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.

  • DRONE

    • Start:
    • End:

    Local Principal Investigator
    Kyriakos Demetriou

    Participants
    Maria Vrikki, Christiana Karousiou, Efi Nisiforou, Maria Evagorou

    Coordinator

    Ref.
    KA2, Erasmus+

    Budget
    EUR

    Agreement No.

    Website

    DRONE is an Erasmus+ KA2 research project that emphasises the inadequacy of current one-size-fits-all digital literacy education for teachers and vulnerable adolescents. It proposes a threefold ecosystem approach: examining disinformation spread within digital and human ecosystems, exploring how young people's ecosystem parameters affect their digital literacy, and engaging school leaders and parents to integrate digital literacy into crisis management. The project aims to fill literature gaps, conduct field research, develop training materials, pilot test them, and scale up training across the EU and Ukraine. It seeks individual, organisational, and systemic impact by creating innovative materials, integrating them into curricula, offering policy guidelines, and establishing a network of ambassadors for sustainability. The project is coordinated by the Hellenic Open University and engages partners from Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Greece, and Cyprus.

  • Increasing Anxiety awareness in higher education during (post) Covid-19 pandemic (AWARE)

    • Start: 12/2022
    • End: 11/2024

    Local Principal Investigator

    Participants
    Christiana Karousiou

    Coordinator
    SPOŁECZNA AKADEMIA NAUK, POLAND

    Ref.
    Erasmus+, KA220-HED - Cooperation partnerships in higher education

    Budget
    250000 EUR

    Agreement No.
    2022-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000087038

    Website
    https://www.awareformentalhealth.eu/

    AWARE aims to increase anxiety/mental health awareness among Higher Education Institutions’ staff and students. The main objectives are:
    • Equip staff with the needed tools, resources and knowledge to recognize, manage, and support students with anxiety.
    • Develop and improve anxiety management skills among students, while expanding emotional competence and positive attitudes.
    • Accommodate the anxious students in HE Institutions by increasing knowledge and skills among the rest of their surroundings

  • Democratic Dialogue at school: an online game based training tool on Democratic Dialogue for Teachers, (DD@S)

    • Start: 11/2021
    • End: 05/2024

    Local Principal Investigator

    Participants
    Christiana Karousiou

    Coordinator
    Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts (EhB), Brussels

    Ref.
    Erasmus+, KA220-SCH - Cooperation partnerships in school education

    Budget
    395.917 EUR

    Agreement No.
    2021-1-BE02-KA220-SCH-000032794

    Website
    https://ddasproject.eu/

    The DD@S project believes in the strength of dialogue to tackle intolerance and discrimination at school to stimulate inclusive education all over Europe. Therefore, this project contributes in the professional development of teachers to acquire effective dialogue skills to cope with ethnic, religious and multicultural conflict situations at school. A gamification based online training in democratic dialogue, a toolkit with tools and good practices including content managed system and guide to help teacher teams in developing their own specific training cases, teacher modules and a guide for implementation and policy recommendations will be organized and implemented to tackle this challenge.

  • INCLUSIVE HE: Designing and supporting inclusive practices in Higher Education

    • Start:
    • End:

    Local Principal Investigator

    Participants
    Christiana Karousiou

    Coordinator
    Åbo Akademi University, Finland

    Ref.
    ERASMUS +1 KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices KA203 - Strategic Partnerships for higher education

    Budget
    252660 EUR

    Agreement No.
    2020-1-FI01-KA203-066572

    Website
    https://inclusivehe.eu

    The InclusiveHE project focuses on developing practices that support the inclusion of people with different abilities, diverse ethnic, cultural and migration background in higher education institutions. OBJECTIVES
    • Support higher education providers to design, implement, and monitor effective inclusive policies and practices.
    • Improve the supply of high quality inclusive higher education opportunities for all.
    • Develop and offer a systems approach toolkit for administrators and policymakers.
    • Develop and offer a training course for HEI staff.
    • Offer an online platform and MOOC with gamification characteristics.
    • Raise general awareness concerning inclusive practices that foster inclusion.