InSSTER

InSSTER, Innovative STS (Science, Society, Technology) Education Research Centre, is a dynamic multidisciplinary research hub that brings together passionate educators and scholars from diverse fields within the field of education. Our collaborative team includes faculty members and researchers from the Department of Education at the University of Nicosia. Together, we explore the intersection of inclusive research education, science, society, and technology, with a strong emphasis on innovative and inclusive practices.

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Vision

InSSTER promotes research in education focusing on innovative and inclusive practices in Science, Society, Technology education. This involves transforming schools to cater to all children, including marginalised groups, aiming to eliminate exclusion. It also emphasises cultivating skills for global problem-solving, ensuring inclusive education, and addressing gender equality in digital skills. InSSTER aligns with the Digital Education Action Plan for comprehensive and high-quality digital instruction and training (European Commission, 2020).

Objectives

  • 1

    Conduct state-of-the-art research under the umbrella of innovative and inclusive education with links to science, society and technology;

  • 2
    Participate in competitive EU calls and receive external funding for projects
  • 3
    Establish a national and international network with relevant, researchers, schools, and policy makers;
  • 4
    Engage with society on issues related to inclusive science and technology education, and
  • 5
    Offer continuous training on skills, methodologies and technologies to its members and beyond.

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Research

The members of InSSTER are involved in funded research under the umbrella of Innovative and Inclusive education with links to science, society and technology.

  • NBS4S: Empowering students to act for climate through Nature Based Solutions

    • Start: 12/2023
    • End: 11/2025

    Local Principal Investigator

    Participants

    Coordinator

    Ref.
    KA2, Erasmus+

    Budget
    400000 EUR

    Agreement No.
    KA220-BW-23-36-156685

    Website

    NBS4School aims to introduce the concept of Nature-based-Solutions as an educational tool to support climate change education. NBS is gaining more ground as a methodology to solve real life challenges caused by climate change. At the same time, it has high innovative potential as a teaching tool. By combining the concept with effective and modern pedagogical methods like Citizen Science, NBS4School aims to train teachers to educate the students of the future.

  • VRinHE: Integrating Virtual and Augmented Reality in Higher Education Curricula

    • Start:
    • End:

    Local Principal Investigator
    Efi Nisiforou

    Participants

    Coordinator
    UNIVERSITY OF RUSE ANGEL KANCHEV

    Ref.

    Budget
    259015 EUR

    Agreement No.
    2021-1-BG01-KA220-HED-000032128

    Website

    VRinHE aims to build the capacities of HE institutions and their staff, to integrate Virtual and Augmented Reality in teaching and learning, targeting key EU priorities. The project will sustainable promote digital transformation of the HE sector, by providing relevant stakeholders with innovative methods, approaches and guidelines to increase the participation rates, improve the quality of HE, and foster university learners’ digital, 21st century skills. A discussion on the importance of following coherent strategy and policy will also be initiated.

  • IncluSME: Intercultural learning in STEM (mathematics and science) initial teacher education

    • Start: 01/2016
    • End: 12/2019

    Local Principal Investigator

    Participants
    Maria Evagorou

    Coordinator
    University of Education in Freiburg, Germany

    Ref.
    ERASMUS +, Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

    Budget
    448195 EUR

    Agreement No.
    2016-DE01-KA201-002910

    Website
    https://icse.eu/international-projects/prior-projects

    IncluSMe (2016-2019) is an Erasmus+ project focussing on intercultural learning in mathematics and science initial teacher education. IncluSMe (Intercultural learning in mathematics and science education) offers a constructive contribution for tackling one of Europe’s greatest challenges: education for an increasing number of refugee and immigrant youth, to integrate them into European educational systems and to provide for stable, socially cohesive societies. The project aims to increase the quality of higher education curricula for prospective maths and science teachers by linking maths and science education with intercultural learning – and thereby strengthening students’ social, civic and intercultural competences. Core to IncluSMe is the design and implementation of open access teaching modules on intercultural learning for prospective maths and science teachers.

  • ProSTEM: European collaboration and mobility in professional development of pre- and in-service STEM Teachers

    • Start: 02/2022
    • End: 01/2025

    Local Principal Investigator
    Maria Evagorou

    Participants
    Evi Kostantinidou, Kyriakos Demetriou

    Coordinator
    University of Education in Freiburg, Germany

    Ref.
    Erasmus 2027

    Budget
    1495323 EUR

    Agreement No.

    Website
    https://icse.eu/icse-academy/

    ProSTEM supports the EU’s endeavours to minimize the amount of low-performing STEM learners. It does so by investing in a new era of a high-quality STEM teacher workforce by innovating based on existing best practices teacher education and transnational exchange strategies.