Representatives of Uman National University took part in the final offline round of the DEFEP International Conference in Kyiv
On October 16, 2025, the final offline round of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Distance Education for Future: DEFEP Project Experience and Sustainable Development,” organized as part of the international project CBHE Erasmus+ 101083143-DEFEP, funded by the European Union.
The conference was attended by representatives of Uman National University: Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work, Doctor of Economics, Professor Mykhailo MALOVANYI; Dean of the Faculty of Management, Doctor of Economics, Professor Inna NOVAK; and Head of the Department of Economics, Candidate of Economics, Associate Professor Alla OSIPOVA.
During the plenary session, Professor Mykhailo MALOVANYI delivered a report entitled “Ensuring the Sustainability of Distance Education,” in which he presented the results of the systematic implementation of distance learning at Uman National University. He outlined five key areas for ensuring the sustainability of distance education—institutional, methodological, digital, social, and economic—emphasizing the importance of forming a unified university policy in the field of digitalization and improving the digital competencies of teachers and students.
Conference participants also heard presentations by DEFEP project coordinator Olena FILIMONOVA (Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University) on the results of the project’s implementation, as well as Marina SILCHENKO, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work and Digital Transformation at KNEU, who presented her vision for the further development of distance education in the context of European integration.
The plenary session was followed by panel discussions on key aspects of modern distance education: international experience, internationalization and intercultural communication, methodology and institutionalization of digital learning, inclusion and student-centeredness, as well as cooperation between universities, business, and the public sector.
The final stage of the event was the presentation of the Association of Digital and Distance Education, which brought together Ukrainian and European universities for the further development of high-quality, flexible, and inclusive education of the future.
The participation of the Uman National University team in the final round of the DEFEP conference confirmed the university’s active role in the processes of digital transformation of education, dissemination of best European practices, and formation of a sustainable development policy for distance learning in Ukraine.