Hydrogen in Schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Hydrogen in Schools

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 higher education

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; Energy and resources; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

Faced with the challenge of climate change, Europe aims to implement a decarbonised economy by 2050, using a renewable and sustainable energy system. Hydrogen as a means to store wind-powered and solar electricity is an essential part of this energy transition, and the use of these clean and carbon-free technologies is rapidly growing. However, to support the development of a hydrogen economy, a conjunction of factors needs to happen: 1/ technological advancements, 2/ bringing technology to market, 3/ public awareness and education. Over 30 months, HySchools has focused on giving young people and their educators across Europe the knowledge and tools to understand the challenges ahead and get involved in finding the energy solutions of the future.

HySchools aimed at:
– Increasing teachers’ confidence in teaching Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (HFCT) by providing a range of accessible and practical educational resources
– Aligning HFCT education and industry needs through mixed stakeholders input to ensure that the new curriculum developed meets the skills required in the clean energy industry
– Increasing general understanding of how HFCE can benefit Europe in achieving its carbon reduction targets

The project focused on the following target groups:
– Teachers and students from secondary schools and colleges
– Teacher training providers
– Industry
– Policy-makers

Project activities and results obtained
To help the development of educational resources that would match teachers’ needs, HySchools carried out an extensive survey in which 590 teachers were involved, to identify the type of content, methods and activities they require to confidently teach HFCT. In parallel, partners developed a state-of-play of each partner country’s education system (including where HFCT is/could be taught) and its HFCT industry.
Analysis of the findings led to the production of a research report, articulating a set of recommendations that informed the development of educational resources.
The HySchools resources are a range of practical and free educational resources accessible online, aimed at secondary schools and colleges, organised in 11 topics relevant to HFCT, including topics beyond traditional science subjects. Each topic comprises of a teacher guide, PowerPoint presentations for students, additional resources and subject knowledge for teachers, insights from energy and technology companies, specially selected videos via the HySchools YouTube channel and a range of student activities including Kahoot quizzes.
Alongside an extensive content, HySchools partners have developed an innovative teaching method which allows the co-production of learning sessions, and the development of transversal competencies for students, to increase their autonomy and resilience in their learning and their lives.
262 teachers from 100 schools across the 6 partner countries have used the HySchools resources either in teacher training settings or in their classroom (to a total of 1332 students). An extensive evaluation was carried out, which highlighted that teachers’ confidence in teaching HFCT increased by 36% in average after using the HySchools resources; 97% said the resources enabled them to differentiate according to age and ability; and 65% said they were likely or very likely to use the resources in future lessons.

A range of dissemination activities took place throughout the project, to increase engagement in the project, disseminate the project results, influence curriculum change and local/regional/national strategies focused on clean energy skills, jobs, and growth, and to support general HFCT awareness. It is estimated that dissemination activities reached approximately 29,000 people, ranging from schools, businesses, academics, policy-makers or general public. Two multiplier events were organised, to share the project results, in Italy in March 2019 and the UK in February 2020, attended by a range of target groups representatives.

HySchools will continue its legacy, as the resources are available on online, therefore accessible worldwide. Also, a proposal has been submitted in April 2020, to follow on HySchools and create Europe-wide schools competitions on hydrogen and fuel cell education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 312678,28 Eur

Project Coordinator

THE MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY & Country: UK

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITE DE LORRAINE
• REGIONE ABRUZZO
• CAMPUS AUTOMOBILE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPSASBL
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA
• ASOCIATIEI AGENTIA DE MANAGEMENT ENERGETIC MARAMURES
• UNIVERSITE DE FRANCHE-COMTE
• EPISTIMONIKO PARKO PATRON AE