Department of Foreign languages

About Department

The department of foreign languages was initiated in 1950 by prof. A. P. Roginsky, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. During its history, the department saw many prominent educators: M. I. Akimova, A. G. Belaya, G. O. Valina, T. K. Vertysheva, R. G. Eliseeva, D. P. Salionovich etc. From 1985 to 2018, the department was headed by L. V. Skripnichenko.  Currently, the academic staff includes 23 members: 11 associate professors and 12 senior lecturers. Six of them have a scientific degree of candidate of sciences (PhD): 5 candidates of pedagogical sciences, 1 candidate of philological sciences and 1 candidate of technical sciences.  Future specialists in various engineering fields are taught foreign languages at the department: programmers and system analysts, mechanical and electrical engineers, chemists and production engineers, cadets of the Military Institute for Tank Troops, young scientists and researchers.

First- and second-year undergraduate students are taught English, German or French within the course “Foreign language for specific purposes”. Post-graduate (masters) students are provided the course “Foreign Language for Academic Purposes”. Besides, teachers of the department deliver English classes to foreign students of the Faculty of International Education, as well as the course “English as a Medium of Instruction” to foreign students of the first and second years who receive education in English.  The department closely cooperates with the German Educational Center “German Technical Faculty”, where engineering students and researchers are trained to participate in exchange programs with German-speaking countries. Those who are going to enroll in the Master’s degree program can attend specially organised courses to prepare for the entrance exam in English. From 2014 to 2019, teachers of the department have been taking part in the British Council project “English for Universities”.  Kharkiv Polytechnic was among the first 18 universities that joined the project. The trainings were delivered both by the leading British experts and by highly qualified Ukrainian educators. Thanks to the participation in the project, the teachers have not only developed professionally but also revised the concept of teaching foreign language for professional purposes. A new ESP program has been designed to develop communication skills in a foreign language, which are vital for modern engineers. Teaching methods are focused on students’ needs and development of so-called “soft skills”, which involve teamwork, creativity and self-education. The major attention in teaching and learning of a foreign language today is paid to the acquisition and development of communicative skills and strategies. To operate in an intellectual environment, a modern engineer requires special skills and abilities that will allow him to communicate professionally, develop projects in a foreign language and present them, write papers for scientific or specialized professional journals. For more than 20 years, the department has been closely working with the Language Center of Magdeburg University (Germany). In cooperation with the Center, the teachers developed computer programs for learning German, textbooks, evaluation criteria and materials for testing students’ language levels. Every year, teachers of the department participate in international conferences based on the language center and improve their skills at methodological seminars held by leading European experts in the field of German language teaching.

Scientific fields

The department research has the following areas of focus:

1. Development of professional communicative competence skills

-communicative teaching methods;

-Soft Skills;

-the use of modern media and Internet resources, electronic devices for improving teaching of foreign languages.

2. Neurodiadactics in teaching foreign languages:
3. Features of scientific-methodical and organizational work with foreign students:

-theory, methodology and practice of teaching foreign students;

– comparative linguistics;

-socialization.

Within these areas, lecturers of the department publish scientific papers and present their research at international and Ukrainian scientific conferences.

The department also creates tests for determining the level of knowledge of foreign languages ​​and develops a theoretical background for evaluation criteria.

The lecturers of the department are the authors of numerous textbooks and manuals. They are specially designed to meet professional needs of our polytechnic students. A distance English language course was created for first-year students of Extramural Department, as well as a German distance course for future environmental engineers. The engineering staff of the department provides daily organizational, technical and moral support to the teachers. Along with professional skills and competencies, knowledge and skills acquired by our graduates in foreign language classes may become decisive in job hunting, employment and career advancement. Today, quite a few of our former students work in foreign companies, successfully cooperate with foreign partners, teach special subjects in English at our University and feel more confident when travelling abroad. We are pleased to stay in touch with our current and ex-students and will always look forward to seeing you at our department.