National Higher Education STEM Programme

Overview

The National HE STEM Programme is a three-year initiative funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils for England and Wales (HEFCE/HEFCW). It started in August 2009 and is due to complete in July 2012. The Programme aims to increase and widen participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and enhance the skills and knowledge base of the workforce in these areas. Although focused around the STEM subjects, it primarily concentrates its support on the disciplines of Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics with concomitant benefits to the STEM sector as a whole.

The Programme takes forward activities in three related strands:

• Activities to widen participation within the STEM disciplines at HE level amongst students of traditional age

• HE curriculum developments focusing upon course delivery and design, student support, and knowledge and skills

• Activities to encourage those currently within the workforce and society without a Level 4 qualification to engage in further study to develop enhanced knowledge and skills.

The National HE STEM Programme:

• adopts a holistic approach to increasing and widening participation amongst school-age students

• examines the current undergraduate curriculum and explore the teaching of the critical STEM skills to ensure graduates of all ages are adequately prepared for their workplace

• encourages Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to engage with employers on a regional basis and develop flexible and tailored programmes of study to meet regional skills needs

• delivers this programme in collaboration with six regional spokes, four professional bodies and their subject centres

For more information, please visit: www.hestem.ac.uk

London Engineering Project (LEP)

The London Engineering Project (LEP), managed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, was the pilot project for the engineering strand of this Programme. The National HE STEM Programme will be taking ideas, approaches and effective practice learnt thorough the LEP's work and adapt it for the needs of the HEIs involved with the National HE STEM Programme.

The London Engineering Programme won an award at the London Education Partnership Awards on Monday, 7th June 2010 under the category Inspiring journeys: excellent professional practice in curriculum support for STEM. The LEP shone out as an example of a well-rounded partnership between universities, employers, third sector organisations, and primary and secondary schools, which delivered improvements across all phases to widen participation in engineering in higher education.

For more information, please visit: www.thelep.org.uk

Role of the Royal Academy of Engineering in National HE STEM Programme

The Royal Academy of Engineering is leading the engineering strand of the Programme, building on the effective practice of the London Engineering Project. It supports the National HE STEM Programme through collaborations with the HEIs to encourage the exploration of new approaches to recruiting students and delivering programmes of study in engineering. It enables the transfer of good practice across the HE STEM sector, facilitating its wider adoption, and encourages innovation. The Programme does not seek to undertake short-term interventions, but focuses upon sustainable activities with the potential to achieve long-term impact within the Higher Education sector.

Projects funded under this Programme

The Royal Academy of Engineering has received funding through the Programme to support engineering activities in England and Wales. The Academy opened three calls between March 2010 and March 2011. The main purpose for these calls was to support the transfer and wider adoption of the best practice learnt through the LEP into the wider engineering HE sector and other STEM subjects. As a result of these calls, the Academy funded 5 large and 61 small scale projects worth £678k.

Projects range from HE Innovation, Education Research, Engineering for Society, Engineering Outreach, and Employer Engagement. They include examples like training undergraduate students as Student Ambassadors to assist outreach activities in local schools, or creating new engineering modules in upcoming technologies like Nuclear Island, to name a few. For more details and a complete list, please visit http://www.thelep.org.uk/national/projects

You can download the summary of all funded projects as below:

• Project Summaries – First Call – May 2010 (313KB)

• Project Summaries – Second Call – October 2010 (376KB)

• Project Summaries – Third Call – March 2011 (299KB)

• Project Summaries - Outreach (273KB)

All project teams will submit a case study and a final evaluation report on completion of their project. Call 1 projects are complete and the first set of case studies will be available soon on the LEP webiste. Call 2 and Call 3 projects will complete in December 2011 and March 2012, respectively. The HESTEM team will perform an overall evaluation once all the 66 evaluation reports are submitted in March 2012. This will help the team to observe and learn any common themes or lessons that are emerged from the process.

Tenders for Proof Reading

The Royal Academy of Engineering invites tenders for the proof reading of approximately 50 case studies.

The case studies will be in two tranches, the first from 1st February 2012 and the second from 1st May 2012.

It is anticipated each tranche will take between 2 and 3 weeks.

Full details can be found in the attachment bewlow.

Please direct all enquiries to the National HE STEM Programme team.

• Tender - Proof Reading (100KB)

Upcoming Events

National HE STEM Programme - 3 Days Conference

Dates: 4 - 6 September 2012

Venue: University of Birmingham

Organised by: National HE STEM Programme

Further Details:

We are pleased to announce that the final arrangements for the National HE STEM Programme conference are now in place. The conference will be held from Tuesday 4th September to Thursday 6th September 2012 at the University of Birmingham.

Closely following the themes of the Programme, the conference will provide the opportunity for Programme projects to present their work to an audience of STEM practitioners from across the UK.

This conference will act as a focal point for the activity that has been commissioned and supported by the Programme over its 3 year duration. It will celebrate the achievements and successes of the projects, whilst also looking at how the HE environment has changed since the Programme’s inception in August 2009, and how the work of the projects is helping shape the future of Higher Education in the UK.

Further details including how to present your project at the conference and criteria and guidelines for submission will be available early in the New Year, along with delegate rates (the early bird rate is expected to be no more than £250 for the full 3 days, including 2 nights bed and breakfast, a drinks reception, and dinner on the second day of the conference) and other important information.

All projects will be invited to submit an abstract for sessions at the conference and the Programme would expect projects to do so. This event is the showcase for the Programme and will bring the Programme to a close while emphasising how the project work is being continued and built upon going forward. Whilst projects are free to disseminate their findings at any suitable forum, the conference has been designed to be the main vehicle for the Programme projects to promote and publicise their activities. There will be substantial promotion building up to the conference and it is hoped that the event will enable the work of the Programme to be developed further beyond the Programme life cycle.

Further details on the conference will be released through www.hestem.ac.uk.

If your project is supported by The Royal Academy of Engineering and you have any questions, please feel free to contact the National HE STEM Programme team.

To find out more about the engineering component of this Programme, please visit the LEP National webpage.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact the National HE STEM Programme team

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National Engineering Programme Barrow Engineering Project BEST Programme Connecting Teachers Education for Engineering (E4E) Engineering Engagement Project Engineering Further Education (EFE) HE STEM Programme London Engineering Project