Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SciCar (Addressing Attractiveness of Science Career Awareness)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-10-01 al 2021-12-31
The SciCar project involves the Universities of Tartu and Helsinki plus the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel in addressing the need to systematically raise the level of expertise among researchers and educators who are involved in aspects of science and technology teacher education (STE). Currently STE in UT is seen as ineffective in making teaching careers in science or science-related disciplines (and sub-disciplines) attractive and enabling teaching to adopt context-based approaches, based on theoretical and research-based evidence, meeting the teaching profession needs.
The SciCar project seeks to establish a Centre of Excellence at UT in Science Education. In this respect a major focus of SciCar is envisaged as:
(1) reducing the gap between scientist and science educator beliefs in the training emphasis of future science-related (STEM) teachers.
(2) seeking the involvement of the science education community in making the teaching profession more attractive.
(3) determining key ways & appropriate models for instituting a paradigm change with a view to increasing the number of STEM-related teachers.
(4) giving emphasis to competence development in promoting science-related career awareness (in students).
(5) identifying best practice on knowledge transfer between science development and science education.
Within UT, the SciCar objectives are thus:
1 - Raising the level of expertise among researchers and educators involved in science & technology (S&T) education.
2 - Addressing the academic training of science education researchers, making science teaching careers attractive and promoting science-related careers through encouraging relevant and attractive science teaching approaches in schools.
3 - Enabling academic training to reflect context-based approaches, responsible research & innovation (RRI) aspects, digital learning and assessment, combining these aspects with career awareness.
4. Reduce the existing and widening gap in science education between researchers (focusing only on research in science disciplines) and educators (preparing teachers for future generations of researchers) by attracting science-related researchers to broaden their expertise.
5 - Strengthening intra-institutional and inter-institutional synergies of units responsible for S&T education at the University of Tartu (UT) and its Estonian outreach institutions, in cooperation with two internationally leading counterparts
6 - Creating a centre of excellence for the Baltic and eastern European countries emphasising the promotion of early career researchers from science centres and UT post-doctoral and PhD students in the field of science education
The SciCar project seeks to establish a Centre of Excellence at UT in Science Education. In this respect a major focus of SciCar is envisaged as:
(1) reducing the gap between scientist and science educator beliefs in the training emphasis of future science-related (STEM) teachers.
(2) seeking the involvement of the science education community in making the teaching profession more attractive.
(3) determining key ways & appropriate models for instituting a paradigm change with a view to increasing the number of STEM-related teachers.
(4) giving emphasis to competence development in promoting science-related career awareness (in students).
(5) identifying best practice on knowledge transfer between science development and science education.
Within UT, the SciCar objectives are thus:
1 - Raising the level of expertise among researchers and educators involved in science & technology (S&T) education.
2 - Addressing the academic training of science education researchers, making science teaching careers attractive and promoting science-related careers through encouraging relevant and attractive science teaching approaches in schools.
3 - Enabling academic training to reflect context-based approaches, responsible research & innovation (RRI) aspects, digital learning and assessment, combining these aspects with career awareness.
4. Reduce the existing and widening gap in science education between researchers (focusing only on research in science disciplines) and educators (preparing teachers for future generations of researchers) by attracting science-related researchers to broaden their expertise.
5 - Strengthening intra-institutional and inter-institutional synergies of units responsible for S&T education at the University of Tartu (UT) and its Estonian outreach institutions, in cooperation with two internationally leading counterparts
6 - Creating a centre of excellence for the Baltic and eastern European countries emphasising the promotion of early career researchers from science centres and UT post-doctoral and PhD students in the field of science education
Work performed in the period 1 September 2020 until31 December 2021
SciCar has initiated and developed a dedicated website (www.scicar.eu) The open section is composed of 6 sub-sections:
1. Home, giving project objectives and also access to the list of workpackqges and recent events.
2. Partners. introducing the 3 partner organisations - UT, UH and WEIZ.
3. People, introducing the personnel involved within the PMB from the 3 institutions.
4. Workpackage gives a description of work and activities for each workpackage.
5. Events. The slides from seminars are placed on the website and well as news of upcoming events
SciCar has:
1. Held an introductory opening session 29th October 2020.
2. Held an international conference at the Estonian Academy of Sciences on 30th September 2021.
3. Ran 2 workshops for PhD students from UT and UH, both held in Estonia.
4. Organed 14 seminars via zoom for staff and PhD students from the 3 institutions (UT, UH and WEIZ).
5. Held 14 project management board (PMB) meetings.
6. Submitted (i) 3 research proposals for funding by the Estonian Science Council; (ii) 2 Horizon 2020 projects; (iii) a European Research Council (ERC) grant.
7. Published (i) 4 articles in high level science education journals; (ii) 2 articles in the Estonian journal of educational research.
8, Developed 4 didactics-related, doctoral projects, 3 of which are under co-supervision by SciCar partners.
