Academic Evidence Base

This toolkit is based on the combined research work of colleagues from the University of Exeter, University of Delft, University of Malta, University of Bergen and Science View, which can be viewed below.

Together the team have also generated the following reports and academic articles.

SciCulture Evaluation report

University of Exeter

The University of Exeter team have long-standing expertise in researching and teaching creativity and creative pedagogy within the Graduate School of Education. Associate Professor Kerry Chappell’s (leader of the Creativity and Emergent Educational-futures Network) research in this area stems back to the CREAT-IT (2013-15) project and then the CREATIONS (2015-18) project, on which she was joined by Associate Professor Lindsay Hetherington. Over time this collaboration has generated a number of large scale international literature reviews, alongside engaging in debates around these in workshops with expert practitioners. You can download the CREATIONS literature review here:

Chappell, K. et al. (2016). CREATIONS D2.1 The Features of Inquiry Learning: Theory, Research and Practice. H2020-EU.5.a: 665917

And a report from CREAT-IT here:

Chappell, K. et al. (2015). CREAT-IT: a new pedagogical framework for partnering the arts and science in science education. Unpublished summary report and position paper.

The CREATIONS project also generated a number of academic articles and chapters.  These two are quite complex philosophical reads but worth a look:

Chappell, K. et al (2019) Dialogue and materiality/embodiment in Science|Arts Creative Pedagogy: Role and Manifestation. Thinking Skills and Creativity 31 296-322.

Hetherington, L. et al (2020). Creative Pedagogy and Environmental Responsibility: A Diffractive Analysis of an Intra-Active Science|Arts Practice. In Why Science and Art Creativities Matter: Re-configuring Steam for Future-making Education, (Eds) Burnard

More recently there has been a systematic literature review of creative pedagogy carried out which has also informed how SciCulture has been shaped. Available here:

Cremin, T. & Chappell, K. (2019). Creative Pedagogies: A Systematic Review. Research Papers in Education. doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1677757

This blog describes the systematic literature review in an accessible way:

Creativity is back on the map: But how do we navigate from here?

University of Malta

The UM team lead several science communication events, academic courses, and participates in large EU funded projects—co-ordinating the ERASMUS+ funded SciCulture course.  The team develops transdisciplinary research and activities to generate evidence for the effective communication of research that will encourage a scientifically aware society leading towards an informed democracy and active citizenship. It wants to embed a culture of public engagement and research that benefits society. The UM team are based at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation at the University of Malta. Below are a selection of current and past projects:

Varcities

Varcities (Visionary Nature Based Actions for Health, Wellbeing & Resilience in Cities) is a ten million H2020 project that is led in Malta by Dr Daniel Micallef. Its vision is to implement Nature Based Solutions and add value by establishing sustainable models for increasing H&WB of citizens (children, young people, middle age, elderly) that are exposed to diverse climatic conditions and challenges around Europe. 

SEA-EU

SEA-EU is a large multidisciplinary Erasmus+ project (Key Action 3) linking together 6 universities that are led in Malta by Prof. Godfrey Baldacchino. It seeks to establish an international, pluri-ethnic, multilingual and interdisciplinary European University. The SEA-EU’s unites experts in marine and maritime disciplines. It will encourage excellence in teaching, research and public engagement. 

Science in the City—European Researchers’ Night (H2020 funded project) 

Running since 2012, Science in the City attracts international science communication professionals and provides a platform for hundreds of researchers, students, NGO members, government employees, industry workers, and educators to engage people from all backgrounds and interests in Malta. https://scienceinthecity.org.mt/

Women in Science

This is a Voluntary Organisation Project Scheme project awarded to the Malta Chamber of Scientists between Jan 2020–Dec 2020 that is seeing a range of research and activities being conducted to enable more women in scientific fields. 

Past Projects include:

Science In the City

Nucleus

Creations Project

Steam Summer School

University of Delft

The Communication Design for Innovation (CDI) group at the department of Science Education & Communication at the Delft University of Technology has long standing experience in developing and researching transdisciplinary education and communication. The curriculum of the CDI master consists of quite typical courses that support the master students to bring together, design thinking and personal and professional development in the context of complex innovation processes. Caroline Wehrmann and Maarten van der Sanden were the founders of this program that originally started in 2008. Now the department (5 members of staff, 3 PhDs, 90 MSc/44 BSc) has developed, next to the master, a minor program and a post academic education program (www.sec.tudelft.nl). The group’s research is about how to refresh collaboration in transformative transdisciplinary innovations on a human measure. This they research from a socio-technical systems perspective, design thinking and innovation as process of transdisciplinary social learning. CDI is participates in the Dutch Centre for Engineering Education (https://www.4tu.nl/cee/), the Dutch Blockchain Coalition (https://dutchblockchaincoalition.org/en/), Convergence agenda TU Delft / Erasmus University Medical Centre (https://convergence.healthandtechnology.nl/), SuperMorri project on RRI (https://super-morri.eu/)

Relevant publications of CDI are:

Design-based learning:

Van der Sanden & Wehrmann (in press). A mindset called design thinking. In Design-based learning, I. Henze-Rietveld & M. de Vries (Eds.). Brill publishers.

