The article reveals the experience of Canadian universities in the sphere of internationalization and its implementation into the academic process of the Ukrainian higher agrarian education. The authors of the article examined works of Canadian researchers concerning internationalization in higher education, the process of adaptation of international students to the foreign environment, in particular, those which describe the outcomes of students, belonging to non-European intellectual traditions. It was found out that the Canadian strategies in internationalization had resulted in increasing quality of education and scientific research by establishing links with international partners due to the active academic mobility, multicultural awareness and integration into the world scientific society. Analysing and resuming the materials, the questionnaires were compeled to identify the initial level of adaptation of international students to the Ukrainian agrarian university, focused on housing information, challenges, learning the English and Ukrainian languages, university authority support for international students, etc. Assuming findings of the study, pedagogical conditions, appropriate to successful adaptation of international students to the academic and cultural environment of the university were distinguished. The intercultural trainings programme was targeted to facilitate the process of international students’ adaptation to the new multicultural  academic environment, as well as provide the necessary skills for intercultural communication.

The article reveals the implementation of innovative elearning technologies in the process of mastering the discipline "Target language of the professional use" by students of agricultural universities. The presented e-learning training course is an innovative tool that provides study of educational material in the mode of independent work with a computer as well as regulates the interaction of students with a teacher. Such online collaboration contributes to the improvement of the efficiency of target language knowledge formation through the introduction of upgraded teaching educational materials; stimulates interest in the study of target languages using innovative information and communication technologies; responsiveness of the feedback and the possibility of direct consultation with the teacher in the educational environment of the Moodle platform. The analysis of the results of the experimental survey showed predominantly sufficient and high levels of knowledge of students from the experimental groups who were trained by means of the electronic course; in contrast to the low and initial levels of knowledge of students from the control groups. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of the content, structure and tasks of the electronic training course on learning English, German, Ukrainian and Russian as target languages for distance learning students of Sumy National Agrarian University.

This investigation highlights the ways and means of students’ formation of media literacy skills under the conditions of total and emergent distance learning in the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study involved 138 first-year students from Sumy National Agrarian University, Ukraine, who studied English as a foreign language (EFL). Analysis, synthesis, and generalization of scientific data were conducted to determine the requirements and materials for the survey. Media literacy of the participants in the experimental group was developed through performance of a series of social media projects, critical analysis of social media texts, and creation of social media content. Pedagogical observation and expert estimation were employed to obtain qualitative results of partiucipants’ progress during practical classes and extracurricular activities. Psychological techniques and mathematical methods were employed to measure and assess the quantitative data of the experiment. The outcomes of the study revealed the positive dynamics of the development of reflective-evaluative, collaborative, and searching-creative skills of participants in the experimental group as well as improvement in their English proficiency. The result of this study is potentially appropriate for educators who are interested in the application of media technologies in foreign-language teaching.

The paper deals with the case study, focused on exploring certain problems in intercultural communication of Ukrainian and Chinese students in the academic environment of Sumy National Agrarian University. The participants of the ethnographic-linguistic stage of the experiment learned, interpreted and compared the phraseological funds of the Chinese, Ukrainian and English languages, displaying the conceptual sphere “Agriculture”, in order to find out similarities and divarications in the outlook of people, engaged in agricultural production, as well as the perception of agricultural sphere in these cultural-ethnic communities. The qualitative stage of the experiment was conducted to discover the stereotypes about the representatives of other nations, which the informants had. It was revealed that learning idioms and participation in the experiment helped students overcome the stereotypes and improve the intercultural interaction amid academic groups. It was concluded that the students, who learned the target language idioms, belonging to the conceptual sphere “Agriculture”, gained knowledge of the geographical and economic conditions, moral values and traditions of the target language native speakers, became aware of the analogies in their own background. Thus, the participants realised that they could eliminate obstacles that impeded intercultural communication by mastering culturally marked target language material concerning the sphere of their future professional activity.

