High-Fliers

Cecília Galvão

The High-Fliers project seeks to contribute meaningfully to the preparation of STEM-related professional careers, and especially for educationalists within schools, higher education institutions and science promotion organisations, seen as a concern in all partner countries (Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Croatia) but also Europe-wide.

Project Goals/Objectives:

1. Raise the attractiveness, value and relevance of PEDAGOGY & DIDACTICS in training STEM professionals and especially STEM educationalists;
2. Ensure future STEM educationalist have a recognition of presentation and leadership skills;
3. Develop new training programme modules to attract university and gymnasium students to be involved in optional educational modules prior to any involvement in teacher professional development;
4. To guide Science & Technology (S&T) staff to recognise the value of presentation, leadership skills for STEM professionals;
5. Extend and develop the competences of practicing STEM teachers and other STEM personnel who support adult learners;
6. Increase the number of STEM teachers.

The High-Fliers consortium of 3 universities (University of Tartu, Estonia; University of Eastern Finland, Finland; University of Lisbon, Portugal) and one research institute (Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Croatia) targets university students, as well as experts of various profiles, in the science and science-related subject areas – biology, geography (earth science), chemistry, physics and mathematics. Additionally, gymnasium school students are to be also targeted, insofar as universities are able to offer courses to such students to be included in their school courses (e.g. possible in Finland) which can count towards these students’ university degree should they choose to continue their studies at that university.

The High-Fliers project approach entails the following activities and respective results:

• Developing the 4-module, plus support action, High-Fliers Programme geared towards promoting social attributes of particular importance for future STEM Educationalists;
• Piloting the modules with 200 educationalists in Estonia, Finland, Portugal and Croatia (i.e. undergraduate/MA students plus gymnasium school students; teachers; non-formal STEM professionals; university/research organisation science staff);
• Preparing the Online High-Fliers Operational Manual for University Science/STEM Staff;
• Organising local Stakeholder Workshops/Events;
• Running specific High-Fliers Module Workshops;
• Holding an Evaluation & Quality Assurance Meeting;
• Undertaking a Final Conference; complemented by partners’ travelling to make presentations at conferences.

All activities aim at the engagement of a wide target audience, as well as promotion and dissemination of High-Fliers.

The potential long-term benefits of High-Fliers lie in:

• Creating a module-based course applicable at all levels of tertiary education and at a life-long learning level to exploit High-Flier skills in STEM education, and acknowledging these skills as cross-sectorally transferable;
• Through the modules, challenging STEM teacher educators and promoting STEM related career awareness;
• Making STEM teacher education more visible in Europe and facilitating STEM undergraduate mobility between partner universities;
• Changing STEM teaching practices when High-Flier modules graduates become STEM teachers;
• Raising interest towards STEM educationalist (especially teacher) careers, which helps to overcome the shortage of STEM teachers at school as well as contributes towards an enhanced work force in society and sustainable economy;
• Providing recommendations used at policy level to promote STEM teacher professional pathway;
• Creating strong networks between different stakeholders within Estonia and other partner countries, and internationally.

01/12/2020 – 30/11/2023

Programme: Erasmus+
Key Action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices – Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Reference: 2020-1-EE01-KA203-077990