Developing Innovative Science Outreach for Vocational Education to Encourage STEM Careers and Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Developing Innovative Science Outreach for Vocational Education to Encourage STEM Careers and Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The proportion of EU students going into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and interested in STEM career is not keeping up with the rapidly rising demand from industry and society. Under-achievement in STEM is also a serious problem. The situation necessitates a shift to innovative, effective and attractive science education- both formal and non-formal, with a view to boosting the interest of young people in STEM disciplines and encouraging them to pursue science and technology careers.
DISCOVER addresses the need for innovative STEM teaching and learning resources at secondary VET education (SE VET) level. It is targeted at:
-educators and students at upper SE VET level;
-universities and research centres seeking to enhance their impact on skills development at regional level.

The rationale of the project is that adequate promotion of science education requires strong partnerships between SE VET schools and higher education and research institutions, comprehensive science outreach programs and boosting the involvement in STEM fields of young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
The project’s overall objective is to develop resources for cross-curricular science education based on cooperation between SE VET schools and universities and aimed at improving students’ STEM knowledge and motivation to pursue STEM careers.
The project’s specific objectives are to:
-Raise awareness of the benefits and effective practices of science outreach and non-formal science education based on partnership between universities and SE VET schools and targeting both high performers in STEM and underrepresented groups;
-Develop resources for effective science outreach involving universities and SE VET schools, focused on improving science communication and promoting university students’ and SE VET teachers’ engagement and co-creation in the learning process;
-Develop hands-on extracurricular training programs and resources advancing knowledge and skills in synergic cross-disciplinary STEM areas with high employability potential (Mechatronics and Physical Computing) or linking STEM to Art & Design and targeting learners without strong STEM proficiency.

The following intellectual outputs are developed:
1. A compendium of good practices of science outreach for SE VET schools, including practices targeted at disadvantaged and under-served groups
2. A Resource pack for science outreach for SE VET schools, including concepts, lesson plans, and activity organization and delivery plans for science outreach activities targeted at SE VET students and teachers
3. An extracurricular training program in Mechatronics and Robotics for SE VET learners, including practice oriented training resources on fundamentals of Design, Robotics, Mechatronics and Programming, and training resources and guidelines for hands-on cross-disciplinary activities exploiting Robotics Invention Systems technology
4. An extracurricular training module in Programming for Art & Design – for learners without strong STEM proficiency, including practice oriented training resources on fundamentals of Scratch, App Inventor and Digital Story Creation, and an extracurricular training module in Programming and Physical Computing – for learner with strong STEM aptitude, including practice oriented training resources on fundamentals of Python and Physical Computing. Both modules will also offer learning designs and resource packs for hands-on learning activities exploiting Scratch, App Inventor and Python.
The intellectual outputs will be based on integrated and embedded approaches to non-formal STEM education, promoting cross-curricular learning and allowing learners to acquire domain knowledge while solving concrete challenges. They will also seek to enable “democratization” of the learning process in STEM education by involving co-creation by diverse actors from universities and SE VET education- students, teachers, academics.
A number of events in 5 EU countries were organized. They focused on testing and promotion of the outputs.
As a result of the project, a publicly accessible Robotics Lab has been created in Gabrovo. It provides hands-on training opportunities to all students in the region, exploiting Robotics Invention Systems technology.

DISCOVER has contributed to:
-strengthening university-school partnerships in the VET sector
-promoting science education outreach to SE VET learners
-increasing the interest of SE VET learners in fields such as in Robotics, Mechatronics, Programming and Physical Computing, as well as the interest of learners without strong STEM proficiency in areas linking STEM with Art & Design (STEAM)
In the long run, DISCOVER hopes to improve the quantity and quality of science outreach activities and non-formal STEM education for SE VET learners, to introduce innovations in curricular STEM education and to increase SE VET students’ motivation to pursue a STEM-related career.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 216640,69 Eur

Project Coordinator

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY – GABROVO & Country: BG

Project Partners

• Directorate of Secondary Education, Chania
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI GUGLIELMO MARCONI – TELEMATICA
• EUROPEAN CENTER FOR QUALITY OOD
• SIEC BADAWCZA LUKASIEWICZ – PRZEMYSLOWY INSTYTUT AUTOMATYKI I POMIAROW PIAP
• PROFESIONALNA GIMNAZIA PO ELEKTRONIKA “JOHN ATANASOFF”
• TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA V KOSICIACH
• THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE OF THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CRETE