Representatives of USUST at the second project meeting under the Erasmus+ programme

From June 29 to July 2, 2025, lecturers from the Department of Inorganic Substances and Ecology  of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies (USUST) participated in the second on-site meeting of the international educational project ‘Strengthening Digital Skills in the Water Sector in Higher Education’ under the Erasmus+ programme.
The meeting was hosted by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet) in Ås, Norway.
 
The USUST delegation from the Department of Inorganic Substances and Ecology was represented by three participants: head of the department – Ihor Kovalenko, Prof. Roman Smotraiev, and assistant Kateryna Sorochkina.
The main topics addressed during the meeting included:
  • a visit to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet), in Ås, Norway, including presentations on university activities and visits to pilot facilities;
  • training sessions for lecturers conducted by European colleagues during the seminar ‘Digital Tools in Education’;
  • discussion on the implementation of the second work package ‘Current State of Digital Water Education’, including the analysis of existing curricula in water-related disciplines at partner universities and the coordination of five new content modules. These modules will serve as a basis for modernizing existing or creating new academic courses.
    The five proposed content modules aim to cover all key areas of digitalization in the water sector.
  • Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT) in water resources management
  • Big Data and IoT in water quality monitoring
  • Big Data and IoT in process control
  • Modelling/simulation tools in water treatment processes
  • Modelling/simulation tools in water transport systems
 
  • participation in the 14th IWA International Conference on Instrumentation, Control, and Automation (ICA2025OSLO)
  • planning the next steps, including organization of the upcoming meeting and training workshop at ‘Dunarea de Jos’ University of Galati (Universitatea ‘Dunarea de Jos’ din Galati), Galati, Romania
As part of the experience exchange and the study of modern European practices in organizing the educational process, lecturers from our university had an opportunity to learn how laboratory and practical classes are organized at the Norwegian university, as well as to participate in a hands-on workshop dedicated to modern interactive teaching methods using GroupMap software. GroupMap is an online brainstorming tool that will be provided to each project partner university. It enables users to: efficiently organize group brainstorming for decision-making; create engaging tasks to achieve meaningful results; facilitate teaching (allowing instructors to build lesson plans in less than a minute using over 50 templates, save time through real-time student responses and instant feedback); develop students’ thinking skills (encouraging everyone to share and fostering critical, creative, and collaborative thinking);  make lesson planning more engaging and effective.
 
Regarding the second topic, the results of the analysis of existing curricula of disciplines related to water sector in university were presented. The main thematic areas of the water sector were outlined, along with preliminary topics for lectures on digitalization in the field. Further details of topics and content will be discussed in upcoming online working meetings.
 
Participation in the International Conference on Instrumentation, Control, and Automation (ICA2025OSLO) was an integral of the project. It was held under the auspices of the International Water Association (IWA). The conference topics were closely related to the project’s focus, and its high professional standard enabled project participants to gain the latest insights into the digitalization of the water sector – from the development of cutting-edge control and automation devices for water treatment and purification processes to the use of artificial intelligence in water resource management.
 
More detailed information about the conference can be found on the  official conference website.  
The final day of the meeting was dedicated to planning future events and discussing the provision of modern equipment and software to universities for the implementation of digital transformation. Significant attention was also given to issues related to the professional development of teaching staff involved in delivering relevant courses, as well as to the education of students enrolled in the academic programmes ‘Ecology and Environmental protection’ (specialty 101 – Ecology) and ‘Chemical Technologies and Engineering’, with a professional focus on Drinking Water and Industrial Water Treatment Technologies in the Production of Inorganic Substances (specialty 161 – Chemical Technologies and Engineering).
 
The meeting had a lot of  productive discussions, training seminars, round tables, and conference sessions, leaving very little time for cultural activities. Nevertheless, the project participants had an opportunity to explore some of the main landmarks of Oslo, such as a unique Vigeland Sculpture Park, unforgettable modern waterfront, Oslo City Hall, the Oslo Opera House, and historic Akershus Castle and Fortress.

The USUST team is grateful to colleagues from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and especially to Prof. H. Ratnaweera, for organizing the meeting and providing excellent conditions for its implementation. We also thank all our partners for their fruitful cooperation!