Outreach initiatives operated by universities for increasing interest in science and technology

Lena B. Gumaelius, Monica Almqvist, Anna Árnadóttir, Anders Axelsson, J. Alberto Conejero, José P. García-Sabater, Lene Klitgaard, Cecilia Kozma, Julien Maheut, Juan Marin-Garcia, Henrik Mickos, Per Olof Nilsson, Agneta Norén, Margarida Pinho-Lopes, Manfred Prenzel, Johanna Ray, Torgny Roxå, Mirjam Voss

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the low number of students choosing to study science and technology in higher education has been on the societal agenda and many initiatives have been launched to promote awareness regarding career options. The initiatives particularly focus on increasing enrolment in the engineering programmes. This article describes and compares eight European initiatives that have been established and operated by universities (and in some cases through collaboration with other actors in society). Each initiative is summarised in a short essay that discusses motivation, organisation, pedagogical approach, and activities. The initiatives are characterised by comparing the driving forces behind their creation, how the initiative activities relate to the activities at the university, size based on the number of participants and cost per participant and pedagogical framework. There seem to be two main tracks for building outreach activities, one where outreach activities are based on the university's normal activities, and one where outreach activities are designed specifically for the visiting students.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEuropean Journal of Engineering Education
Volume41
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)589-622
Number of pages34
ISSN0304-3797
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2016

Keywords

  • engineering education
  • Outreach
  • outreach initiatives
  • pre engineering education

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