The actual Romanian education system needs new STE(A)M challenges and approaches that could revive interest in studying disciplines such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is necessary for these disciplines to become more challenging, to arouse the imagination and inspiration of today’s students, the citizens of tomorrow’s world. In Romania, STE(A)M education is at very beginning, and a lot of efforts should be done in order to develop these educational practices at national level.

STE(A)M approach is based on the idea of educating students with the help of five different disciplines: science, technology, arts, engineering and mathematics – in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. The five disciplines are not studied differently and separately, STE(A)M model integrates them in a cohesive learning paradigm, based on real world demands. What differentiates the STE(A)M model from traditional education is cohesive learning, which shows students how the scientific method can be applied in everyday life, by developing the type of thinking based on problem solving by applying real life solutions.

STE(A)M education is a concept that has started to be talked about in Romania quite recently, but which is believed to become a key point in preparing the young generations for the future. To achieve the integration of STE(A)M approach in the Romanian educational system, Ministry of Education developed in 2019 an “Action plan for education in Romania 2019 – 2030” aiming at increasing the quality of public education by improving the well-being of school communities.

Among the various objectives and actions included in this plan, there is a group referring to the implementation of a new STEM/STE(A)M curriculum. This will bring a new approach to mathematical skills, creative thinking skills, computational thinking and coding, engineering and technological innovation modernization of the student assessment system, as well as a calibration of the assessment of learning outcomes according to individual pathways and clearly defined standards.

The results of implementing the “Action plan for education in Romania 2019 – 2030” will be:

• Elaboration of a new STE(A)M curriculum, based on a trans-disciplinary approach
• Creation of OERs (Open Educational Resources) to support the implementation of the STE(A)M curriculum
• Implementation of an updated competences framework for educators from the STE(A)M field
• Phasing the implementation of the new curriculum at all school levels
• Ongoing monitoring, impact evaluation, and adjustment of resources and indicators for reaching maximum impact.

Although STE(A)M practices are not yet very widely spread in Romania at the moment, there are a few organizations and initiatives which promote and implement STE(A)M education practices and programmes.

This include Asociatia CRESTEM, an innovative non-profit organization whose purpose is creating, developing and promoting an educational ecosystem capable of providing children and students with a complete, balanced and quality education, which will allow them to make informed decisions that will have an impact on the world and how they will live. Main objectives of CRESTEM association are:

• Creating an educational framework, STE(A)M type, adapted to the Romanian educational system;
• Creating, adapting and promoting STE(A)M educational programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) adapted to the context and specifics of the Romanian education system;
• Supporting the adoption of STE(A)M programs by public and private educational institutions;
• Supporting the creation of extracurricular activities such as robotics clubs, computer circles, etc., which use the STE(A)M approach; Organizing high quality contests and competitions that promote the STE(A)M approach. Their programmes are very well received by kids, youngsters, and students.

Besides the organizations and initiatives implementing STE(A)M education and practices in Romania, there are also a significant number of teachers who attended STEM/STE(A)M training programmes and now are using STE(A)M practices with their students in the classroom as part of their teaching process. Most of these teachers are also members of the SCIENTIX community and eTwinning community and platforms. This two communities help them in developing their skill to use STE(A) approach within the teaching system.

Another great resource for STE(A)M approach in Romania, that many teachers are using is School Education Gateway platform – European online platform dedicated to pre-university education is a great resource. Available in 23 European languages, the School Education Gateway portal is an online platform for teachers, school principals, researchers, trainers, decision makers and other specialists in pre-university education. On this portal one can find a lot of resources, materials and opportunities related to development of STE(A)M practices and programmes.

STEAMonEdu and Fundatia EOS – Educating for an Open Society

STEAMonEdu project partner – Fundatia EOS – Educating for an Open Society, has collected recently various best practices implemented by Romanian schools, of which we mention the following: “RoboCodeTech and Coding in Scrath from Matei Basarab High School Craiova”, “Let’s code the Micro:bit and Minecraft voyage from Nicolae Titulescu Theoretical High School Slatina”, “Scratch și…… Gool! from Association Pro Teodor Murăşanu Turda”. Content of this practices and all Romanian practices that were collected can be found on our STEAMonEdu platform.

