Over the years the department has been carrying on active teaching and research work, has expanded and improved the resource base.
Teachers of the Department work on the state budget theme “Improving the quality of teaching foreign languages in higher technical educational establishments in terms of humanistic orientation by upgrading of forms, methods and the content of teaching”. The scientific and methodological work of the Department is focused at forming professional communicative competence considered as a specific language policy for academic and professional environment. The language policy includes acquirement of linguistic, socio-linguistic and pragmatic competences required for professional activities.
Linguistic competence, as knowledge and ability to use language units, consists of lexical, grammar, semantic, and phonologic competences. Socio-cultural competence is targeted at developing capabilities of interacting with representatives of other cultures. Students master skills of professional communicative competence in various academic and professional spheres and situations.
The teachers of the Department work to research and design optimal methods for forming all three competence groups. Scientific works, manuals and text-books developed by the teachers of the Department aim to improve student communicative competence to ensure adaptation to international environment.
Priority lines of research for the Department are humanization of education according to modern trends of humanitarization of polytechnic educational system in general, development of interactive teaching methods, effective realization of intercultural communication, search for optimal combination of traditional and intensive teaching methods, development of new IT technologies.
On the whole, almost all pedagogic and linguistic research work of the Department is focused on training future specialists to integrate into the global community, to establish contacts and effectively communicate with international partners by means of foreign languages.
The main activities of the department are:
1. networking with universities of other countries;
2. organization of regular international students’ scientific conferences in foreign languages;
3. preparation of students’ publications and publishing the only in Ukraine annual collection of students’ scientific works in foreign languages for different technical and socio-humanitarian areas (registration certificate of print media with serial number ХК № 1495-236Р Main Department of Justice in Kharkiv region 26.12.2008 for publishing a collection of students’ scientific works in foreign languages on technical, economic and humanitarian areas with the title “Students. Science. Foreign Language);
4. organization of annual international students’ research contest supported by Kharkiv City Council;
5. organization of annual international students’ round tables on important social, political and economic problems;
6. preparing students to participation in international conferences and students’ works competitions in foreign languages, organized by different universities in Ukraine and other countries;
7. encouraging and preparing students to participation in popular students’ exchange programs (Work and Travel, International Camp Counselor Program, DAAD, CIM);
8. providing students with constant language practice by inviting native foreign language speakers to take part in seminars, debates, etc., including the representatives of American charitable organization “Peace Corps”;
9. ensuring proper methodological and language level of the staff of the department by regular participation in international seminars organized by foreign experts in methods of teaching foreign languages;
10. vocational work.
To assist in study of foreign languages and scientific researches the department has “Resource Centre” which offers a wide collection of video and audio materials, periodicals, special literature and fiction in foreign languages, reference books.
The Department of foreign languages actively establishes relations with representatives of other countries, invites them to hold meetings with students and seminars with teachers.
The Department of foreign languages provides in-depth English language training for students of all faculties of Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University.
The Department of foreign languages annually organizes various contests of students’ works, “round tables”, student forums, conferences and other events. They are attended by representatives of various universities of Ukraine and other countries.
Due to international connections students of KhNAHU and teachers of the Department of foreign languages have the opportunity to visit other universities of Ukraine and abroad and take part in various events.
Through advanced language training, students of KhNAHU are able to continue their studies at foreign universities.
