In times of armed conflict, the collaboration between the Department of Life Sciences at HSRW and the Kharkiv Biotechnology School is an example of the joint efforts of the DAAD and our department to provide students in Ukraine with better learning opportunities.
The collaboration
This partnership not only supports hybrid and face-to-face courses, but has also launched an innovative Summer School in 2023.
Summer School 2023: A mix of hybrid and face-to-face courses
During the last summer term, students and lecturers from Kharkiv took part in the HSRW programme, explored various bioengineering courses and earned accredited ECTS credits.
On-site Summer School
A carefully designed on-site summer school, attended by lecturers from both the HSRW and Kharkiv, incorporated practical content from various courses, including applied microbiology and industrial bioengineering. Sixteen bioengineering students and four lecturers travelled from Kharkiv to Kleve for a two-week stay, giving them the opportunity to improve their practical skills in the laboratory and to get to know a new country and culture.
Student testimonials
Olena Zorik, a fourth-semester bioengineering student from Kharkiv and a participant in the summer school, has agreed to share some of her experiences with us:
“This year I took part in the Summer School at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. I really enjoyed the experience. Every day we went for walks and visited local sights. Our fellow students took us to various towns and we carried out lots of exciting experiments in the laboratories. I’m absolutely delighted. There’s a war going on in Ukraine at the moment and we can’t use the laboratories. It’s really valuable for us to spend two weeks studying in Germany. Thank you – it was a brilliant time!”
Innovative learning: the role of smart glasses
"The smart glasses have made a huge difference to our hybrid learning. In Professor Fensterle’s laboratories, we trialled these glasses as a live aid during the lab sessions as part of the SmartLabOER project. Although we’re still working on integrating them fully, we used them during the summer school to record lab sessions in real time for students who couldn’t be there in person. This allowed students to discuss their work using the videos. Whilst this does not replace hands-on work in the lab, it certainly offers students a new way to engage and interact, rather than simply watching recorded sessions."
Looking Back to Move Forward
At the end of this year, we are celebrating the success of the joint HSRW and Kharkiv Summer School. This initiative has not only provided valuable educational experiences but has also fostered international cooperation and cultural understanding during challenging times. We look forward to continuing and expanding this fruitful collaboration in the future.
