STEM in Action - Open Educational Resources for Teachers
Overview
The ERASMUS+ project “STEM in Action - Open Educational Resources for Teachers” focuses on the development, testing and evaluation of online and face-to-face STEM courses for teachers and is based in the field of higher education.
It has a duration of 36 months. The project language is English.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
In Germany, the STEM areas are usually addressed under the abbreviation
MINT for mathematics, computer science, natural science and technology.
STEM or MINT encompasses the field in which learners not least deal with how to program, create codes and understand technological devices, and thus meet the demands of today. During STEM educational activities, students learn about the subjects and content in a safe environment. STEM education also emphasizes the value of failure as a learning exercise, enabling students to accept mistakes as part of the learning process.
STEM in Action – Open Educational Resources for Teachers is based on free online and face-to-face STEM courses for teachers. Seven organizations from Turkey, Belgium, Romania, Ireland, Croatia, Greece and Germany are working on this project. All project partners have experience in the didactic handling of STEM. One of the educational objectives of Erasmus+ is to promote open access to project results to support learning, teaching, training, education and youth work. Our STEM in Action project is committed to this goal. In addition, Erasmus+ supports the common goal of ensuring that skills, abilities and qualifications can be more easily recognized and better understood within and outside national borders. The project also takes this aspect seriously.
Partners:
- Tarsus Universitesi, Mersin, Turkey
(Coordinator, University Partner)
- University of Paderborn, Chair of Business Education II, Germany
(Concept Partner, Didactics Partner, University Partner)
- Pi Private Company, Greece
(Company Partner)
- Sveuciliste U Zagreb - University of Zagreb, Croatia
(University Partner)
- Katholieke Hogeschool Vives Zuid, Belgium
(University Partner)
- Universitatea din Craiova, Romania
(university partner)
- Cork Institute of technology, Ireland
(institute partner)
Objective
The objectives of STEM in Action-Open Educational Resources for Teachers are:
- to exchange good practices in the STEM field between partner countries
- to provide tools, methods and approaches to facilitate the acquisition of the necessary skills in collaborative learning and teaching environments in the STEM field
- to increase the interest of educators and teachers in acquiring the skills they need for STEM education and to give them a higher priority
- Developing partnership cooperation between schools and universities in formal, non-formal and informal learning with the aim of raising the profile(s) of the teaching profession in EU countries.
- Developing a website of best practices in STEM, including curriculum materials for all partners and practical courses for teachers
- Creation of a series of teaching-learning resources and curricular materials in the STEM field for use by teachers of different school types (general education and VET)
- Teacher training in the partner countries
- Impact on pre-schools, primary schools, grammar schools and other schools in the secondary sector, as well as on vocational training
- Impact on students' career choices
Interdisciplinary Aspects and Transfer
Multiplier Events (MPE):
The multiplier events of the STEM in Action project are
MPE 1. STEM Day
? Croatia, Germany, Ireland
MPE 2. Face-to-face STEM Education for Teachers
? Turkey, Romania, Belgium
Learning Teaching Training Activities (LTTAs):
Two LTTAs are planned in the project: one LTTA as Staff Training for the Preparation of Online STEM Courses in Ireland at the Cork Institute and a second LTTA focusing on teacher training: Staff Training for the Preparation of STEM Trainer Training Curriculum at the University of Paderborn in Germany.
Five staff members from each organization will join the first LTTA and complete two types of training. Here they will learn how to create a video and prepare a STEM video. Since the Cork Institute of Technology has experience in preparing online courses, they are responsible for these training sessions. Four staff members from each organization will participate in the second LTTA in Germany. In this LTTA, the staff members will complete training in how to create a STEM curriculum. The University of Paderborn is responsible for this training because it has relevant experience in the field of curriculum design.
Key Facts
- Research profile area:
- Transformation and Education
- Project duration:
- 12/2020 - 12/2023
- Contribution to sustainability:
- Quality Education
- Funded by:
- EU
- Website:
-
Homepage
More Information
Results
The intellectual outputs of the project are online STEM course modules and STEM curricula. IO1: Online STEM Trainer Training Courses: ? Pre-school – Turkey ? Primary school – Germany ? Industry trainers – Ireland IO2: STEM Trainer Training Curriculum: ? Pre-school – Belgium ? Primary school – Romania ? Industry trainers – Croatia Online STEM courses consist of three types of modules for pre-school teachers, primary school teachers and industry-related teachers. They therefore also include three types of curriculum – curricula for pre-school teachers, for primary school teachers and for industry-related teachers. During the training of the employees of the organizations, seminars and workshops are used. The STEM courses for teachers are conducted online. The main topic of the project is the focus on the STEM area. The results of STEM in Action are diverse and always open educational resources (OER) for teachers. Participating teachers complete virtual or digital courses free of charge. In addition, a range of teaching materials for the STEM subjects are being developed. Overall, the universities and participating organizations will each raise their awareness of STEM and expand their digital offerings, making them available on a sustainable basis.