Training for Higher Education Administrators in Ukraine Call for Applications - Cohort 2

Training for Higher Education Administrators in Ukraine
                        Call for Applications – Cohort 2

The Training for Higher Education Administrators in Ukraine (THEA Ukraine) is a professional
development programme for Ukrainian Higher Education Administrators in the fields of
internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions and science management. The programme
qualifies two cohorts of 16 participants (Higher Education Managers, Heads of International
Offices and others in charge of internationalisation) to foster the international orientation of
their home institutions. Strategic planning, project and process management as well as change
management for internationalisation will be skills to be developed in the course of the
programme. Apart from that, THEA Ukraine aims at fostering a fruitful exchange between
German and Ukrainian scientists and administrators and at establishing sustainable regional
networks in Ukraine. The programme is designed and will be implemented by the Wandelwerk,
FH Münster's Centre for Quality Assurance and Enhancement in cooperation with Ukrainian
and German experts. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
and facilitated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Programme Background and Objectives
By signing the Bologna Declaration in 2005 and especially by the implementation of the new
legislative framework for Higher Education (National Qualifications Framework of Ukraine,
NQFU, in 2011 and Law on Higher Education in 2014) a stronger orientation of Ukraine
towards European and international standards in Higher Education has been initiated. The law
grants more autonomy to Ukrainian Higher Education Institutions concerning budgeting,
design of curricula and recognition of international qualifications. In addition to that, it officially
confirms the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and the adoption
of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area
(ESG). Internationalisation and Quality Assurance are focal points of the new law.
These reforms require respective qualifications, international networks and new role-definitions
for Higher Education administrators of all organisational levels, because they are confronted
with the challenge to implement the requirements of the Bologna-process.
THEA Ukraine aims at fostering professional competences in the area of internationalisation
in Higher Education and of more generic competences for science management to support the
participants to implement own projects in their universities.
The overall qualification objectives of the programme are to enable participants to …
       assess the current status of internationality and internationalisation of their university,
       develop ideas for further development of internationalisation at their institution,
       structure their reform ideas as well-planned projects that can be implemented smoothly
        in their home institutions.

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Content and Methodology of the Programme
THEA Ukraine is designed as a blended-learning programme. It consists of three workshops
online and (depending on the current COVID-19 situation) on-site in Münster, Germany, and
two online-coaching phases:

      Workshop 1: Setting the Stage - Internationalisation in Higher Education (online)
      Online Coaching 1: From initial idea to project plan
      Workshop 2: Case studies and more - Internationalisation in practice (planned on-site)
      Online Coaching 2: Project consultation and fine-tuning
      Workshop 3: Getting things done (better) – Change Management and Process
       Management (planned on-site)
The training will have a strong practical focus and opportunities for the exchange of good
practice and networking. The workshops will include mixed methods. Besides experts’ inputs,
personal experiences of the participants as professionals in charge for internationalisation at
their own universities will contribute to the programme to a large extent. Therefore, peer-
coaching in small working groups and time slots for individual feedback and mentoring will be
a key didactical element of the course as well.

Online Learning Platform
Since course material for all modules and activities such as assignments, group discussions
and coaching will be provided on an online learning platform, participants are expected to have
access to the internet on a regular basis.

Project Action Plan (PAP)
All participants of the programme are expected to develop a project action plan (PAP) during
the programme in order to turn theory into practice. The PAP is a project management tool. It
shall help participants to transform a reform idea into a well-planned project plan. By the end
of the THEA Ukraine training, all participants should have a well-structured project plan on
hand, which they have promoted in their universities and which is approved and ready to be
implemented. The project implementation can start during the course of THEA Ukraine and
continue after the programme. All workshops, but especially the online-coaching phases, will
guide the process of project implementation in the participants' home institutions. Ideas for a
reform project could be for example:

      development and implementation of an internationalisation strategy
      set-up of an international office
      development of a handbook for incoming / outgoing students
      design of a training programme for “internationalisation@home”
      development of a “tool-kit” (forms, processes etc.) to support faculties to set-up joint
       study programmes
      etc.

