VISConti : Try VISConti in School. Assessment methods of projects in Science Subjects. Viability, Innovation, Scientific Creativity oriented networking training and instruction.
The course is for teachers and trainers in VET who are teaching STEM, IT and science related subjects. It gives exposure to an experimental approach towards the assessment of project work of students in science related subjects. It is an exploitation of the VISConti project in which partners identified assessment criteria for the assessment of students’ projects from technical, economic and creativity points of view. Participants become members of the VISConti community of practice entering into the international dimension of VISConti.
VISConti is a Strategic Partnership for Capacity Building for Vocational Schools. The partnership is made up of 17 universities, schools, education authorities and other organisations from 9 countries under the leadership of the Norges Teknik-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet of Norway. It is in part financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ funding programme.
A statement that inspires VISConti is that Creativity cannot be taught but it can be fostered, encouraged or tapped.
It was conceived to create a platform for creative and adventurous expression through project work for students following VET studies in science related subjects. It is also a space for structured and constructive networking between students, teachers and science professionals from industry who come together in a Community of Practice for innovation and scientific creativity.
Preparation before the course
The participants will be invited to participate in an online forum of the VISConti network of partners 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. 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.
Given that the VISConti project and the Community of Practice it has generated will continue its work in the new UPPScience project the participants will also become part of this larger CoP of the new project.
Training Programme
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.
VISConti : Try VISConti in School. Assessment methods of projects in Science Subjects. Viability, Innovation, Scientific Creativity oriented networking training and instruction.