Communities of Practice:

Van der Sanden, M.C.A. & Flipse, S.M. (2015). A cybernetic dream: how a crisis in social sciences leads us to a Communication for Innovation-Laboratory, JCOM, 14(01), Y01.

Wehrmann, C. &van der Sanden, C. A. (2017). Universities as living labs for science communication. JCOM, 16, 05

Wehrmann, C. & Van den Bogaard, M.E.D. (2019). Living labs: dealing with uncertainty in solving complex problems. Proceedings SEFI conference, August 2019.

Innovations:

Blockchain development as hyper object

https://research.tudelft.nl/en/publications/blockchain-innovation-and-framing-in-the-netherlands-how-a-techno

Science Education & Communication:

Van der Sanden & De Vries (2016). Innovation in science and technology education and communication through design thinking. In Science and technology education and communication: seeking synergy (Eds. M.C.A. van der Sanden and M.J. de Vries). Sense           Publishers, Rotterdam.

University of Bergen 

The University of Bergen was represented by Professor Eamon O’Kane on the SciCulture project. More information on relevant academic and evidence base is available here: https://www.uib.no/en/persons/Eamon.O%27Kane

Science View 

Science View has a vast experience in the field of Science Education by developing and implementing many innovative and creative initiatives since 2008. Furthermore since 2015 has developed and tested many self-assessment tools in order to measure the status of institutions concerning two main fields (a) the integration of RRI aspects (mainly in the field of Higher Education Institutions) and (b) the introduction of innovation and openness in educational institutions.

Science View team has been conducting research in the field of creativity in education since 2012. Has already realised many relevant projects and published several research papers and reports in the field. An indicative list is the following:

Sotiriou, M., Triantafyllou G., Murphy P., Sotiriou S., Bogner F. (2020). OSOS Fianl Assessment Report – D6.4

Sotiriou, M., Ben Horin, O., Smegen, I., Seroglou, F., Koulountzos, V., Sotiriou, S., Alexopoulos, I. (2019). Creativity, Arts and Science in Primary Education, CASE Toolkit. Published by Science View, ISBN: 978-618-84415-0-7

Sotiriou, M., Koukovinis A., Mordan C., Murphy P., Lovatt J., Sotiriou S., Giannakopoulou A., Bogner F. (2018). OSOS Assessment Tools – D6.2

Sotiriou, M., Mordan C., Murphy P., Lovatt J., Sotiriou S., Bogner F. (2017). OSOS Assessment Methodology – D6.1

Multi- Semiotic systems in STEMS: Embodied Learning and Analogical Reasoning through a Grounded- Theory approach in theatrical performances (2017), Smyrnaiou, Z., Sotiriou, M., Sotiriou, S. & Georgakopoulou, E.. Journal of Research in STEM Education (submitted).

The Learning Science Through Theatre initiative in the context of Responsible Research and Innovation (2017), Smyrnaiou Z., Georgakopoulou E., Sotiriou M., Sotiriou S. Proceedings of The 10th International Multi-Conference on Society, Cybernetics and Informatics: IMSCI 2017 (accepted).

Stimulating Intrinsic Motivation for Science learning by using digital tools during scientific multi – maker event (2016). Kotsari, Κ., Smyrnaiou, Ζ. & Sotiriou, Μ.. HiSTEM.

CREATIONS: Developing an Engaging Science Classroom (2016). Alexopoulos, I., Sotiriou, S., Smyrnaiou, Z., Sotiriou, M., Bogner, F.. HiSTEM.

Craft A., O. Ben Horin, M. Sotiriou, P. Stergiopoulos, S. Sotiriou, S. Hennessy, K. Chappell, Ch. Slade, M. Greenwood, A. Black, E. Lale Dobrivoje, Đ. Timotijević, A. Drecun, A. Brajović, C. Belmontecinzia, G. Conforto, “CREAT-IT: Implementing Creative Strategies into Science Teaching”, New Developments in Science and Technology Education, Springer, Innovations in Science Education and Technology Vol. 23, 1, 2016, pp. 163-179, doi 10.1007/978-3-319-22933-

Science View team has participated and is participating in many European Projects. A list of the most relevant is below:

OPEN SCHOOL FOR OPEN SOCIETIES (HORIZON 2020 – SwafS – Apr. 2017 – March 2020) https://www.openschools.eu/

GSO4SCHOOL: Leverage students’ participation and engagement in science through art practices (Sep. 2019 – Aug. 2022) http://gso4school.eu/ 

Nucleus-New Understanding of Communication, Learning and Engagement in Universities and Scientific Institutions (HORIZON2020 – SwafS – Sep.2015-Aug.2019) http://www.nucleus-project.eu/ 

CASE – Creativity, Art and Science in Primary Education (Oct. 2017- Dec. 2020). http://www.project-case.eu/  

STEAM (Oct. 2015 – Aug. 2017) http://www.steamsummerschool.eu/ 

European Student Parliament on Science – Debate Science https://studentparliament2018.weebly.com/  The initiative is a best practice is implemented within the European Projects CREATIONS (http://creations-project.eu/) and OSOS with the coordination of Science View.

Learning Science through Theater (LSTT) www.lstt.eu. The initiative is a best practice is implemented within the European Projects CREATIONS, CASE and OSOS with a potential to be organized in 12 European countries with the coordination of Science View.