From October 19 to November 16, 2024, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv hosted the International Certificate Program for Teacher Professional Development “STEM for Humanities.”

The program aimed to integrate STEM education with the teaching and learning of humanities, fostering a versatile mindset and enhancing digital skills within the educational sphere.

The program’s core objective was to improve the qualifications of humanities teachers in modern teaching methods by exploring STEM technologies and developing interdisciplinary approaches in the humanities through the integration of STEM education into humanities curricula.

The program’s content included:

• Topic 1: Fundamentals of STEM Pedagogy
• Topic 2: Digital Humanities
• Topic 3: STEM Pedagogy in the Humanities Classroom
• Topic 4: Developing STEM Fluency Skills in Humanities Students
• Topic 5: Engaging Technology and Generative AI in the Humanities

Classes were conducted online through interactive lectures, seminars, workshops, project presentations, and discussions.

The high interest in the program was evident, with participation from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and 12 other Ukrainian universities: Open International University of Human Development “Ukraine,” Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drahomanov Ukrainian State University, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, T.G. Shevchenko National University “Chernihiv Collegium,” Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Lviv State University of Life Safety, Lviv Polytechnic National University, S.Z. Gzhytsky Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies, and Ukrainian Catholic University.

Over 60 lecturers initially registered for the program, but 35 lecturers successfully met all project requirements and demonstrated the practical application of STEM approaches in teaching their core disciplines, thus receiving certificates of completion.

The topics of the participants’ presentations were diverse. The following presentations garnered the most interest and discussion:

• Elements of problem-based learning in Ukrainian as a foreign language classes (Hanna Shvets)
• Creating a lesson plan using problem-based, project-based, or research-based learning technologies (Kateryna Bratash)
• Developing a startup on “My guilt-free brand/product” (Alla Syniavska)
• Developing critical thinking in foreign language classes (Nataliia Shandra)
• Implementing the STEM approach in teaching the discipline “Methods of Teaching Ukrainian Language” (Olesia Skolozdra-Shepitko)
• Application of GPTchat in lesson planning (Oksana Skyba)
• STEM-STEAM: Visual literacy in a CLIL-oriented lesson: artworks and graphic organizers (Nataliia Diachuk)
• Using AI in the development of the “Standards and ethical examples of a translator’s work” course (Yuliia Naniak)
• Application of AI in teaching the disciplines “Translation Editing,” “Oral Bilateral Translation,” and “Foreign Language (English)” (Nataliia Ababilova)
• Integration of technology and artificial intelligence in the humanities (Olha Tuz)

The program’s implementation was made possible through the international project “STEM for Humanities,” involving Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, University of Macerata (Italy), Metropolitan College (Greece), Innovative Hive (Greece), Université de Lille (France), Mykolo Romerio Universitas (Lithuania), Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Poland), and Georgian International University (Georgia).

The project was realised by the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of Foreign Languages in cooperation with the Faculty of Pedagogical Education, the Department of International Relations, and the Center for English Language Academic and Cross-Cultural Communication at Lviv University. This initiative received financial support from the European Commission and the Italian National Agency INDIRE (Grant Agreement – 2023-1-IT02-KA220-HED-000164647) within the framework of “Cooperation partnerships in Higher Education.”