The round table «DESTIN Project: Results and Significance for Journalism Education in Ukraine» brought together scholars from leading universities at ZNU
Recently a round table discussion was held at Zaporizhzhia National University (ZNU): «DESTIN Project: Results and Implications for Journalism Education in Ukraine».
The event was attended by such distinguished speakers as Volodymyr Rizun, Ukrainian scholar in the field of social and mass communications and journalism studies, Doctor of Philology, Professor, Ian Gedd, Professor of Bath Spa University, Mykhailo Wynnytskyi, Head of the Secretariat of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance; Maya Nesterova, Professor of the Drahomanov National Pedagogical University; Iryna Sikorska, member of the National Team of Experts on Higher Education Reform as well as many other Ukrainian and international speakers and partners of the event.
The DESTIN project has been running for three years. During this time, its participants implemented a number of reforms in their institutions. According to the speaker Bohdana Nosova a associate professor of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: «Distance learning has accelerated the progress of education, so students express their desire to create a more modern educational program that meets European standards». The importance of integration into the European segment of education in general was also discussed during the event.
During the event, its participants considered the question: why is this project so important? «DESTIN» is a project aimed to improve journalism education for democracy in Ukraine that includes the development of standards, integrity and professionalism.
The main objectives of the project are:
– Reforming curricula;
– Improving the media environment in which journalism graduates will work;
– Improving the level of «media literacy» of key target groups;
– Providing journalism students with new opportunities to engage the public during their studies and raise public awareness of the vital role of journalists and the media in protecting and supporting citizens' rights in a multicultural democracy.
The project participants are 20 partner organizations from the European Union and Ukraine working together. That is why the participation of Zaporizhzhia National University in this event and partnership in «DESTIN» is very important.
During the event, the issues of higher education reform and its modernization were discussed, various proposals were considered, the success of the project itself and its main goals and methods of their implementation.
Among the speakers of the event were:
– Bohdana Nosova, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
– Roman Pazyuk, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University;
– Olena Tkachenko and Olga Sydorenko, Sumy State University;
– Natalia Gabor, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv;
– Katerina Sirinyok-Dolgaryova, Zaporizhzhia National University.
Katerina Sirinyok-Dolgaryova presented a report and also acted as an interpreter during the communication with foreign partners.
The meeting was held in a friendly partnership atmosphere and allowed all those who presented to delve deeper into important educational issues and involve students, who had the opportunity to ask relevant questions and get answers from the specialists.
The participants of the event came to the conclusion that the DESTIN project unites not only countries and universities, but also students, who are the «litmus test» for any modernization and reformation, and are the main driving force for the progress of their own education and the world as a whole.
