WeSTEAM – Empowering women in STEM through Art Thinking
TIMELINE
The project runs for 24 months until 01 of January 2024.
PROJECT PARTNERS
Espronceda Institute of Art & Culture
Luleå University of Technology
PROJECT SUMMARY
Funded by the European Union under ERASMUS+, WeSTEAM was initiated by Luleå University of Technology, Changemaker Educations, Sineglossa, Espronceda and Ars Electronica.
Despite the great efforts made by European policies and projects, and by policies and projects at the national and local level, it is estimated that the participation rate of women compared to men in information and communication technology does include a much lower rate.
The STEAM (Science – Technology – Engineering – Art – Math) approach may therefore be a key strategy to make STEM courses more attractive for women.
WeSTEAM aims at developing, testing and disseminating a methodology based on the STEAM approach to enhance the Art Thinking skills of female students engaged in STEM careers in order to:
- Empower women STEM students for increasing their chances of employment in high-Level positions in the ICT labour market once they graduate
- Increase the attractiveness of STEM courses for women.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives of the WeSTEAM project are:
- Design and disseminate a reference framework for assessing women STEM students’ Art Thinking capacity. This will allow students to gain awareness on the skills they need to enhance in order to complement their curricula according to a STEAM approach.
- Design and disseminate a training methodology to be used by STEM teachers in their teaching activities or by students themselves to enhance, through a set of training tools, their Art Thinking capacity.
- Design and disseminate a VR -based educational game for enhancing art thinking capacity in women STEM students in an interactive and attractive way.
- Create a certification system, in line with national and EU qualification frameworks, for recognition and certification of Art Thinking skills. This will allow women STEM students to prove their skills and communicate them when applying for further learning or jobs across Europe.
About the project: weSTEAM_skills_framework
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PROJECT FINAL RESULTS:
The project has come to an end with a final presentation at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia:
The event was organized by Espronceda, Institute of Art & Culture in collaboration with the Centre of Multimedia Image and Technology (CITM UPC), with the participation and collaboration of the project partners: Ars Electronica, Lulea University of Technology , Sineglossa, Changemaker Educations.
The EU-funded Erasmus+ project “WeSTEAM” has driven STEAM to increase attention and curiosity of women in STEM by investing in their education process through art thinking development.Creative skills within women-STEM students is a key driver of growth and step to a more inclusive society, where both men and women have equal access to STEM education and careers. Developing art thinking and creative skills in STEM-related fields is important to stimulate new ways of thinking that will guarantee a more sustainable life.
On the Handbook below includes 12 activities that addressed to female students currently enrolled in STEMcourses. It can be used by educators and teachers who wish to implement an innovative teaching methodology to improve their students’ skills.
WeSTEAM Methodology Handbook
WeSTEAM Skills Framework is a reference framework for strengthening and assessing women STEM students’ Art Thinking capacity. It will allow both students and educational organizations (universities and informal education centers) to gain awareness of the skills they need to enhance in order to complement their curricula according to a STEAM approach. The framework comprises of phases, actions and skills that characterize a STEAM creative process.
WeSTEAM Skills Framework WeSTEAM Virtual Reality Game
Stellar Pioneers: STEM Odyssey is a virtual reality (VR) game developed by students and researchers from Lulea University of Technology, with guidance from WeSTEAM Team and workshop participants to demonstrate the potential of inspiring females into the world of STEM by using new technologies such as VR.
This game aims to encompass some of the ideas and creative themes discussed and observed throughout the WeSTEAM workshop, by creating a simple yet immersive and engaging VR experience for players. Players will get to experience a novel sci-fi story, solve problems, get to know role models in the field of STEM, and explore their creativity.
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We are very grateful to have been able to collaborate in this consortium for such an ambitious project and hope that the results of the project will enrich future formal and informal educational processes. With this wish, we will keep you informed of future developments and next steps.
ESPRONCEDA CREDITS
Project management and researcher: Alessia Gervasone
Intern Researcher: Bianca López
Communication: Renata Procópio
