Program announcement: bringing STEM education to high school students
I. Introduction
“Bringing STEM Education to High School Students Program” (referred to as STEM Program) is a component of the Science and Technology Resources Development Project for Vietnam funded by VinGroup.
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM education in high schools is not a new subject but an approach towards experiential learning. Through these activities, students are not only equipped with knowledge and skills in Science, Technology, Technology and Mathematics but they also develop the essential qualities of global citizens in the 21st century such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
Vingroup’s STEM Program operates from 2019-2022 with the aim of raising high school students’ awareness of careers in STEM fields and increasing the application rate for STEM study in the engineering and technology universities. The Program does that by inspiring high school students to be passionate about science, engineering, and technology.
Accordingly, Vingroup will sponsor the S3 Innovation Academy (S3) to run a pilot STEM education program by introducing STEM Clubs at high schools nationwide.
II. Implementation
The STEM Program is implemented in 3 phases:
- Phase I from January 2019 to June 2019: Pilot program at 20 high schools
- Phase II from July 2019 to January 2020: Review and upgrade the program
- Phase III from January 2020 to December 2022: Expand to other high schools nationwide
In the first phase, the STEM Program will sponsor S3 to run a pilot STEM education program at 20 high schools nationwide in the form of STEM Clubs (Clubs) combining with Entrepreneurship mindset and Study Skills training.
Each school in the list of 20 pilot schools will establish a club with 25-40 students in grades 10 and 11. Club members need to be passionate about STEM disciplines and have good academic results for STEM subjects. The selection of club members is widely informed by high schools to all students in grades 10 and 11 on an open, transparent and voluntary basis.
The STEM Program provides standard equipment for the Clubs, learning materials for the students, and teaching materials for the teachers. The Program also organizes training sessions for school leaders and teachers as well as exhibitions and STEM fairs.
Only high schools in the selected list are guaranteed the benefits of the STEM Program.
The Clubs will select 3 of the following 5 project topics for their activities:
- Sensors and data
- Smart agriculture
- Nano technology and life
- Robots and autonomous vehicles
- Mathematics and applications.
Each week, the students have one 3-hour session to experience various activities at the STEM Clubs with the guidance of the teachers/collaborators from S3 and trained high school teachers.
Especially, the lessons on Entrepreneurship Mindset and Study Skills will be directly instructed by the specialists from Vin University Project and will be open also to non-member students.
After the pilot period, the school’s teachers will be able to run the Clubs themselves in the following years.
III. STEME (STEM + Entrepreneurship) Fair and Awards
A STEME Fair is scheduled to be held at the end of the pilot period to allow the Clubs to show their ideas and projects, to compete in a STEME competition and to learn from other Clubs.
The prizes include:
- The First Prize Winner Team (up to 5 students) and one instructor will be awarded a trip to Singapore to participate in activities at the Singapore Science Center, Google Company and Nanyang Technological University for 4 days; 01 VSmart phone for each member and instructor; and 30 million VND to buy equipment for the school’s club.
- The Second Prize Winner Team (up to 5 students) and one instructor receive an award of 01 VSmart phone for each member and instructor; and 20 million VND to buy equipment for the school’s club.
- The Third Prize Winner Team (up to 5 students) and one instructor receive an award of 01 VSmart phone for each member and instructor; and 10 million VND to buy equipment for the school’s club.
Judges of the STEME competition Fair are prestigious experts in the fields of science and technology.
Criteria for evaluating the winning teams are creativity, influence and applicability of the project ideas, team spirit, entrepreneurship spirit, and the presentation of the project.
IV. Milestones of the STEM Program
V. Contact
For more information about the STEM Program, please email: STEMTHPT@vingroup.net
