On 22 June, at the European Distance and e-Learning Network (EDEN) Conference, Natalia Spyropoulou and Achilles Kameas, members of the STEAMonEdu project team of Computer Technology Institute and Press “Diophantus” (CTI), presented the scientific paper “Methodology for the Development of a Competence Framework for STE(A)M Educators”.

The EDEN2020 is an annual conference organized by European Distance and e-Learning Network and aims to maximise the potential to exchange academic and professional experience, to promote effective navigation in the field, and improve the quality and depth of information available to the sectors concerned. This year, the conference focused on “Inspiring digital education for the next STE(A)M student generation” and took place online, due to the pandemic.

The STEAMonEdu project aims to increase the adoption and impact of STE(A)M education by investing in the community of stakeholders and the professional development of educators. Focusing on the professional development of educators, it aims firstly to compile a competence framework for STE(A)M educators and then design appropriate training offers.

Τhe presented paper outlines a brief overview concerning the competency-based perspective, in order at first, to identify the challenges and the current research within this topic for STE(A)M education and then to provide the methodology for the development of the Competence Framework for STE(A)M Educators, based on a modified Delphi technique where educators take part during the development phases.

The presentation was followed by a fruitful discussion, where attendees asked more information about the activities and future actions related to the STEAMonEdu project.

On July 17, at the IISA2020 Conference, Natalia Spyropoulou and Achilles Kameas, members of the STEAMonEdu project team of Computer Technology Institute and Press “Diophantus” (CTI), presented the scientific paper “Investigating the role of STE(A)M Educators: a case study in Greece”.

The IISA (Information, Intelligence, Systems and Applications) Conference was the eleventh in a series of international conferences, which offers a forum for the constructive interaction and prolific exchange of ideas among scientists and practitioners from different research fields – such as computers, mathematics, physics, biology, education, chemistry, experimental psychology, social sciences, linguistics, and engineering.

The presented paper summarized a study that compares the outcomes of previous research with the results of a survey of 59 Greek educators, who have implemented STE(A)M-related courses. Based on the responses through the specially designed close-ended questionnaire, the educators’ perceptions were identified and analyzed. Based on these, the authors assessed the importance of different traits and competences that a STE(A)M educator should have. Furthermore, the research showed evidence that there are some differences in educators’ perceptions depending on their academic background, mostly on teaching and professional development aspects.

The presentation led to a fruitful exchange of ideas during the discussion that followed, also causing strong interest of the participants for the activities and future actions of STEAMonEdu project related to the development of the competence framework for STE(A)M educators and the training curriculum to support their professional development.

By CTI

On 9 and 10 November, at the International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI2020), Achilles Kameas and Natalia Spyropoulou, members of the STEAMonEdu project team of Computer Technology Institute and Press “Diophantus” (CTI), presented online two scientific papers based on the results of the STEAMonEdu project.

The first paper, entitled “Professional Development of STE(A)M Educators with Online Tools and Communities” summarized preliminary results of the STEAMonEdu project. The overview of the research issues was provided, alongside with the methodology and achievements of the STEAMonEdu project and its expected impact and key results. In the following table, the key results of the project are summarized:

The second paper entitled “A Holistic Framework of STE(A)M Educators Competences“, focused on the development of the Competence framework for STE(A)M educators. The paper described the different areas and dimensions based on the different role that an educator.  In addition, the potential usefulness of the framework was described. More specifically, the design of the STE(A)M competence framework for educators, has two specific aims: Firstly, it must be usable by educators for self-evaluation and self-regulation purposes as a self-assessment tool in order to educators evaluate themselves and find specific competences that they need to improve. Secondly, it must allow for both the support and professional development of STE(A)M educators, both as a guide for the formulation of the learning outcomes of specific training programs and as an assessment tool for the evaluation of the training programme.