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The development of particular joint programmes (joint and double degree study programmes)
cannot be accepted as a project idea for THEA Ukraine. Projects that approach
internationalisation from a purely research perspective are also not eligible.

Time Schedule
THEA Ukraine’s second cohort will start in March 2021 and end in September 2021. The
following dates structure the programme:
      31.01.2021: Deadline for Application
      Mid February 2021: Notification of Participants
      01.03. – 05.03.2021: Workshop 1 (online)
      17.05. – 21.05.2021: Workshop 2 (planned on-site in Münster, Germany)
      30.08. – 03.09.2021: Workshop 3 (planned on-site in Münster, Germany)

Depending on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, also workshops 2 and 3 might be
changed to an online format. Participants will be notified about any changes in time. Between
the workshops, online-coaching phases will take place and participants will be asked to
accomplish individual work and contribute online to the learning community.

Workload and Certification
Participants will receive a certificate of achievement issued by FH Münster after successful
completion of the programme. The certificate will include information about attendance.
Regular attendance as well as the accomplishment of tasks in the workshops and in the
online coaching phases are expected – also in the online format. Participants are
expected to spend additional time working on their own projects and tasks in the online
coaching phases.

Persons Eligible to Apply
The call is open for Heads of International Offices, Staff of International Offices and other
persons in charge of Internationalisation working at Higher Education Institutions in Ukraine.
To participate, the applicants must meet the criteria stated below. More than one applicant
from the same institution might be selected. Please note that each individual applicant has
to apply with an individual project.
Please note that you cannot take part in THEA Ukraine, if you are currently participating in the
project “Management of Internationalisation and German-Ukrainian Academic Cooperation
2020 – 2021” of University of Hannover.

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Application Process and Selection Criteria:
Please send all application documents via e-mail until 31 January 2021 to thea.ukraine@fh-
muenster.de.

The following application documents have to be sent:

      Information about applicant (form 1)
      Description of reform project idea signed by line manager (form 2)

All applicants will be informed by mid February 2021 whether they have been accepted to
participate in the programme.

A selection committee of project coordinator, trainers and experts from Ukraine and Germany
will select the participants. The selection will be based on the following criteria:

   1. Content-related criteria
      a.    Professional and personal aptitude of the applicant (as stated in form 1)
      b.    Convincing description of project idea (as stated in form 2)

   2. Formal Criteria
      c.    Completeness of application documents
      d.    Confirmation of English language proficiency (certificate optional)
      e.    Confirmation of being able to attend all workshops
      f.    Confirmation of internet access
      g.    Confirmation of being employed at current position for another 18 months
      h.    Signature of line manager confirming support

If these criteria are met, the following additional criteria might be taken into consideration for
the selection:

       1.   distribution of age groups
       2.   regional distribution of applicants
       3.   distribution of applicants’ position in the institution
       4.   distribution of gender

Funding to Participate
THEA Ukraine is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Science and Education (BMBF)
and facilitated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The following funding will

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support applicants to participate in the on-site workshops (workshops 2 and 3; changes may
apply depending on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic) of the course:
      Applicants will receive a lump-sum funding of 700 € per workshop. This sum will be
       disbursed at the beginning of each workshop in cash. Thus, participants have to cover
       ground travel in the Ukraine and in Germany, flights and individual meals themselves
       as well as all other costs (insurance, medication, cancellation fees etc.).
      The lump-sum funding is connected to the full participation in a workshop.
      The following costs will be covered by THEA Ukraine directly:
            Hotel costs including breakfast
            Meals during workshop time
            Joint events like welcome dinners or guided tours
            Joint travel like study trips
            Workshop materials and certificate
Travel arrangements have to be made by participants themselves. Participants have to care
for health insurance themselves. Hotel booking will be done by THEA Ukraine.
For online workshops no funding will be granted.
For questions, contact the project manager Petra Pistor: thea.ukraine@fh-muenster.de
Also refer to the programme’s website for updates: http://fhms.eu/thea

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