Practical and Engaging Methods to Teach STEM Subjects

Practical classroom challenges, simple activities to stimulate discussions about passions, skills, opportunities, and a training program for teachers to guide student in their professional development. These are the resources put in place by the Teach-BEASTs Erasmus+ project, co-funded by the European Union, created to transform STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education with more practical, engaging activities, aligned with the needs of the job market.

Coordinated by the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów (Poland), the University of Bologna participated in the project through the Department of Management.

"Universities face the challenge of adapting their courses to the ever-evolving demands of modern profession in an increasingly complex job market”, explains Professor Matteo Vignoli, who coordinated the University of Bologna research group. “Therefore, Teach-BEASTs was created to support lecturers in rethinking the teaching of scientific subjects”.

The project had a twofold objective: first, to develop the lecturer’s role as a mentor who could ask stimulating questions to help students discover their passions and professional paths; second, to transform lessons into project-based modules through Challenge Based Learning, an active teaching approach, involving students in seeking solutions to solve a challenge.

“Teach-BEASTs offers practical tools that can be easily integrated into university courses to make teaching more career-oriented”, says Vignoli. “For this reason, the solutions we have devised can also be used by those who have chosen non-STEM fields, such as translation or pedagogy”.

"Professional Awareness Pills” are among these solutions. They consist of short activities to be carried out in the classroom designed to encourage students to reflect on their skills, passions, and career opportunities. They are adaptable to any course with very little preparation and help to integrate career guidance into daily teaching.

The researchers then developed a practical guide to introduce Challenge Based Learning in university courses. It includes two pathways: one is focused on design, featuring practical challenges such as creating a circuit, a mechanical component, or software; the other is focused on basic science, with problems to be solved through a transdisciplinary approach, such as a chemical or physical challenge related to daily life.

And finally, Teach-BEASTs offers a training programme for lecturers, with specific tools to plan courses, integrate career guidance, and become effective mentors for students.