The paper deals with the application of information and communication technologies amid internationalization process in higher agrarian education. The purpose of this research is to evaluate virtual internationalization initiatives in Sumy National Agrarian University (SNAU), Ukraine. Analysis and systematization of the latest scientific works on digitalization in higher education and virtual academic programs proved that they are essential to connect students and educators worldwide in order to improve instruction, to enhance intercultural awareness across borders, to develop target languages knowledge and transversal skills, necessary for young professionals to be competitive in the information-based society. The findings of the survey stated that SNAU is integrating a growing number of international projects requiring the use of digital tools. Data on the inputs, outputs and outcomes of virtual internationalization programs from both official documents and questioning participants, students and faculty was collected and measured. Actual benefits (developing intercultural competence, accessing to global knowledge, lowering economic and environmental costs, improving foreign languages) and potential risks (brain drain, cultural homogenization and less diversity of languages and teaching modes, imbalance of resources) of virtual academic projects were assessed as well. It has been concluded that SNAU engagement in virtual international programs has contributed to the intensification of academic mobility, ensuring international standards for the quality of educational services, gaining international experience in the field of agrarian business and research due to implementation of ICT.

The paper studies nature and specific features of heuristic learning technologies, significant for the formation of theoretical knowledge by students of agrarian specialties in their course of humanities. Analysis of up-todate scientific works reveals the efficiency of the process of humanitarian theoretical knowledge formation by students due to the involvement of a set of important pedagogical factors, such as: motivation of students by setting ties between humanitarian theoretical concepts and their future professional activities; creation and competent defense of personally essential educational products; teaching students to apply heuristic learning technologies (methods for defining theoretical concepts, methods and tools of dialogue interaction in solving complex professional problems, reflexive conclusions, heuristic analytical and comparative learning activities, prediction of the possible outcome of the educational activity and visual representation of its image etc.). The experimental survey was aimed to determine the stages of a humanitarian theoretic concept formation based on the heuristic learning technologies. The first motivational stage provides students' awareness of necessity of the humanitarian theoretical concept that is being formed for their future professional activity. The next searching-creative stage is carried out with various methods and mechanisms of heuristic learning technologies, mastered by students under the conditions of individual creation of educational products. At the reflection stage a teacher and students use pedagogical diagnostic mechanisms to assess the level of formation of the theoretical concept, the level of mastering basic theoretical and practical aspects of the topic as well as the development of critical and creative thinking and professional competences of future specialists in agriculture, their ability to form the necessary knowledge independently. So, heuristic learning activities enable students to segment and study the specific areas of their future professional activity from humanitarian perspectives and establish personal motives for learning humanities.

The authors examined the scientific works concerning Chinese students' intercultural adaptation experience in foreign universities. It was found out that successful intercultural adaptation process depends on effective interpersonal communication, which improves language proficiency, motivation, and promotes students' interaction with representatives of foreign cultures. Interviews and questionnaires with the international students were compiled and processed to determine the main problems of adaptation from physiological, socio-psychological, sociocultural, academic points of view. The data for the survey was collected through observation over the participants, focusing on students' ability to keep the norms and rules of behaviour in Ukraine; ability to establish and maintain ties with the representatives of other cultures; ability to overcome intercultural tension in the process of communication. Thus, it has been concluded that intercultural adaptation can be successful only in the process of psychological, social, and cultural accommodation of international students, which can be gained with the following strategies: social facilitation, cultural awareness, psychological and pedagogical support, effective organization of interpersonal communication of students in the academic group, dormitories, communication with lecturers both at classes and outside the university.

The paper focuses on pedagogical and psychological facets of students’ knowledge formation impacted by the coronavirus pandemic situation worldwide. It was found out that the emergent transition to online education was mostly fruitfull for the development of new learning technologies, but at same time many students experienced frustration and uncertainty, studying independently; some lecturers were not ready to refuse from traditional frontal teaching methods. Theoretical analysis was applied to study classic and modern scientific works on the nature of the phenomenon of knowledge and its formation. Comparative analysis of the latest publications on this topic revealed that actual pedagogical approaches stated the importance of learners’ active participation in the interactions and interrelations within the system of the learning process and the relevance of the socio-cultural context of new knowledge presentation. Pedagogical observation and expert evaluation enabled authors’ exploring Generation Z students’ cognitive modes and psychological background, featured by practically oriented motivation, clip thinking, ability for multitasking, prevailing unvoluntary attention and weak memorization, preference for visual presentation of information. Theoretical synthesis and compilation implementation enabled working out practical recommendations for intensifying the process of knowledge formation of Generation Z students. The outcomes of the study were used to modernize an e-course “Methods of Teaching in Higher Education Institutions”, so that it met contemporary demands.