UzhNU Students and Teachers Improve Their English Through the English4Ukraine Project
A little report. This summer, students and teachers of Uzhhorod National University once again completed their studies on the English4Ukraine (E4U) online platform, which is the Ukrainian version of the British Reallyenglish platform. The project is coordinated by Mariupol State University with financial support from a British charitable foundation. Thanks to this project, participants have the opportunity to take English language courses free of charge, choose studies according to their professional needs, and work with the materials at a convenient pace. During the studies, the electronic platform of Reallyenglish.com Limited is used, which has been helping to teach foreign languages to professionals of corporations and educational institutions around the world for more than 20 years. The head office is located in London.
Among the students who completed the courses and received certificates were representatives of the specialties “Tourism,” “Tourism and Recreation,” and “Hotel and Restaurant Business.” They studied under the English for Hospitality and Practical English programs. Teachers of the Department of International Communications also joined the project: they completed the English for Hospitality, Practical English, Vocabulary for General English, and Business Reading courses. Participants’ feedback shows that the opportunities of the platform are also used by representatives of other university units.
Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Philology Nataliia Tolochko shared her experience of completing three courses:
On the “English4Ukraine” platform, I studied in 2024 and 2025. I completed three courses: “Academic English B2,” “Practical English,” and “Kickoff for TOEIC.” All three were different, but equally useful for professional development. First of all, I would like to note the convenience of the platform, as this is the key to high-quality learning. I took the courses on a tablet, and the interface is perfectly adapted. And if technical difficulties arose, the support service responded immediately to requests. I also liked the methodologies: the exercises developed, the system with open progress, and the function of repeating the material. The courses are limited in time, which motivates participants to complete them. To be honest, I would gladly study on the platform again, as it is an opportunity to improve my knowledge at a convenient time.
Andrii Sabovchyk, PhD, from the Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, noted the practical benefits of the studies:
I took the “Vocabulary for General English” and “Practical English” courses. I was very satisfied with the program and the learning format. The courses helped me significantly improve my level of English, especially expand my vocabulary and use it more confidently in everyday communication. Thank you, English4Ukraine, for such an opportunity! If there is an opportunity to take any other courses on the platform, I will definitely use it.
For students, the opportunity to study from anywhere and the connection between the courses and their future profession proved to be important. First-year student of the “International Law” specialty Antonina Paltsulych said:
Well, first of all, I like this program for its convenience. Wherever I am, I can almost always practice. The next thing is the wide choice of programs. It is convenient because you can choose what you are actually interested in. This way, you can also “edit” the difficulty. The program is truly “useful” and, in my opinion, perfectly suited for the new generation thanks to its format.
Student of the “Tourism and Recreation” specialty Albina Voloshyna noted:
Studying on the English4Ukraine platform was diverse and interesting. The Practical English course helped improve my vocabulary and identify weak areas so that I could further improve them through this platform.
Student of the “Tourism” specialty Viktoriia Matiko shared her impressions of English for Hospitality:
Studying on the English4Ukraine platform was useful and interesting for me. I liked that the material was structured and covered different aspects of the English language. During the studies, I managed to systematize the knowledge I had already acquired and learn a lot of new things. The easiest component for me was reading, while the most difficult was grammar. Overall, the course helped maintain and improve my level of English and motivated me to continue learning.
Viktoriia Tsapluk drew attention to the grammar exercises in the Practical English course:
I liked studying on the English4Ukraine platform. The material was presented in an accessible way, and the tasks helped systematize and consolidate my knowledge. The grammar exercises were especially useful. The studies helped improve and maintain my level of English.
Student of the “Tourism” specialty Kseniia Oliinyk recalls how the professional English for Hospitality course proved useful during her further studies:
I took the English for Tourism and Recreation course from English4Ukraine back in my first year, and only now, already in my third year, have I fully realized how relevant it was. What impressed me most was that instead of boring theory, we were given real language. It was genuinely interesting to listen to live dialogues and work through conversational hospitality vocabulary, precisely the phrases and intonations that are actually used when welcoming guests, making bookings, or dealing with mishaps on a route, rather than dry textbook formulations. There was quite a lot of work: we practiced listening to audio, learned to write, and read professional texts, but this time definitely did not go to waste. For starting a career, it is simply a great find.
Teachers of the Department of International Communications also use the courses for professional development. Senior Lecturer Viktoriia Danyliuk spoke about the English for Hospitality course:
For me, as an English language teacher, this course was a wonderful opportunity to deepen my professional knowledge and become familiar with modern English vocabulary related to the hospitality sector. It is especially valuable that the material has a practical focus and is as close as possible to real situations that hotel, restaurant, and other hospitality workers may encounter. I would particularly like to highlight the practicality of the course, the modern approach to learning English, and the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in professional activities.
Senior Lecturer Liudmyla Koval completed three courses: Practical English, Vocabulary for General English, and Business Reading (Need to Read), and noted the flexible format and the opportunity to return to the materials:
The online courses within the English4Ukraine program help you look at learning in a completely different way. The opportunity to study at any time, according to your own schedule, and return to the materials is an important component of learning. There was everything that is really needed for progress: reading, grammar, listening, and a lot of practice. I especially liked the separate reading course, where you can choose texts according to your level and personal interests. The most valuable thing is that you feel not simply “I am learning something,” but a real result and greater confidence in your knowledge.
Uzhhorod National University expresses its gratitude to Mariupol State University, the British charitable foundation, and the English4Ukraine team for access to the courses. This cooperation gives students the opportunity to develop their English for studies and future work, while teachers can update their professional knowledge and become familiar with new approaches to learning and teaching the language.
These are far from all those who have taken courses on the platform now and in the past, but from the oral feedback and the comments presented above, it becomes clear that the users, students and teachers, are extremely satisfied with the quality of the materials provided and the functionality of the platform and are eager to expand their language horizons.
According to the International Relations Office