We are confident that our participation in the STEAMonEdu project will contribute to the development of STE(A)M practices in Romania and will bring more experiences in this field at national level.

By EOS Romania

In recent months, the way of teaching and learning has changed completely. Many teachers and academics have integrated new tools into their lessons, often for the first time, and students have faced new learning methods that will have a significant and lasting impact. With this transition, it has become clear that because of the physical distance needed between teachers and students, it is more important than ever to help teachers find ways to connect with their students and keep them involved, motivated and safe in a digital world. At the same time, it is equally important to ensure that students continue to have opportunities to learn and put into practice the knowledge they have learned.

Our Romanian partner EOS – Educating for an Open Society Foundation, in May 2020 launched the Cloud Career Accelerator. It is a free pilot programme for accelerated learning and certification with up-to-date resources  in the areas of cloud technology, artificial intelligence, and integrated digital services: Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics, or Microsoft Power Platform. The programme is funded with support from Microsoft’s philanthropic programme.

Starting with June 2020, five prestigious universities in Romania have expressed interest in being part of this programme, to provide students with an innovative experience through which they have access to the latest cloud technology and artificial intelligence resources.

Paul Boldeanu, student at Ovidius University in Constanta, and participant in the Cloud Career Accelerator programme, appreciated the training experience as being one very well aligned with what he wants, “The experience in the online course environment was beyond my expectations. I was surprised by how well the courses were structured and how comprehensive the information was. At first, I only looked at this opportunity as an equivalence of the practice, I was not so interested, I just wanted to ‘get it done’ but slowly I began to realize that this information is crucial and super up to date for today’s IT requirements. In addition, the chance to get a Microsoft certification and the inclusion of this validation in my resume, I think, will bring me an important differentiator in front of employers.”

In the context of the pandemic generated by COVID-19, students and academics had to look for alternatives to internships at the end of the academic year, through which students interacted with potential employers; they learned practical skills specific to various companies and institutions where they did their internships. This was also the case of Alexandru Ioan Cuza  from University of Iași, which identified this project as an excellent solution to offer students a learning space and practical online activities.

Thus, the students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration were invited to equate their internships that they could not do due to the physical distance imposed by Covid-19, with participation in courses and certifications offered by the EOS Foundation through the programme developed in partnership with Microsoft.

By the end of 2020, over 600 students in Romania will benefit from cloud technology and Microsoft certification courses. The most active students will be invited to participate in an Artificial Intelligence bootcamp where they will have the opportunity to work on interesting technology projects that solve social problems in their communities. On this occasion, the projects will be presented to the ecosystem of employers in the field of Microsoft Azure infrastructure services.

By EOS Romania

Romania is facing a lack of policies and action plans in the field of STE(A)M education at central and regional level. This is one of the reasons why EOS Romania Foundation together with eight other organizations promoting digital education, decided to create the Coalition for Digital Education (CED).

CED aims to support the development of quality digital education in Romania and the adaptation of the educational offer, so that it prepares children and young people for the transformation of society and the labour market in line with technological development trends. Due to its composition, CED has extensive knowledge about the opportunities that digital education offers, but also the importance of responsible, planned and inclusive use of the solutions that digital education proposes.

The nine organizations that initiated this approach promote digital education and STE(A)M education among students and young people through concrete and varied activities. Thus, they trained in this field about 1,500 teachers in Romania, conducted lessons with about 18,000 students, including those from rural areas, and managed to mobilize also and human resources from outside the education system involving in their work over 250 mentors.

