From October 28 to 31, 2024, representatives of the Universities – members of the consortium implementing the Erasmus+ project “Universities-Communities: Strengthening Cooperation” took part in a study visit to Bielefeld, Germany. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen cooperation between Ukrainian Universities and the Fachhochschule des Mittelstands, as well as to study German experience regarding the interaction of Universities with local communities.
The program of the visit was rich and varied. On the first day, the participants discussed the peculiarities of cooperation between Universities and local communities, particularly, in the field of further education. Touching on this issue, the German colleagues emphasized the importance of early identification of the region’s needs and the involvement of all interested parties in cooperation.
On the second day, the delegation visited the municipality of Bielefeld and was familiarized with the experience of the University’s cooperation with OWL GmbH, an organization that promotes sustainable development of the region. The representatives of OWL GmbH talked about the mechanisms of attracting investments, supporting small and medium businesses, and developing innovations. This experience turned out to be extremely useful for the participants of the event, as it allowed them to see how theoretical knowledge can be applied in practice to solve specific problems of the region.
The third day was devoted to the issues of digital transformation in education. The participants of the visit took part in the webinar “Strengthening hybrid teaching in higher education with the help of chatbots”, where the possibilities of using artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of teaching were discussed.
In addition, the delegation visited the “Open Innovation City” center, where they were informed about approaches to sustainable cooperation between the University, business and the community.
The last day of the visit was devoted to discussing the role of continuous learning system characteristics. The participants emphasized the importance of adapting educational programs to the needs of the labor market and the need to create flexible education systems that allow people to acquire new knowledge and skills throughout their lives.
During their visit to Bielefeld, the event participants had the opportunity not only to familiarize themselves with the experience of their German colleagues, establish new contacts, but also to discuss the prospects for further cooperation.
We are sure that the results of this visit will be an important contribution to the development of strengthening positions of partner Universities in the international arena.
