SENSE. The New European Roadmap to STEAM Education

Project summary

• The SENSE. project seeks to develop the ‘New European Roadmap to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) Education’, addressing the learning continuum from school to work life.
• The SENSE. consortium, coordinated by Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, includes 17 partner organisations across 14 different European countries that will establish 13 ‘STEAM Labs’ across Europe.
• The project was awarded funding by Horizon Europe and launched in September 2022, and it is due to run until 2025.

 

 

Europe needs more young people to take up careers in science-related sectors. According to the European Skills Agenda only “one in five young people graduates from STEM in tertiary education” and only half as many women as man. Europe also needs a science-literate society and a skilled workforce to successfully tackle global environmental challenges, to make informed use of digital technologies and to counteract disinformation and fake news campaigns.

 

SENSE. seeks to increase the public’s interest in science by merging the arts and aesthetics into STEM education, reshaping how STEM subjects are taught in Europe. Funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation programme, the consortium of 17 members represents 14 European countries. Members consist of formal and informal education institutions, research, businesses, policymakers and NGOs; member specialisms include sustainability, gender sensitivity, digitisation, health, work readiness, arts and design as well as life-long learning.

 

The project seeks to develop an accessible educational roadmap promoting socially conscious and scientifically literate citizens and professionals. It addresses outdated perceptions of current science education as well as gender stereotypes by integrating the arts, social inclusion and spatial design as its core components. SENSE. will establish 13 ‘STEAM Labs’ across Europe to develop and evaluate the ‘SENSE. approach’ to STEAM subjects alongside students, educators, teachers, businesses and other stakeholders.

 

The ‘New European Roadmap to STEAM Education’ will take the shape of a STEAM learning companion to support tomorrow’s educators and learners – be it in the classroom, in a museum or on a drilling rig. A digital hub will be established, where practitioners from all ages and backgrounds across Europe will be able to access tried and tested educational practices to increase engagement within these subjects. 

 

The project launched in September 2022, and it is scheduled to run for three years.