Department of Ukrainian and Foreign Languages

Head of the Department

HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

Zhanna Babiak

Zhanna Babiak, Associate Professor of the Department of Ukrainian and Foreign Languages, PhD in Pedagogy.

Research:

– Research interests: methods of teaching ESP in higher education, pedagogy

– Number of scientific publications (Google Scholar): 51

Research and educational projects:

Coordinator of the project “English for Universities”

The British Council in Ukraine launched the “English for Universities” project in December 2013, after the Ministry of Education identified improving English proficiency at universities as one of its priorities.

Project aim – to contribute to qualitative changes in the English proficiency of both lecturers and students of Ukrainian higher education institutions, enabling them to take a more active part in international activities.

Project objectives – to build sustainable capacity in English language teaching in order to raise English proficiency to B2/C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; to promote the introduction of English language standards at Ukrainian universities.

Co-coordinator of the project “University Brand Image: TNTU Positioning Strategy in the International Educational Services Market”.

Seeking to improve the quality of higher education in Ukraine, the British Council, in partnership with the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine and the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (UK), and with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, implements the Programme for Developing the Leadership Potential of Ukrainian Universities.

Programme aim – to support the reform of the higher education sector by developing the leadership potential of Ukrainian universities. Over three years (2015–2018) 40 Ukrainian universities are expected to take part in the Programme.

Expected results of the Programme:

  • Creating a national network of “change agents” – specialists ready to introduce innovative changes at their higher education institutions
  • Carrying out 40 inter-university partnership exchanges between universities of Ukraine and the United Kingdom
  • Introducing mechanisms for disseminating, cooperating on and sharing good practice in developing university leadership
  • Effective use of the leadership potential of “change agents” in the higher education system or an individual institution through recognition of their status and improvement of university performance indicators
  • A clear understanding by universities of their role and responsibility under extended autonomy through updated university strategies

Main scientific publications:

  1. Babiak Zh.V., Bodnar O.I., Plavutska I.R. Assessing Students’ Knowledge in Distance Learning Using the ATutor System. Scientific Notes of the International Humanitarian University: [collection]. – Odesa: Helvetica Publishing House, 2022. – Issue 36. – 244 p. The collection is indexed in Index Copernicus International. http://www.sci-notes.mgu.od.ua/3
  2. Zh.V. Babiak, I.R. Plavutska, N.V. Rybina. On Implementing the Principle of Continuity in Teaching English to Students of Non-Language Specialities. Scientific Notes. Series: Pedagogical Sciences. Issue 94, 2021. – pp. 65-70. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=uk&user=JfOgX40AAAAJ&citation_for_view=JfOgX40AAAAJ:e5wmG9Sq2KIC
  3. Tamara Ishchenko, Zhanna Babiak, Victor Hladush, Viera Šilonová, Liudmyla Nikolenko, Stanislav Sapozhnykov. THE USAGE OF CASE METHOD IN PREPARATION FOR TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. Journal of Critical Reviews. Vol. 7. Issue 17. 2020. – pp. 1506-1510.
  4. Zhanna Babiak, Oleh Bodnar, Iryna Plavutska. Specifics of Rendering Eponymous Terms in Professional Discourse. Scientific Notes of V.I. Vernadsky Taurida National University. Series: Philology. Journalism. Vol. 32. 2021. – pp. 80-84
  5. Olha Tsaryk, Nataliia Rybina, Zhanna Babiak. Structural Procedure Model of Students’ Educational Activities Motivation. Mountain School of Ukrainian Carpaty, Issue 22, 2020. – pp. 156-160.

Teaching and methodological literature:

  1. “English for Engineering”: methodological guidelines for developing business English skills / L.A. Dzhydzhora, Zh.V. Babiak, O.I. Bodnar, L.Y. Petryshyna. – Ternopil: TNTU Publishing House, 2016. – 112 p. http://elartu.tntu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/17824
  2. Bodnar O.I., Dzhydzhora L.A., Petryshyna L.Y., Babiak Zh.V. Textbook “English: English for 1st–2nd Year Students Majoring in Automobiles and Automotive Industry”. Ternopil Ivan Puluj NTU Publishing House, 2013. – 116 p.
  3. Bodnar O.I., Babiak Zh.V., Dzhydzhora L.A., Petryshyna L.Y. Texts for Additional Reading and Rendering (for mechanical engineering majors). Textbook for technical specialities. – Ternopil: TNTU, 2012. – 80 p.
  4. Babiak Zh.V., Bodnar O.I., Dzhydzhora L.A., Petryshyna L.Y. Textbook for 1st–2nd year students of technical specialities. Practical Tasks in English for Reading and Speaking. – Ternopil: Ivan Puluj TNTU Publishing House, 2013. – 72 p.
  5. Lesia Nazarevych, Ihor Ravliv, Sofiia Fedak, Nataliia Havdyda, Nadiia Denysiuk, Zhanna Babiak, Halyna Matsiuk. Methodological guide “Norms of the Modern Ukrainian Literary Language”, 2019.

Course:

Short course description (general characteristics, features, advantages):

Course “ESP (English for Specific Purposes)”.

The course enables students to acquire general professional communicative competence in English. Learning is carried out by integrating language skills and knowledge within a familiar general and situational context related to students’ academic and professional fields. Self-study is considered an integral part of the course, and the programme pays special attention to students’ independent work.

The “ESP” course programme takes into account current trends in language learning and teaching and is based on the following principles:

  • internationalism and plurilingualism
  • democracy and equal rights
  • novelty
  • transparency and flexibility
  • variability
  • integration

The course aims to develop everyday and professional communicative competence, regarded as language behaviour specific to academic and professional environments. Such behaviour requires linguistic competence (language skills and knowledge), as well as sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences necessary for study- and work-related tasks. Communicative competence is developed according to students’ learning ability, subject knowledge and previous experience, within a familiar situational context related to their studies and speciality.

The course enables students to:

  • find specific information related to the learning process or subject using a library catalogue, table of contents or index, reference books, dictionaries and the Internet
  • ask questions to obtain essential information related to their studies or speciality
  • predict information using “keys” such as headings, subheadings, the author’s name, etc.
  • communicate effectively in a professional environment;
  • develop communicative competence and speaking skills in engineering;
  • understand and assess diverse international sociocultural issues in order to act appropriately in various professional communicative situations.

Expected outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, along with other professional skills, students are expected to be able to communicate in a foreign language in a familiar academic and general professional environment in order to:

  • discuss general academic and speciality-related issues to reach mutual understanding;
  • prepare public presentations on a range of general political, economic and cultural topics using appropriate verbal and non-verbal means of communication;
  • find new textual, graphic, audio and video information on general academic and professional issues in foreign-language materials (both printed and electronic) using appropriate search methods;
  • analyse information from foreign-language sources to obtain data needed for general academic and professional tasks;
  • write in a foreign language a range of documents required for participation in international academic events, student exchange programmes and employment

Competences provided:

After completing the course “ESP (English for Specific Purposes)” students will be able to understand key values, beliefs and behaviour in academic and professional environments; understand different corporate cultures in specific professional contexts and how they relate; apply intercultural understanding in direct oral and written communication in academic and professional settings; behave and respond appropriately in typical social, academic and professional situations of everyday life, and know the rules of interaction in such situations (recognising appropriate gestures, eye contact, the meaning of physical distance and body language in each situation).