From the first days of this horror, we were confused: how long the war would last: 5 days, 10 days… And when we realized that this was for a long time, we began to think, what should we do: continue our studies, wait for better times? First of all, we found out where and in what condition our instructors are, whether they have the opportunity to continue their teaching, because most of them left Kyiv and do not always have access to reliable Internet services, the necessary devices in their new place of living, as well as all their developments on the subject. But everyone agreed to work, to try to create more or less favorable conditions for work.
We also reached out to students who had similar problems. Therefore, we decided to start online distance learning to give students the opportunity to work at any time of the day and to work independently, studying lectures and practical material prepared by our instructors.
On March 9, 2022, we were among the first in Ukraine to restart our studies. Students could choose one of three options: study now; move the course to the summer or even move the course to another semester. On March 9, all instructors, 85% of Ukrainian students and 50% of international students restarted their classes.
We have been studying on the Moodle platform for many years, which allows us to conduct high-quality training during quarantine restrictions. But we studied online on Zoom on a schedule, meaning students were always in direct contact with their instructors and had the opportunity to discuss problematic issues in real time.
We also have a well-developed system of distance learning, whereby students study all material for each class independently for two months at any day and time, and the academic quality controls (Midterms and Finals) are compiled on Zoom under the supervision of instructors and staff of the dean’s office.
Now we are facing unfavorable conditions: the instability of Internet access, the lack of necessary devices (computers, laptops), constant emergency alarms and the need to stay in shelters: an exclusive distance learning teaching form, and the ability to contact instructors only by email.
On April 10, we finished teaching subjects of the first half of the 2nd semester and received successful results. On April 11, classes of the second half of the 2nd semester began and, unfortunately, we again have to study remotely: the situation with the conditions of training and instruction has not changed significantly. We supplement only the mandatory weekly Zoom meetings of students with instructors.
Dear students and parents, you know that we prefer full-time education. We really want to provide our students with the highest quality of education, and our instructors meet all international standards. We really miss the live communication with our wonderful students: we would like to see them with instructors in our well-equipped classrooms, in the pool and gyms, to engage with their creative ideas and bring them to life.
And we believe that this time will come! Victory will be ours! And we will live in a free, beautiful Ukraine and train highly qualified personnel!