In the context of COVID-19 and the disruptions caused by the pandemic in education, EOS Romania on behalf of CED sent an open letter to the Romanian Ministry of Education, to highlight some critical issues to be dealt with:

• reducing the digital divide between urban and rural areas, given that schools in rural areas have poor infrastructure and limited access to online educational resources;
• predictability and regulation regarding the education of students in the final grades who are most affected by the interruption of courses – the need for a plan with concrete actions and firm deadlines, implementable as soon as possible;
• the importance of developing a unitary distance education strategy, a guide for teachers in order to effectively plan and conduct educational activities in the online environment;
• the need to train teachers to make effective use of tools and resources available online – given that a number of online resources are available, teachers must have the necessary skills to select and use the most effective tools for the proposed educational purpose;
• making the best use of the solidarity and congruence of action and reaction of ICT professionals, in order to coagulate effective and sustainable long-term alternative education initiatives, to combat the implications of the educational syncope’s generated by the current state of emergency as soon as possible;

Currently, EOS Romania has started through CED the localization of an important resource for the development of teachers’ digital skills, so that they become STE(A)M ready. DigCompEdu is the basis for the development of STE(A)M competence framework within the STEAMonEdu project and for the elaboration of STE(A)M educator profiles.

EOS Romania and CED will continue to raise awareness among Romanian policy makers on policies and frameworks already developed at EU level that can be adapted and implemented in the Romanian education system. Moreover, they will support the Government in creating a country-wide STE(A)M strategy that will support the introduction of STE(A)M approach in schools across the country.

by EOS Romania Foundation

EOS Romania Foundation in partnership with Certipro Education and Microsoft Romania, successfully launched the Microsoft Certified Educator program, with the aim to support teachers in Romania to develop their digital competences and abilities.

Because students get inspired by dedicated teachers, Microsoft Romania Education team took another significant step towards supporting the teacher community with one of the most exciting resources: the Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) program.

The MCE certification has been officially recognized by the Romanian Ministry of Education as equivalent to 15 professional credits towards teacher’s compulsory continuing professional development. MCE certification is recommended for pre-university teachers, students preparing to become teachers, teachers in the stage of initial or continuing training, educational counselors and other professionals in the field of education who want to certify their skills. MCE certified teachers can prove that they have the skills to provide students with rich, personalized learning experiences that include the essential skills needed in the 21st century.

This certification was possible due to a strong alignment with EOS Romania Foundation, which has localised and published the 21^st Century Learning Design Methodological Guide, and Certipro Education, which has worked hard for months to achieve a well-structured localised certification for teachers – the Technology Literacy for Educators. The guidebook was also mapped to the European Commission’s Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu).

“Microsoft Certified Educator provides teachers with globally recognized certification and validates their knowledge of integrating technology into the learning process. As a training provider for teachers, EOS Foundation has developed the study material for this certification and supports teachers in obtaining a truly important credential in the 21st century digital education”, says Laurentiu Bunescu, Head of Digital Education Programmes at EOS Romania Foundation.

The launch of the MCE program was hosted under the SMART Edu project – the new digital education strategy which is being developed by the Ministry of Education in Romania.

To date, over 1,000 teachers have already taken the Microsoft Certified Educator with many more teachers signing up for the program every day. It is important to mention that the success of this course is due to the fact that it is one of the very few resources in the Romanian language that tackles the pedagogy of using technology when teaching in the classroom or remotely.

By EOS Romania Foundation

According to the European Union’s Digital Economy and Society Index DESI, Romania ranks 27^th out of 28 EU member states in terms of human capital, and its position has stagnated compared to the previous year. Basic digital skills and basic software (content handling) skills are ranked 27^th among EU Member States. Less than one-third of people aged 16 to 74 have basic digital skills (58% EU-wide), while only 35% have basic software skills (compared to an average of 61% in the EU).

This situation is also reflected in the score Women in Digital, in which Romania ranks 27^th in terms of women’s digital skills.

In this context, our project partner EOS Romania Foundation continues the programme to support women for careers in technology and complements the offer of courses dedicated to women. Digital Women project is developed in partnership with INCO Academy – Work in Tech program.

The Digital Women project aims to support 755 women to take the first steps towards a career in technology. The project targets unemployed women or those working in jobs at risk (imminent layoffs due to factory automation, Coronavirus pandemic, increased need for high-level digital skills).

The training programme will be hosted on the Coursera platform, and the 755 beneficiaries will follow the IT Support Specialist course developed by Google. Because the IT Support Specialist Certificate course is conducted online only, EOS will develop a support programme related to it – with sufficient flexibility to allow it to be conducted face-to-face, through hybrid learning or exclusively online.

More information about the project can be found on the  Digital Women project website.

By EOS Romania