Postgraduate School

Non-formal education is education typically acquired through educational programs and does not lead to officially recognized state educational qualifications by level, but it may result in professional or partial educational qualifications.

Features of non-formal education:

-Acquisition of competencies to meet personal educational needs, not regulated by the place of learning, duration, form of study, or state certification measures;

-Education is institutionalized, purposeful, and planned by the educational provider and serves as additional, alternative, and/or complementary to formal education;

-No age, professional, or intellectual restrictions for participants; often not limited by time, can be short-term, and may have low or high intensity.

Types of non-formal education:

-Professionally oriented and general cultural courses in education centers, intensive courses, seminars, workshops;

-Non-academic exchanges, internships, short-term courses, conferences, seminars, olympiads, practical sessions, summer/winter schools, business schools, trainings, and other programs.

Types of qualification recognition in non-formal education:

-Courses with certification (according to international assessment standards), e.g., language skills;

-Training within academic cooperation with partner higher education institutions;

-Short-term courses aimed at professional development in various areas.

Learning outcomes obtained in non-formal education may be recognized for up to 25% of the total credits of the educational program and may apply to both mandatory and elective subjects of the curriculum.

Recognition of non-formal learning outcomes is allowed for subjects that begin in the second semester of the educational-professional program and occurs in the semester preceding the study of the respective subject, taking into account the possibility that the learner may not confirm such results. Recognized learning outcomes must correspond in topic, scope, and content either to the subject as a whole, or to specific sections, topics, or individual assignments (coursework, projects, tests, etc.) outlined in the syllabus.

How to recognize learning outcomes in non-formal education?

Main stages of the recognition process:

1. Submission of an application

1.1. The student applies to the director of the institution requesting recognition of learning outcomes obtained in non-formal education.
1.2. The application specifies: which learning outcomes were achieved, how they were acquired (provider of educational/professional services), learning load (types of activities, number of hours, etc.), and for which subject in the curriculum recognition is requested.
1.3. The application must include certified copies of documents confirming participation in non-formal education activities (certificates, diplomas, etc.). If documents are in a foreign language, a notarized translation must be provided.

2. Formation and work of the subject committee.

The subject committee reviews the submitted documents, conducts an interview with the student, and either recognizes the learning outcomes obtained through non-formal education or assigns an assessment task. The committee takes the results of non-formal learning into account and may award ECTS credits for subjects that correspond to the requirements of the relevant educational-professional program regarding the development of planned competencies. Based on the syllabus of the subject, the committee determines the volume of credit transfer in ECTS.

3. Assessment

If documents do not indicate the number of credits or results of competence assessment, the committee appoints an evaluation (exam). Full or partial recognition of learning outcomes is possible, as well as non-recognition.

Full recognition of learning outcomes obtained through non-formal education is recommended when the studied subject fully matches the planned learning outcomes (competencies) or has minor differences, and is similar in scope and content (at least 75%). If a decision is made to fully recognize the learning outcomes obtained in non-formal education, the student is exempt from studying the recognized subject.

Partial recognition of learning outcomes obtained through non-formal education is recommended when a subject is not fully recognized, and additional assessment is required for certain topics. If the subject committee decides on partial recognition of non-formal learning outcomes, and only certain sections or topics are credited, this must be taken into account by the instructor during the student’s study of the subject and when assigning the final grade.

Appeals against the committee’s decision are handled according to the institution’s regulations.

Below are examples of non-formal education resources and programs that students may participate in:

• Introductory Cataract Surgery Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/cataract-surger
• Healthcare Leadership Course: https://www.edx.org/executive-education/university-of-toronto-healthcare-leadership
• Statistics for Medical Research: https://www.edx.org/learn/biostatistics/osaka-university-introduction-to-applied-biostatistics-statistics-for-medical-research
• Portal of various courses and workshops by Wills Eye Hospital: https://willseye.cloud-cme.com/default.aspx
• Biomedical Equipment Course: https://www.edx.org/learn/biomedical-engineering/delft-university-of-technology-biomedical-equipment-a-practical-approach-to-healthcare-technology-management
• Research courses on conducting and writing scientific papers: https://researcheracademy.elsevier.com/
• Academic Integrity Course: https://prometheus.org.ua/prometheus-free/akademichna-dobrochesnist
• Academic English: Writing: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/academic-english
• Academic English: Speaking & Listening Skills: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/speaklistenenglish
• Introduction to Statistics: https://www.coursera.org/learn/stanford-statistics
• Introduction to Medical Software: https://www.coursera.org/learn/introduction-to-medical-software
• Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis: https://www.coursera.org/learn/systematic-review
• Various professional courses by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (for active members): https://www.aao.org/education/topics-browse
• Various professional courses via Cybersight: https://cybersight.org/online-learning
• EURETINA Observership (application deadline: January 15, 2025): https://euretina.org/observership-programme
• One-week ophthalmology courses (Austria): https://www.openmedicalinstitute.org/seminars
• Courses, seminars, and internship programs by ESASO (European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology; Switzerland): https://www.esaso.org/education/education-overview/modules-overview
• Internship grants at European ophthalmology centers by the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE): https://soevision.org/grants

For further information, please contact:

Scientific Secretary of the Institute: Halyna Fesjunova
Email: filatovscience@ukr.net

Phone number: +38 (048) 746 51 07, +38 (048) 707 24 20

Organizational and Methodological Department:
Phone number: +38 (048) 707-24-90, +38 (048) 746-60-62
E-mail: filatovinfo@ukr.net, filatovorgmetod@ukr.net

The Institute actively encourages students to engage in various forms of learning, including non-formal education. In addition to general, scientific, and professional development, the results of such learning may be recognized according to your educational program, taking into account time spent and knowledge acquired in accordance with Institute regulations.