Consortium

Engage Consortium includes 14 Institutions from 13 countries with extensive experience in Inquiry based Science Education and Responsible Research and Innovation, particularly in teacher training and curriculum design. Partners also have wide networks which will be used to multiply the stakeholder involvement and impact.

engage team

 Country Participants
 UK Centre for Science Education – Sheffield Hallam University (Coordinator)
Tony Sherborne is the scientific coordinator of ENGAGE and the founder of science upd8. He is the creative director at the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University, UK and an ex-NESTA Fellow. email: tonysherborne@gmail.com
Pat Morton and Andy Bullough The Centre for Science Education – Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Knowledge Media Institute – The Open University
Alexandra Okada is an honorary senior lecturer at the Open University in Brazil,  Portugal and an interdisciplinary researcher at OU – UK. She holds M.A. in Computer Science, M.B.A. in Knowledge Management and PhD in Education. As a consultant to ASE for 10 years, she created various digital games for  science udp8 and supported teacher’s community.  She managed various EU projects and currently is the ENGAGE – legacy lead and online course coordinator. email: alexandra.okada@gmail.com
Consultant
Gemma Young  is a Science Publishing Editor, author and consultant.  She has been developing learning activities for more than 7 years including those for Science UpD8 and Wikid sponsored by the ASE and the European Projects TEMI and ENGAGE. She has also worked with companies and universities to develop teaching and learning videos, apps, interactive resources and podcasts as well as being a published author of several student and teacher books. She was a secondary school science teacher for 8 years and is currently a research visitor at The Open University, UK.
Philippa Gardom Hulme  is a science teacher educator, author and editor. She tutors on a postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) course and has published around twenty science text books. Philippa also writes online learning resources for students in the UK and abroad and is currently engaged in producing learning materials on contemporary science for schools throughout the European Union through ENGAGE. Philippa previously taught science in secondary schools in the UK, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
 Greece Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics, Foundation for Research and Technology
Kathy Kikis-Papadakis has extensive experience in RTD management with a focus on ICT and learning at various educational levels. Since 1993 leading the Educational Research and Evaluation Group at IACM/FORTH – The Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas, Greece.
Foteini Chaimala is a researcher at The Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas, Greece. She holds Ph.D. in the area of Peer Learning and argumentation by the aid of ICT. She has ten years of experience as a secondary and high school physics teacher.
 Germany Innovation in Learning Institute
Sónia Hetzner: Senior researcher at Innovation in Learning Institute – Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Germany. Responsible for development, management and evaluation of technology enhanced learning and training projects as well as information portals for different target groups.
Aristidis Protopsaltis: is a senior researcher at the Institut fur Learn-Innovation. His background is in Cognitive Science, Serious Games, ICT and Education, information processing theory and comprehension.
 Italy Lattanzio Learning
Elisabetta Parodi is a Research & Development project manager at Latanzio Group, Italy. She has a degree in Informatics from University of Genoa, Italy. Since has been involved in European projects about e-learning practice and standards, knowledge management, mobile learning, virtual reality.
 France Traces
Matteo Merzagora is a physicist and the scientific director of Traces and director of the Espace des Sciences Pierre-Gilles de Gennes – ESPCI, France. He teaches science communication and science in society in several French universities, and at the Master in Science Communication, SISSA (Trieste, Italy).
Vanessa Mignan is the Traces’ public engagement hub manager, with degree in Chemistry and Physics. She develops, follows and assesses educational and training programmes both at the national and European level.
 Romania Valahia University Targoviste
Mihai Bizoi is a computer scientist and lecturer at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information Technology, Valahia University Targoviste, Romania. He was/is involved in different ICT projects (research and educational) at national and international level.
Gabriel Gorghiu is working at Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information Technology, but also at Teacher Training Department. He has a great experience in working on the European programs as he was involved since 1995 in different projects.
Laura Monica Gorghiu is actually the Vice-Rector of the University. She has a great experience in the field of Science teaching, ICT and European projects.
 Israel Weizmann Institute
 Yael Shwartz is a senior scientist at Weizmann Institute, Israel. She has been involved in IBSE curriculum development, implementation and assessment both in Israel and the US. She also has a rich experience in designing and implementing various models of teacher’s CPD training including on-line programmes.
 Spain Universitat de Barcelona
Silvia Alcaraz is a researcher at the Faculty of Education at Universitat de Barcelona, Spain – “Virtual Teaching and Learning” group. She holds a M.Sc. in cognitive systems and interactive media, with a focus on ICT- based learning experiences for science teaching.
Mario Barajas is head of the research team Future Learning  at the University of Barcelona. Doctor in Education by the University of Barcelona, he teaches at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Faculty of Education at undergraduate and graduate level, including subjects in the area of didactics of sciences.
 Norway Vestfold University College
Elin Aschim is an associate professor with Ph.D. in natural sciences at Høgskolen i Vestfold – Vestfold University College, Norway. She had nine years of experience in fundamental research and teaching before she started with science education for pre-service teachers and continuing professional development.
 Netherlands Delft University of Technology, Science Education and Communication Department
Dury Bayram-Jacobs is a post-doc researcher at Science Education and Communication Department at the Delft University of Technology,
Netherlands. She has worked for 10 years as a Physics teacher. Her PhD thesis is about professional development of Physics teachers in different countries. She has managed several European funded projects.
 Switzerland Haute Ecole pédagogique Fribourg/Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg
Ignacio Monge contributes to continuing professional development of science teachers at Haute Ecole pédagogique Fribourg/Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg, Switzerland. He holds Ph.D. in natural sciences and has ten years of experience in fundamental research and in secondary teaching.
Francine Pellaud is professor, in charge of didactics of science and substantial development education Research unit (UR). Working exclusively with current problems, her aim is to give teachers tools that enable pupils to acquire knowledge, skills and values that nourish prospective thinking and responsible action.
 Lithuania Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences
Dalius Dapkus is an associate professor at the Department of Biology and Natural Science Education, Vicedean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. His interests include cross-curricular relationships and improvement of pre-service teachers’ training.
 Cyprus Department of Science Education, University of Nicosia
Maria Evagorou is an Assistant Professor of Science Education at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus and her research focuses on exploring and enhancing students’ argumentation and system thinking skills within science education with the use of technology.

