Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Technology Sydney offers a 6-week primary school STEM program, STEM x Play, targeted at Year 5 and 6 students, parents, and teachers. The program aims to catalyze generational perception change and build confidence and interest in exploring STEM.

Program Design

• 1 x 2-hour lesson per week for 6 weeks
• UTS students and industry professionals mentor students to think critically and troubleshoot designs
• Teachers co-facilitate with UTS students to learn new skills and knowledge alongside students
• Families engage with the program through digital communications and celebrate student outcomes at the end-of-program project showcase

Program Outcomes

• Girls' interest in STEM activities increased, with the exception of coding
• Girls' confidence increased for designing, solving problems, and building things, and decreased for coding and experimenting
• Student perceptions of STEM positively shifted with greater awareness of its ubiquity
• Student perceptions of STEM professionals shifted away from negative stereotypes as a result of role modeling
• Teachers perceived the program positively for student engagement, and there were positive impacts on the integration of STEM in the classroom post-program
• Families would like to see the program run again at both the student's primary and high schools

Information for Families

Families play a key role in influencing student interests and confidence in STEM. The program provides an opportunity for families to join their children in STEM exploration at home.

Program Goals

The program aims to address the under-representation of girls studying engineering and IT in primary school by providing an in-curriculum, hands-on experience with STEM in an inclusive classroom environment. By intervening early and providing multiple interactions with relatable role models, the program increases girls' interest, confidence, and identity with STEM, and works with teachers and families to engage girls in STEM learning and play.

Expected Reach

In 2025, STEMxPlay is expected to reach 1500 students in years 5-6 and 38 teachers from 14 schools across NSW.

Program Focus

The program is focused around students applying the design thinking process to solve problems linked to a unit of the curriculum, developing scientific investigation and digital technologies skills to design and prototype solutions.