BACKGROUND: The world experiences a continuous, transformative change due to globalization and fast-growing technology. Besides that, the COVID-19 pandemic requires us to develop new approaches on how to equip educational systems to face the challenges presented by the recent sudden shift to online and distance learning, including supporting teachers to develop digital competences and safeguarding the inclusive nature of learning opportunities. Nowadays, growing importance is devoted towards intelligent technologies in the education sector. STEM education has been set as one of the top European priorities. According to UNESCO World Heritage Centre data: Today, only 28% of all of the world’s researchers are women. Following this statement, the project partnership identified that the use of augmented reality as a tool in STEM education could solve a very wide range of problems, from the modernization of education to the transformation of learning experiences and gender equality. The OBJECTIVE of the project "Augmented Reality for STEM education" is to promote Augmented Reality (AR) for teachers as an innovative and efficient digital tool to transform the traditional STEM learning process into an interactive experience and promotes gender equality in STEM. PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS: With the aim of tackling the challenge that teachers are facing today - to find new, attractive methods for educating students on important topics of STEM, project partners will create an 16 Interactive educational STEM materials (based on created 16 STEM learning lessons plans) with AR features using of Augmented Reality app and 1 guidebook "How to use Augmented Reality in STEM education" for teachers. All this educational materials will be used to motivate young people to raise knowledge in STEM Education. The next challenge is understand and target the particular obstacles that keep female students away from STEM. If we have less information about female role models their achievements become ‘best-kept secrets’ and we can’t expect the female scientists of the future to look up to them. Leaving out girls and women in STEM education and careers is a loss for all. Project partners will create 1 motivational program to promote engagement of girls' in STEM. THE TARGET GROUP OF THIS PROJECT IS: • teachers interested in trying new capabilities of Augmented Reality technology which may make classes more engaging, interactive and with knowledge more comprehensible; • students and young people who are interested in using AR as a tool for combining smartphones and augmented reality in education. In various ways, AR could provide students with additional digital information on any STEM subject and make it easier to understand complex information; • career consultants, STEM teachers and other school personnel interested in promoting STEM careers for the girls in schools. All Intellectual Outputs of the project "Augmented Reality for STEM education" to be distributed in 200+ schools in Latvia, 200+ schools in Lithuania, 100+ schools in Slovenia, 50+ schools in Cyprus and 200+ international schools in Europe, positively will affect at least 50 000 students and 10 000 teachers in Europe in upcoming 5 years. IMPACT AND LONG TERM BENEFITS: • increased understanding and skills of using Augmented Reality as a digital tool and method among teachers, being internationally extended and making it a recognized tool - at least 10000 teachers by the end of the project engaged in the use of the tool in next 5 years from each partnering country; • engagement of higher amount of students within STEM due to use of innovative tools and promotion of the ICT skills - at least 50 000 students by the end of the project engaged in STEM in next 5 years from each partnering country; • Improved gender equality education in the STEM field, promoted girls involvement - at least 20 000 girls will be positively influenced to make a decision to choose a career in STEM. The major impact of this project is expected to be the removal of prejudices among the countries towards gender equality in the STEM field and improvement of professional ICT competencies of both – teachers and students.
The two main objectives of this project were to promote Augmented Reality (AR) for teachers as an innovative and efficient digital tool to transform the traditional STEM learning process into an interactive experience and promote gender equality in STEM. However, the overall focus is to promote the importance of STEM and the widespread use of technology and interactivity to engage pupils in daily activities in an attractive way. This would translate into a long-term interest in STEM and a willingness to focus on a future career in STEM. This is particularly important for the girls in STEM.
BACKGROUND: STEM education has been set as one of the top European priorities. The study, done by Microsoft in partnership with KRC Research in 2019, finds that despite the high priority placed on STEM in schools, efforts to expand youth interest and employment in STEM fields are not reaching settled goals. This is particularly true in technology and engineering, where there is already a particular emphasis on promoting gender equality for acquiring and occupying careers in this field. 72% of the girls polled said it was vital for them to have jobs that directly helped the world, but only 37% thought of STEM careers as being creative or making the world better. The project partnership, hence, identified two main gaps - a lack of gender equality in terms of engagement in STEM, as well as still not relevant STEM interest translated into the career overall. NEEDS: The COVID-19 pandemic initiated an extensive, sudden, and dramatic digital transformation in society and has created an unprecedented challenge for educational systems worldwide. Hence, adaption to the new reality and potentially transformed future was addressed partly through the project results - focus on technology, interest in STEM, and focus on girls in STEM.