The challenge
The women underrepresentation in STEAM has been a major area of concern to educators and researchers over the past 50 years and according to the National Science Foundation, the field is still overwhelmingly male. Even though the sector is rapidly growing and creates hundreds of thousands of new jobs every year, the share of women in this sector is decreasing, while the EU is projected to have a high shortage of digital skills of its citizens by 2020, and thus Europe calling for more initiatives in a European level.
The RoboGirls project aims on building the capacity of educators to organise and implement innovative, experiential STEAM activities and events with the use of robotics and coding to narrow the gender gap, empower, encourage and actively engage girls to digital technologies so to be able to act and play an active role in the digital age.
Innovative pedagogical material, dynamic resources, gamified tools will be developed and a series of blended learning trainings, events and implementations for teachers and students will be organized and implemented to tackle this challenge.
Innovation
Innovation is a priority for the RoboGirls project. The project will promote gender equality in the digital sector and enhance the interest of girls in the STEAM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), through the use of innovative educational approaches and learning material. Students will be engaged in educational robotics, coding and innovative online tools and activities.
Project aim & Objectives
Project aims at reducing disparities of girls’ engagement in STEAM through the use of educational robotics, coding, and other attractive innovative online tools and activities by enhancing teachers’ personal and professional development.
- Enhance girls’ confidence and self-esteem towards STEAM, motivating them to consider a relevant career in the future.
- Build the capacity of teachers to implement hands-on STEAM activities using robotics and other technological tools following gender equality approaches.
- Develop innovative quality learning material, resources and OERs for teachers to promote girls’ empowerment and engagement in digital technologies.
- To increase and nurture girls’ interest in the digital sector through the development of gender- inclusive teaching activities and open educational resources focused on robotics and coding with a real-world context.
