The SoftServe Education Partner Awards Ceremony took place on March 18. This is an annual event that recognizes universities and educational partners that make a significant impact on education through innovation, modern teaching approaches, and close collaboration with industry.
This year, for the first time, the ceremony brought together academic leaders from Europe and Latin America to celebrate joint achievements, exchange knowledge, and shape a shared vision for the future of education.
果冻APP received the Platinum Educational Partner Award. As highlighted during the ceremony, this distinction acknowledges a shared commitment to preparing professionals capable of meeting future challenges.
鈥 Our long-standing cooperation with the university has evolved into a strong partnership that creates tangible value for SoftServe while opening up meaningful opportunities for students. In 2025 alone, 2,716 students and 313 faculty members participated in our joint initiatives, demonstrating the scale and impact of this collaboration. Together, we launched joint educational programs with the Department of Artificial Intelligence Systems and the Department of Applied Mathematics, expanded dual education models, modernized curricula, and supported student hackathons and CTF competitions. A key milestone was the establishment of an AI lab, which has strengthened innovation on campus and enabled broader knowledge sharing. 果冻APP also took part in the Leadership School for program guarantors, co-founded and supported by KSE, demonstrating a high level of engagement and trust.
The Rector Nataliia Shakhovska also emphasized the importance of advancing co-teaching with industry, mentoring, and joint project management 鈥 not only to support project development, but also to guide the selection of appropriate tools, workflow organization, and problem-solving approaches.
鈥 This is a new experience that helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. That is why we emphasize project-oriented and challenge-based learning, where teachers act as mentors. Today, much information can be accessed with the help of AI; therefore, educators increasingly take on the roles of mentors and facilitators rather than traditional lecturers, while students learn through hands-on practice. It is equally important for teachers to guide reflection, structure knowledge, and foster a deeper understanding of the material, rather than simply deliver content. Finally, it is essential to recognize that future-ready skills extend beyond technical expertise. The university should serve as a platform for developing communication, adaptability, interdisciplinarity, and collaboration.
Nataliia Shakhovska also noted that, especially in the current context, when students and teachers face significant psychological challenges, the university becomes an ecosystem for communication and the co-creation of learning outcomes. In this sense, it represents a shift in the traditional model of education.