The aim of the study is to find ways to expand teacher efficacy by participating in foreign internships. Survey methods were used to collect the data from students. Descriptive statistics was used to examine the overall trends in foreign language teachers’ professional development. Thus, passing a training abroad leads to the development and improvement of language, professional, and cultural competencies of not only teachers, but also students; improving the skills of teachers, their motivation; increasing not only the prestige of the educational organization, but also the publication activity of university employees in world scientific publications; improving educational technologies. And most importantly, students, as direct participants of the educational process, are more than satisfied with their results. The article is of interest for the foreign language teachers.

The importance of intercultural communication in today’s globalised world is undeniable. Scholars from different countries have contributed to the development of this field and created educational materials – textbooks on intercultural communication devoted to classifications and features of different cultures – and textbooks on foreign languages that include exercises devoted to developing intercultural skills in everyday and professional contexts. Teachers of foreign languages are making an effort to use the available materials that provide a wide outlook on various cultures and help students prepare for being a part of intercultural community. However, there is an evident shortage of such materials in languages other than English. The article provides the results of the analysis of online sources that demonstrates that the majority of available resources that are in any way connected with intercultural communication are in English. The article dwells on the reasons for English dominance in intercultural communication study and suggests a global effort as a solution. Whether we are looking at textbooks purely on intercultural communication or foreign language learning resources, it is important to understand that the English language cannot be the only medium of intercultural competence formation – other languages can and should be a prism through which intercultural communication is studied.

Gamification is an approach that creates multiple opportunities for teachers to improve a foreign language lesson. Even though now gamification is widely used as a result of a forced switch to distance learning, it should be noted that it carries the same value inside a classroom and makes the learning process enjoyable and effective. The article looks at three specific websites/applications that are aimed at incorporating new elements into a traditional classroom. These tools have different features – the amount of time one spends preparing a task can vary – but all three can increase the degree of involvement and motivation which are two factors that may predetermine the success and effectiveness of a class. The article delves into aspects of motivation and its importance in a real classroom and in an online one. It is an essential factor to consider because everyone who is involved in an educational process contributes to its success. That is why if a teacher is energetic, eager and ready, and students are at the other end of the spectrum (or vice versa), so the overall motivation is not at 100%, it turns a lesson into a challenge, and not in a good way.

The article is devoted to the study of differences in assessment methods of face-to face and online learning of a foreign language in higher education, in particular, the issue of the effectiveness of the assessment techniques used in different formats. Numerous questions that accompanied foreign language online learning in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years, as well as contradictory reviews about the assessment methods of students’ knowledge were the prerequisites of the study. The experience demonstrated that online learning differs significantly from face-to-face learning in a number of requirements for teachers and students. The aim of the study is to modify traditional methods of students’ knowledge evaluation and assessment in the form of credits or examinations towards greater independence and objectivity and achieve the autonomy of the assessment process. We carried a survey of students’ opinions on the effectiveness of the forms of assessment adopted at the higher education. Based on the survey results, recommendations are made for improving methods of students’ knowledge assessment system with respect to the educational format. The conclusions made on the basis of data analysis provide a number of changes in the methods of online assessment both in the educational process at higher education and in staff training programs.