9. Had one doctoral thesis defended in Dec. 2021.
10. Developed an international mobility plan.
11. Included new UT staff members in science education research supervision.
12. Appointed a visiting professor in physics education at UT.
SciCar has initiated and developed a dedicated website (www.scicar.eu) The open section is composed of 6 sub-sections:
1. Home, giving project objectives and also access to the list of workpackqges and recent events.
2. Partners. introducing the 3 partner organisations - UT, UH and WEIZ.
3. People, introducing the personnel involved within the PMB from the 3 institutions.
4. Workpackage gives a description of work and activities for each workpackage.
5. Events. The slides from seminars are placed on the website and well as news of upcoming events
SciCar has:
1. Held an introductory opening session 29th October 2020.
2. Held an international conference at the Estonian Academy of Sciences on 30th September 2021.
3. Ran 2 workshops for PhD students from UT and UH, both held in Estonia.
4. Organed 14 seminars via zoom for staff and PhD students from the 3 institutions (UT, UH and WEIZ).
5. Held 14 project management board (PMB) meetings.
6. Submitted (i) 3 research proposals for funding by the Estonian Science Council; (ii) 2 Horizon 2020 projects; (iii) a European Research Council (ERC) grant.
7. Published (i) 4 articles in high level science education journals; (ii) 2 articles in the Estonian journal of educational research.
8, Developed 4 didactics-related, doctoral projects, 3 of which are under co-supervision by SciCar partners.
9. Had one doctoral thesis defended in Dec. 2021.
10. Developed an international mobility plan.
11. Included new UT staff members in science education research supervision.
12. Appointed a visiting professor in physics education at UT.
Progress beyond the state of the art
Expected results are to increasing the capacity of scientific research in the field of subject didactics based on the existing best practices in the Science & Technology Faculty (S&T) and involving external expertise. As a result, the specialty of teachers in the field of S&T were seen as becoming more attractive, teaching became more research-based and the number of doctoral students in the field of didactics increased.
Expected outcomes to be gained by the science educators from the Job Shadow is to gain awareness of modern approaches and use of equipment/instrumentation utilized in science research as well as to appreciate the desire of science researchers to discover, create and reach new insights. It is expected that science educators gain from the experience to feed their teaching courses in science pedagogy, and in science education research, with a compassion aligned to that of the science researcher.
The potential impacts of SciCar are:
• produce evidence of the impact of science education approaches in attracting young people towards science studies and science-related careers;
• assure tangible outcomes for use by researchers, teachers, teacher educators and policy-makers for future educational planning.
• Include research studies on the impacts of context-based approaches in schools or out-of-school education, supporting science education promoting career awareness
• Improved Research Methods and Scientific Knowledge for all staff members.
• Science education staff becomes familiar with updated developments in science.
• Infrastructure Improvements at UT such as science laboratories for teacher education; more staff rooms for staff and seminar rooms for research communication.
The rise in research excellence is to enable access to new research avenues and the development of new approaches in science education.
Advancements in research are envisaged as translating into increased capability of UT staff to publish in high impact peer reviewed journals and increased mobility of qualified scientists between consortium members.. Partners develop a Cooperation Roadmap enabling them to pursue long term collaboration which includes continued use of research mobility as an important aspect of interlinking.
SciCar intends to greatly enhance the skills of ESRs to:
• improve skills necessary for integrating research and educator career paths in parallel to conducting high quality research and publishing in high impact journals.
• be better equipped for preparing successful funding proposals based on well-justified science cases.
• improve their understanding of ways to translate research results into exploitable applications and technologies.
Overall, UT’s reputation and attractiveness to several important audiences is expected to be raised based on UT engagement with several stakeholders:
Improved capability to compete successfully for national, EU and internationally competitive research funding
Expected results are to increasing the capacity of scientific research in the field of subject didactics based on the existing best practices in the Science & Technology Faculty (S&T) and involving external expertise. As a result, the specialty of teachers in the field of S&T were seen as becoming more attractive, teaching became more research-based and the number of doctoral students in the field of didactics increased.
Expected outcomes to be gained by the science educators from the Job Shadow is to gain awareness of modern approaches and use of equipment/instrumentation utilized in science research as well as to appreciate the desire of science researchers to discover, create and reach new insights. It is expected that science educators gain from the experience to feed their teaching courses in science pedagogy, and in science education research, with a compassion aligned to that of the science researcher.
The potential impacts of SciCar are:
• produce evidence of the impact of science education approaches in attracting young people towards science studies and science-related careers;
• assure tangible outcomes for use by researchers, teachers, teacher educators and policy-makers for future educational planning.
• Include research studies on the impacts of context-based approaches in schools or out-of-school education, supporting science education promoting career awareness
• Improved Research Methods and Scientific Knowledge for all staff members.
• Science education staff becomes familiar with updated developments in science.
• Infrastructure Improvements at UT such as science laboratories for teacher education; more staff rooms for staff and seminar rooms for research communication.
The rise in research excellence is to enable access to new research avenues and the development of new approaches in science education.
Advancements in research are envisaged as translating into increased capability of UT staff to publish in high impact peer reviewed journals and increased mobility of qualified scientists between consortium members.. Partners develop a Cooperation Roadmap enabling them to pursue long term collaboration which includes continued use of research mobility as an important aspect of interlinking.
SciCar intends to greatly enhance the skills of ESRs to:
• improve skills necessary for integrating research and educator career paths in parallel to conducting high quality research and publishing in high impact journals.
• be better equipped for preparing successful funding proposals based on well-justified science cases.
• improve their understanding of ways to translate research results into exploitable applications and technologies.
Overall, UT’s reputation and attractiveness to several important audiences is expected to be raised based on UT engagement with several stakeholders:
Improved capability to compete successfully for national, EU and internationally competitive research funding