S.T.E.P.S. is a project designed to democratize access to robotics and STEM education, utilizing open-source technologies and free software to make educational resources more accessible and customizable for students and educators from various backgrounds.
- S.T.E.P.S. aims to make STEM education more inclusive by providing low-cost and customizable educational robots.
- The project includes a MOOC platform offering free access to STEM learning resources.
- It brings together experts from various fields to create tools, guidelines, and educational content for STEM and robotics education.
- The project addresses Erasmus+ priorities by promoting digital transformation, inclusion, and diversity in education.
- S.T.E.P.S. incorporates green practices to reduce its carbon footprint throughout its phases.
- Develop an educational robot kit (FOSSBOT) and associated training materials that are accessible, open-source, and adaptable to different national contexts.
- Provide future secondary school teachers with training and resources to integrate robotics and STEM education into their teaching practice.
- Develop a MOOC platform that provides basic STEM education to secondary school students and is accessible to all.
- Promote the integration of robotics and STEM education.
- Enhance STEM education in secondary schools across Europe.
- Increase the capacity and confidence of future secondary school teachers to integrate robotics and STEM education into their teaching practice.
- Promote awareness and adoption of robotics and STEM education.
- Democratize access to STEM education by offering affordable alternatives to proprietary robots and open-source software and hardware.
- Pre- and in-service secondary school teachers or trainers who want to teach STEM and robotics to learners with a beginner level.
- Students from all backgrounds, particularly those in secondary schools and beyond, who want to learn robotics and programming.
- Educational institutions.
- Educational authorities and policymakers.
- Parents or guardians of students who are interested in promoting their children’s STEM education.
- Community members, including local businesses or organizations, who are interested in supporting STEM education initiatives in their area.
- Open-source communities and developers who may be interested in contributing to the development of the educational robot and the MOOC platform.
- Primary school teachers who may be interested in incorporating STEM education into their curriculum.
- University students or recent graduates who may be interested in volunteering as mentors or instructors for the project.
- PR1 – “Study of teachers’ practices and learners’ needs in robotics and STEM in Europe”: a comparative analysis of best practices across the 5 consortium countries, focused on ISCED 3 and 4 levels (upper secondary).
- PR2 – “Design and development of S.T.E.P.S., the new generation of open source educational robot”: an improved, more compact and user-friendly redesign of FOSSBot, built with 3D-printed parts and off-the-shelf components.
- PR3 – “Test and evaluation of S.T.E.P.S. educational robot”: a testing and evaluation report based on pilot use of the robot across partner institutions.
- PR4 – “Instruction manual for the assembly and programming of S.T.E.P.S. educational robot”: a technical guide covering how to assemble and program the robot, including a digital twin/simulator.
- PR5 – A training manual for pre- and in-service secondary school teachers on how to integrate the S.T.E.P.S. robot into an existing course or build a new course module from scratch.
- PR6 – “S.T.E.P.S. School Box”: a Moodle-based MOOC covering four key themes (Programming, Technology, Environmental Protection, Engineering), translated into French, Spanish, Greek, and Turkish, freely accessible to all learners.
- PR7 – “Recommendations for HEI and guidelines to improve the training of pre-service secondary school trainers in STEM and robotics”: policy-oriented guidance directed at higher education institutions, secondary schools, and national education ministries.
