STE(A)M Learning Ecologies

Project Information

SLEs

Grant agreement ID: 101094648

DOI

10.3030/101094648

Project closed

EC signature date 22 November 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• Reforming and enhancing the European R&I System

Total cost

€ 1 999 635,00

EU contribution

€ 1 999 635,00

Coordinated by

EUN PARTNERSHIP AISBL
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SLEs (STE(A)M Learning Ecologies)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

SLEs introduced the concept of STE(A)M Learning Ecologies realising local open schooling partnerships between formal, non-formal and informal education actors, enterprises and civil society organisations. Within these learning ecologies, diverse stakeholders collaboratively addressed real-life challenges in local communities, with shared ownership, distributed leadership and equal space to take initiative.
Building on desk research, stakeholder consultation, online surveying and extensive field implementation, the project developed a comprehensive conceptual and methodological framework for the design and implementation of STE(A)M Learning Ecologies. The methodology was tested through a two-phase implementation approach, consisting of a pilot phase followed by a large-scale mature phase.
Overall, the project scaled from 13 pilot SLEs to over 100 SLEs implemented across 16 countries, engaging more than 4,000 learners and over 500 stakeholders. This progressive scale-up enabled systematic validation and refinement of the SLEs methodology across diverse educational, cultural and organisational contexts.
Learner engagement activities were designed, implemented and evaluated using a structured pedagogical and monitoring framework, generating evidence on meaningful learner participation, transversal skills development and science-oriented study and career pathways.
In parallel, the project developed a strong policy-oriented dimension. Through continuous policy monitoring, structured policy dialogues and peer-learning activities, SLEs supported national and European policymakers in understanding the added value of open schooling-enabled STE(A)M Learning Ecologies. Evidence-based policy recommendations were produced to contribute to a supportive STE(A)M policy landscape.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

SLEs results are openly accessible via the SLEs project website (steamecologies.eu) and the Scientix portal (scientix.eu) ensuring transparency, visibility and sustainability of outcomes.
SLEs Framework: The project developed and consolidated a comprehensive conceptual and methodological framework for STE(A)M Learning Ecologies. The SLEs Concept White Paper articulated the vision of learning ecologies as open schooling-enabled, multi-stakeholder partnerships integrating formal, non-formal and informal education actors, enterprises and civil society. Through stakeholder co-creation and iterations, the final SLEs Methodology was validated and improved. It provides structured guiding principles, implementation steps, facilitation mechanisms and monitoring tools to support the design, scaling and sustainability of SLEs.
Implementation: The methodology was implemented through a two-phase approach. During the pilot phase, 13 SLEs were launched in 13 countries through national co-creation workshops. In the mature phase, the approach scaled to over 100 SLEs across 16 countries, engaging more than 4,000 learners and over 500 stakeholders. Structured facilitation, monitoring and reflection mechanisms ensured adaptive support, cross-country learning and validation of the model in varied educational environments.
Learner Engagement: A participatory pedagogical framework enabled stakeholders to co-design learning pathways, define learning products and provide structured learner support. Learner engagement was evaluated through a mixed-methods approach, generating evidence on meaningful participation, transversal skills development, science-oriented study and career pathways, with explicit attention to gender inclusivity.
Policy: The project conducted systematic policy monitoring and organised multiple policy dialogues and peer-learning sessions at national and European level. Evidence informed policy-oriented analysis and the development of evidence-based recommendations supporting the mainstreaming and long-term sustainability of STE(A)M Learning Ecologies within European education systems.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SLEs advanced the open schooling by moving beyond isolated pilots and fragmented partnerships towards a structured, scalable and validated STE(A)M Learning Ecologies framework.
SLEs co-created, tested and validated a methodology that integrates STE(A)M education, living lab principles, co-creation processes, structured facilitation, monitoring mechanisms and policy alignment within a single framework. SLEs operationalised this framework through a progressive scale-up from pilot to large-scale implementation, validating its applicability across 16 countries and diverse educational contexts.
The iterative co-creation and large-scale implementation generated robust evidence on learner engagement, stakeholder collaboration, transversal skills development and science-oriented study and career pathways. This evidence-based validation at scale represents a significant advancement compared to prior small-scale or concept-driven approaches.
Furthermore, SLEs strengthened systemic integration by linking implementation evidence directly to structured policy dialogue and policy learning processes. The validation of policy outputs by Ministries of Education within the Scientix STEM Working Group and the project’s collaboration with the OS Together Network, the wider Scientix community and industry stakeholders (including members of the STEM Alliance) contributed to positioning SLEs within a broader European policy and innovation ecosystem.

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