olena Morozova, Head of the Department of English Philology and Teaching Methods of Foreign Languages, also completed a training internship at the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Heritage Studies at the University of Palermo.

During the week, participants explored practices in teaching translation, English as a second (L2) and third (L3) foreign language, and methods of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). They also exchanged experiences in teaching university-level courses in translation studies, linguistics, and cultural studies, familiarized themselves with the development of educational programs in the fields of translation, foreign language instruction, and culture, and discussed prospects for joint projects.

The knowledge gained will be integrated into the courses delivered by the departments and presented at methodological seminars and conferences organized by the School of Foreign Languages.

Additionally, from May 19 to 26, 2025, academic staff members Iryna Avdiienko, Olha Matviichuk, and Iryna Kiriiachenko also participated in a teaching mobility program at the University of Palermo (Italy).

During the visit, meetings were held with faculty members, administrative staff, and representatives of the host institution’s international office.

Key topics of exchange included: discussion of approaches to foreign language teaching, internationalization of educational programs, establishing inter-university cooperation, and participation in interdisciplinary projects.

As part of the mobility program, the lecturers conducted a series of classes for University of Palermo students, sharing their own experience and modern methods of teaching foreign languages.

Each internship undertaken by lecturers from the School of Foreign Languages marked an important step in expanding international cooperation for the faculty and the university, opened new opportunities for joint initiatives, and strengthened the partnership between Karazin University and the University of Palermo.

Among the promising areas of cooperation with the University of Palermo is joint work on education digitalization — specifically, the development of 1–3 ECTS credit courses based on the LMS Moodle platforms of both universities. These courses would allow for credit transfer of core and elective disciplines and may serve as a foundation for future dual degree programs.

Moreover, the future collaboration on shared digital courses via the LMS Moodle platform is expected to enhance the professional training of future educators and translators and contribute to the continuing professional development of faculty members at the School of Foreign Languages.