Exploring New Frontiers in International Collaboration: Insights from Yulia Fernos' Participation in the 'Fundamentals of Ukrainian-American Academic Partnerships' Training

On November 21-22, 2024, Yulia Fernos, an associate professor at the Department of Ukrainian and Foreign Languages of Uman National University of Horticulture, participated in the training "Fundamentals of Ukrainian-American Academic Partnerships," which took place in Ternopil.

The event was organized by EducationUSA Ukraine as part of its support for higher education in Ukraine. The training was held within the framework of the Internationalization Leaders Academy and brought together 18 lecturers from various Ukrainian educational institutions. The goal of the training was to establish professional networking, familiarize participants with the cultural features of different countries, particularly the United States, and discuss the prospects for cooperation between Ukrainian and American higher education institutions.

The two-day training program was intensive and diverse. Participants had the opportunity to attend lectures by leading experts in the field of international education, take part in discussions and practical workshops. Particular attention was paid to the topic of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) - an innovative format of joint online courses that allow students from different countries to study together.

The first day's program included lectures by Artem Klyuchnikov, who holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership (Regent University, USA). He is a leading researcher in the field of intercultural aspects of leadership. His lectures focused on the impact of national culture on business practices and the challenges of adapting to a different culture.

The second day of the training was dedicated to:

• Presentations on international COIL projects (Collaborative Online International Learning), presented by lecturers with experience in implementing such projects. They shared their successful case studies and discussed in detail the possible challenges encountered during their implementation.
• Discussions on the implementation of COIL projects.
• Workshops on developing learning content that takes into account cultural aspects (speaker: Hope Windle, Director of the SUNY COIL Center).

Participation in the training was a valuable experience for all participants, providing them with an opportunity to establish new connections, better understand cultural differences, and contribute to strengthening academic ties between Ukraine and the United States.