Big Stuff Blog:

An inspiring conference, say science educators.

The second International conference on Engaging Science for teachers coordinated by Dr. Ale Okada, at the Open University on March 23rd of 2019, presented evidence that the project is sustainable. Some of the key topics discussed by Science teachers were practices and strategies developed to address the key issues raised by the ENGAGE community in the previous conference:

  • What are the benefits and challenges  to promote open schooling through Engaging Science?   
  • How can  science curriculum be more inclusive and unbiased about gender?
  • How can the Science Education curriculum be reshaped so that it’s more fit for purpose?
  • How can an approach focussed on examination success still lead to an enlightened science education?

 

Funded by the the engaging science network, this annual event brought together more than 80 Science teachers from ...

News:

Open Education Global Award !

The Open App to foster inquiry skill for Responsible Research and Innovation developed by the ENGAGE project received a special Award by the Board of Directors and Awards Committee of the Open Education Consortium

The Open App Award for Excellence is presented to an exceptional instrument proven to be an essential tool for professionals, trainers and teachers for building, and delivering open education.

This award is selected by the OE Awards Committee to recognize truly exceptional work in Open Education.

The OU’s new interdisciplinary RUMPUS research group is based in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education, and Language Studies but has members from across the university and outside it. We examine the role of fun in learning and life, for both children and adults, and from both children’s and adults’ perspectives with new educational approaches including open schooling. 

The Open App project is an initiative of Rumpus Centre led by Dr. Alexandra Okada with a group of partners in the UK (David Wortley) and Brazil (Sangar Zucchi, Simone Fuchtler and Karine, Rocha). It focuses on Open Educational Resources (OER) to be designed by youth based on ‘open schooling’ approach to foster skills for Responsible Research and Innovation underpinned by the ENGAGE project (Okada & Sherborne, 2018) . It is funded by Brazil government and supported by 360 in 360 Immersive Experiences (2018-2019). These OER for mobile devices about topical socio-scientific issues can be used, openly and freely, in formal and non-formal settings to enhance students and citizens’ immersive learning with fun and engagement. Our studies suggest that Virtual Reality (VR) can transform the way educational content is delivered making it easy to immerse learners in time and space with real-life settings relevant for society.

The Open App project team will be applauded for their dedication to ...