Ukraine Digital
The DAAD funding program "Ukraine Digital: Studienerfolg durch praxisorientierte Onlinelehre" has been supporting Ukrainian universities in implementing digital learning and helping students continue their education in times of war since July 2022. As part of this initiative, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences implemented a joint project with Odesa National Economic University (ONEU) and Oles Honchar Dnipro National University (DNU).
The war in Ukraine has had a negative impact on the country's infrastructure and higher education system. Despite active hostilities, Ukrainian universities continue to operate remotely. However, due to the lack of staff and outdated teaching materials for some courses, Ukrainian students could not complete their studies.
The Ukraine Digital project at the Hochschule Mittweida was aimed at overcoming the educational challenges of the war: it provided educational materials, scholarships, digital tools, professional development for teachers, and deepened academic cooperation between Ukrainian and German universities.
Ukraine Digital in the period from 2022 to 2025
The Ukraine Digital project, implemented in 2022-2025, delivered the following results:
1. Digital learning materials and online learning
We provided educational materials translated into Ukrainian in the form of presentations, notes, video lectures, and case studies. These materials were integrated into 28 academic disciplines. On their basis, teachers prepared 20 methodological developments, which were also translated into English and made accessible to students of all partner universities.
In March and April 2025, two international educational events were held, during which Ukrainian and German students worked in mixed teams on a case study in international management. This significantly contributed to strengthening academic cooperation on a practical level.
2. Scholarships
The project awarded 202 scholarships to students who stayed in Ukraine during the war. The selection was based on academic achievement and social circumstances of the students involving both partner universities.
3. Scientific activity
97 student research articles were prepared and presented at three conferences in September 2023, February 2024 and May 2025. In 2025, selected articles were published in the Ukraine Digital Scientific Journal in collaboration with the International Journal of Psychology and Strategic Communication (link).
4. Digital transformation of the educational process
The project introduced modern digital tools, including Kahoot!, Mentimeter, and Prezi, which contributed to more active student participation and improved learning process. Along with this, ONEU and DNU teachers took the SAP S/4HANA course, which made it possible to update the educational programs and introduce the course Enterprise Resource Planning based on SAP at ONEU. This was an important step in the transition from the outdated 1C system to the international SAP standard and strengthened the digital component of higher education.
5. Ongoing communication and feedback
For three years, the partners maintained regular communication through regular online and offline meetings. In order to improve the educational process and cooperation formats, feedback from project participants was collected after each project period.
For that purpose, a series of questionnaires were developed for students, teachers, and coordinators from both partner universities. The collected responses helped to improve the formats of events and interactions, consider the needs of different target groups, and identify potential for further development. This approach to ongoing dialogue and analysis of the participants' experience not only ensured the flexibility, quality, and relevance of all implemented activities, but also created the basis for systematic improvement of cooperation in the future.
Ukraine Digital 2025
In 2025, we plan to continue implementing 7 digital courses and provide 23 scholarships for students to support their studies. The partner universities will work on developing, updating and adapting the transferred learning materials, which will result in the creation of 6 new methodological developments that will be used in their curricula.
As DAAD's funding program ends in June 2025, this year will be crucial for consolidating Ukraine Digital's achievements and identifying areas for further cooperation. The project results will be presented to the public and the scientific community.