Enhancing secondary school STEM teaching and learning through the implementation of student-curated art-based exhibitions, utilizing methods of co-creation

We applied to this project in response to the urgent need to integrate STEM education into teacher training with a focus on eco-numerical skills, exhibitions, and co-creation. In the face of environmental challenges and technological advances, it's essential to equip teachers with innovative, interdisciplinary approaches. We identified several needs: a lack of training on integrating STEM into education in an engaging way, a lack of adapted and accessible teaching resources, and the need to harmonize educational practices on a European scale. The project aimed to transform STEM education by integrating interactive methods that foster student engagement and teacher skills development. Through the co-creation of exhibitions, the use of digital tools and the implementation of the Phygital Guide, STEM Virtual Toolkit and E-book, teachers were given access to concrete resources for adapting their teaching to today's challenges. Interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers, teachers and artists has enriched educational practices and stimulated students' interest in science.

We have implemented this project to achieve several objectives: Facilitate the integration of co-creation in STEM learning: Thanks to the pedagogical e-book and the toolbox composed of 3 modules and 9 sub-modules totaling 32 videos, 24 infographics and 9 quizzes, we wanted to diversify and enrich the pedagogical content to help students and teachers better understand STEM subjects. Stimulate student and teacher engagement: The aim was to make learning more interactive and attractive, by actively involving students in creating content and organizing exhibitions. Offer practical resources: With a phygital guide, we provided information, advice and sources to help teachers and students integrate these innovative pedagogical approaches. Introducing an innovative teaching method: Using student co-creation of exhibits, we aimed to make STEM learning more collaborative and active. Thus, our main objective was to introduce an innovative pedagogical method for teaching STEM by actively involving students and making learning more accessible and engaging.

To achieve the defined objectives, the activities carried out include tool development, co-creation with experts, testing and global dissemination: The development of the e-book, Virtual Toolkit and Phygital Guide, translated into five languages, disseminated widely and adopted in various educational contexts have enabled teachers and students to design engaging and interactive STEM exhibits. We conducted pilot tests in 5 partner countries through the implementation of Living Labs, SACs and school-based interventions offering hands-on experiences to over 110 students and 60 teachers. These initiatives demonstrated the applicability and replicability of the tools, while promoting an active and innovative pedagogical approach. The feedback has enabled us to improve the Beta versions developed in the 3 WPs and finalize the Alpha version. In addition, the IA board provided us with feedback from experts. Finally, the dissemination events and the publication of the 3 results in Open Access on the project website guarantee a lasting impact beyond the official duration of the project. Its online accessibility enables widespread adoption and encourages the replication of best practices on a European scale.

STEM-Xhibitions has enabled the creation of an educational e-book, a virtual toolbox and a phygital guide, translated into the five languages of the partners. Activities such as SACs, Livins Labs and interviews were also carried out. Pilot tests were organized in the five partner countries to present the project results to stakeholders. Our results were tested and adopted by the partner high schools (GLPK and IVANEC) as well as by two French schools, Collège Jules Verne and Lycée Jacques Vaucanson. The final event was attended by 65 participants (KPI:50), including the head of international relations at the Mairie des Mureaux. Final evaluation reports revealed that, on average, 93.87% of participants rated each question above 7/10, with an overall score of 8.9/10 for the STEM Virtual Toolkit. Through our communications and website, our solutions have been consulted by users in 75 countries worldwide. The top ten countries in terms of engagement are France, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Serbia, Pakistan, Japan, the UK, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy, in that order.