Measuring Creativity in Science

Short course organised by the SEEP network

SEEP : Try VISConti in School. Assessment methods of projects in Science Subjects. Viability, Innovation, Scientific Creativity oriented networking training and instruction.

Burgos, Spain : April 2016

Information about obtaining funding from your country’s National Agency

For more information contact us at validainfo@gmail.com

Preparation before the course

The participants will be invited to participate in an online forum of the VISConti network in which they will become conversant with the philosophy of VISConti, its orientation towards the assessment of technical viability, economic potential and scientific creativity in students projects in VET. VISConti is an Erasmus+ strategic partnership for VET school that is developing tools to facilitate the assessment of such elements in projects and the formation of a community of practice between students, teachers and science professionals from industry for networking school with industry. The participants will use this preparation to create a profile and share it with the other participants following questions that will prod them in the right direction towards understanding one’s own strengths, experience and expertise, personal aptitudes. During this time the participants will also be asked to test the VISConti tools for assessment for early orientation. These will be tools that are used to assess project work in science related subjects like IT, technical and technological subjects in VET, secondary and higher education levels.

Objectives of the course

The course will give exposure to an experimental approach towards the assessment of project work of students in science related subjects. The experimentation is what VISConti partners and expert members in the VisMedNet Association have devised as the VISConti method. It involves three elements :
– peer approach between teachers and students when it comes to assessment of projects in science related subjects,
– profiling oneself – teachers and students – in reality and in social or virtual networking spaces,
– identifying criteria and thresholds for the assessment of projects in a three dimensional manner.
The course will not provide a ready-to-use solution but will give the right elements for participants to look at possibilities for adaptation to one’s own school. It will bring participants together to identify avenues in which teachers and students network for science and experiments with the formation of a real and virtual science community around the school that involves past and present students. The course will meet its objectives if participants leave the course refreshed and appreciative of the importance of networking, self profiling and using the right tools for assessment that incentivate innovation, research culture and that bank on pride in one’s own work without inhibition towards creativity in science.

Methodology

The days of the course will provide a mix of didactic sessions and workshop format sessions. The methodology will be in key with the experimental approach of the content ie. it leaves ample time for discussion and input from the participants. The days will be divided into :
– a morning input session on a topic by an expert or by a member of the experimentation team of VisMedNet,
– a discussion forum that will be chaired and animated one of the experimentation team of VisMedNet forming part of the formation of the VISConti concept of assessment, and
– group work that will design tools for use in their school should they continue with the VISConti experimentation after the course.
The Methodology will therefore ensure that the course gives foundation input, exposure to taking ownership of the concept and practice in the devise of tools for that purpose.

Follow up to the course

The participants will become part of the VISConti network during the preparation of the course and will be the pioneers of the new avenue that VISConti will follow into orienting its work further towards VET. They will carry out at least one small dissemination / sharing activity with their peers at school and share the results. The participants will be enticed to take part in future forums of the VISConti network also becoming active members in the Community of Practice being set up by the VISConti project.

Information about obtaining funding from your country’s National Agency

Programme of Activities

Day 1

0900-1000 Introduction of the works and participants profiling

1000-1030 Taster of things to come : VISConti experimentation

1100-1130 Project work and sharing of assessment methods by participants

1130-1230 Participants sharing projects of their students that they consider innovative, interesting or attractive.

1400-1430 Networking ice breaker

1430-1600 Workshop by expert : innovation in industry

Day 2

0900-1000 Input on : Technical Viability of projects

1000-1100 Workshop : Establishing criteria, thresholds, approaches

1100-1230 Group work : tools for assessment of technical viability

1400-1500 Input on : Economic Potential of projects

1500-1600 Workshop : Establishing criteria, thresholds, approaches

1600-1730 Group work : tools for assessment of economic potential

Day 3

0900-1000 Input on : Innovation

1000-1100 Workshop : Establishing criteria, thresholds, approaches

1100-1230 Group work : tools for assessment of economic potential

1400-1700 Excursion to creative industries

Day 4

0900-1000 Input on : Scientific Creativity

1000-1100 Workshop : Establishing criteria, thresholds, approaches

1100-1230 Group work : tools for assessment of scientific creativity

1400-1500 Networking tools : students-teachers, teachers-teachers, building virtual communities around the school

1500-1600 Personal experience of participants and thematic proposals for their school following VISConti experimentation.

Day 5

0900-1000 Planning follow up work

1000-1100 New profiling for participants : validation of informal learning during course

1100-1230 New assessment of students projects presented on the first day following VISConti approach.

1400-1600 Establishment of networking methodology between participants and their organisations : consideration of future concepts and projects.