We are proud to share that our University, the Faculty of Foreign and Slavic Philology was represented at an outstanding international event through blended academic mobility – with the university professors Dr. Viktoriia Herman, Dr. Hanna Podosynnikova and Nataliia Shevtsova travelling to Innsbruck in person, and MA students Vlada Homolia and Mariia Prokopenko contributing as co-authors and remote participants.
On February 26-27, 2026, Dr, Viktoriia Herman, Candidate of Philological Sciences (PhD), Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Ukrainian Language and Literature, Professor, Dr. Hanna Podosynnikova, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of English Philology and Linguodidactics, Head of the Inter-University Research Laboratory of Modern Technologies of Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures, and Vice President of TESOL Ukraine (Sumy State Pedagogical University), and Nataliia Shevtsova, Senior Lecturer of Department of Theory and Practice of Romance and Germanic Languages, attended the Multilingual Conference "Developing Multilingualism and Fostering Reflective Skills, Intercultural and Transcultural Learning in Language Education" at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
The conference was opened by distinguished guests and members of the organising committee: Nataliia Sorokina, Lesya Skintey, and Jasmin Peskoller (Organising Committee) Suzanne Kapelari, Dean of the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Innsbruck Jürgen Fuchsbauer, Dean of the Faculty of Language, Literature, and Culture, University of Innsbruck Walter Peer, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Tyrol.
Dr. Podosynnikova delivered a speech (within the work of Section 3: Reflective and intercultural teacher learning) with a multimedia presentation on the topic: "Fostering Reflective Thinking and Intercultural Communicative Competence of Pre-Service English Teachers via E-Case Learning", co-authored with Vlada Homolia, MA student, Member of the Inter-University Research Laboratory of Modern Technologies of Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures, and Specialist at the Center for English Language Teaching Excellence (Sumy State Pedagogical University). The presentation introduced the authorial methodology of E-Case Learning in language teacher education – an innovative digital methodology where pre-service English teachers engage with realistic intercultural scenarios demanding critical thinking and decision-making.
Dr. Virtoria Herman presented a poster entitled "LMS MOODLE: how digital reflective technology facilitates partnership between teachers and students in language education" co-authored with Mariia Prokopenko, MA student. Senior lecturer Nataliia Shevtsova presented a poster "Developing Reflective Competence Through AI-Augmented Autoethnographic Inquiry in Pre-Service Foreign Language Teacher Education". The presentations sparked interest of the international academic community and laid the groundwork for further cooperation.
The conference united academics, researchers, and practitioners from across Europe to exchange insights on multilingualism, reflective skills, and intercultural learning – and proved to be an inspiring platform for forging new academic connections.
A heartfelt thank you to the organising team – Nataliia Sorokina, Lesya Skintey, and Jasmin Peskoller – and to the University of Innsbruck for the warm hospitality and a truly enriching academic programme!