STEM Minds Corp

A recent report by the World Economic Forum stated the jobs of tomorrow will rely heavily on a good grasp of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Education, and Math). Similarly the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 stresses the importance of high quality education for all youth around the world. Now more than ever, youth need to become self-directed, life-long learners. This means we need to alter how we teach and what we teach to unlock their full potential.

STEAM Hub is an online learning platform for grades 3-12 students and teachers that offers cutting edge STEM learning to support youth in becoming the next generation of global leaders, game-changers, and problem solvers. 

With courses in coding, video game design, robotics, digital design, financial literacy, artificial intelligence and more, STEAM Hub teaches essential STEM subjects while building 21st century skills including curiosity, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and communication. 

All of our courses are designed by certified teachers and STEM professionals and are fully research-based, as demonstrated by our certification with Education Alliance Finland.  Additionally, as part of our commitment to ensuring that STEM education is accessible to every child across the globe, we are proud to be a Learner Variability Certified product through Digital Promise, demonstrating that STEAM Hub is able to support all learners. 

We take a strong focus on hands-on learning experiences that demonstrate how these skills and competencies can be used to make a difference in the real world, especially in connection with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

STEAM Hub can be used in a wide range of contexts, whether at home or in the classroom and/or integrated in core instruction or as extracurricular programming. 

We recognize that in order to best support students, we must also support teachers. All STEAM Hub courses are available as professional development courses for teachers that are certified through microcredentials backed by Digital Promise in order to ensure that all teachers across the globe have the skills and confidence they need to reach their students. 

Now more than ever, equity in access to powerful STEM learning is key to bridging learning gaps for all students worldwide. STEAM Hub is the one-stop solution for ensuring that all children have a bright future ahead of them. 

STEAM Hub is an online learning platform that has been rigourously designed and tested to meet the needs of students and teachers across the globe.

To begin with, our team consists of a unique blend of certified teachers and STEM professionals with real-world experience working with 55,000+ students and 5,500+ teachers across the globe. All courses are designed as a partnership between our expert teachers and STEM professionals to ensure a high-quality learning experience that is grounded in the most up-to-date knowledge and technology in the world of STEM. 

Additionally, the courses in STEAM Hub are all based on many of the programs and workshops we have offered to these tens of thousands of students and teachers since 2016. All content is test-driven in our flagship learning centre in Aurora, Ontario, Canada with real students to ensure that the learning in meaningful and understandable to them. 

Our content has also been independently audited and backed by certifications from Education Alliance Finland and Digital Promise to demonstrate our commitment to research-backed courses that meet the highest pedagogical standards and are accessible to all students. 

We have also piloted STEAM Hub with many students and teachers to obtain their direct feedback on the courses and platform to ensure that what we have designed meets the needs of real classes and students across the globe. 

Statement of Change: 

Positive experiences with STEM education help youth learn how to learn and prepare them for the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Outcomes: 

• All youth feel empowered to use STEM to positively impact their communities. Student’s global awareness leads them to be empathetic, respectful, and responsive in their contributions. 
• STEM learning is accessible to all, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, disability status, etc.  
• STEM learning is an embedded part of youth’s K-12 educational experience, both in schools and in their communities. 
• Digital tools and skills are utilized effectively to solve complex local and global issues.
• Teachers and families are empowered with the skills they need to support youth in adapting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
• Youth build the resilience, skills, and competencies necessary for success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
• All industries and sectors worldwide have a broad range of talent to choose from to support the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and beyond. 
• Students build an ethical framework that supports the responsible use of technology and its impact on the world around them. 

Stakeholders:

• Youth
• Parents/Guardians
• Teachers and educators
• Community leaders
• Governments
• Industry and business leaders

Assumptions:

• Technology will continue to evolve at a rapid pace.
• STEM skills and knowledge are important to students’ future education, careers, and citizenship.
• Supporting youth in the K-12 educational sphere is critical to the success of all societies.
• Teachers play an important role in student learning and cannot be fully replaced by technology. 
• Public education needs to be supported; teacher empowerment through high-quality professional learning is critical to transforming education for the better.
• All students have the capacity to learn
• Hands-on learning (where students participate in direct experience with a topic or skillset) is the most powerful method for engaging in STEM education
• Because technological change is so rapid, learning HOW to learn and developing flexible skills is more important that specific technical skills

Values:

• Socially responsible
• Inclusive
• Fearless learning
• Collaborative

STEM Minds is highly committed to supporting all of our work with evidence. Having been in continuous operation for our live, in-person programming since 2016 and with STEAM Hub having been in continuous operation since 2020, we have reached more than 55,000+ students and 5,500+ teachers with our research-backed programming. 

1. Survey Data

Based on our survey data, we know we are successful in a number of key areas that indicate long term interest and success in STEM, including:

• Students rate their confidence in STEM as 4.5/5 stars after completing our courses, with a beginning average of 3.7/5 stars, showing that we have a measurable impact on student’s perceptions of their own abilities and skills with STEM, a key factor in continuation with STEM learning. 
• 97% of students say their skills/abilities have improved after our courses
• Students rate their interest in exploring a STEM career as 4.5/5 stars after completing our courses, with a beginning average of 3.9/5, showing that we have a measurable impact on student’s interest in pursuing STEM long term
• 94% of students say their knowledge of STEM career options has improved after our courses

2. Third-Party Certifications

Additionally, STEM Minds has received the following certifications from third-party reviewers of our product:

a. Education Alliance Finland (EAF) Certified Product:

EAF uses a method based on educational psychology and Finnish pedagogical knowledge to evaluate the quality of learning solutions. An EAF Certified Product is a well-designed educational solution that aligns with learning science principles. Its design complies with research on learning and pedagogy and implements good practices to promote and support learning.

b. Digital Promise Learner Variability Certified Product: 

STEAM Hub is designed to support learners’ cognitive abilities, social and emotional needs, and personal backgrounds, using clear examples of how different learners benefit. Learner variability is supported by features that can be adjusted by the learners themselves to meet their varying needs. There is easily accessible, public-facing information on how the product has been designed to support variation among learners. Product developers have incorporated input from educators and diverse learners to inform design features.

3. Research Reports

Finally, we have produced a number of reports to outline research-based best practices and how they are incorporated into our programs and the STEAM Hub online learning platform, including:

a. Impact Report: https://www.stemminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Public-Facing-STEM-MINDS-2021-IMPACT-REPORT-V2.pdf

b. Supporting Women/Girls in STEM Report: https://www.stemminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Supporting-Girls-in-STEM-2.pdf

We are committed to continuously improving STEAM Hub in order to have maximum positive impact on the students and teachers we support. 

We measure success based on the following metrics:

• Overall satisfaction with our programs, particularly through our net promoter score (NPS)
• Development of STEM identity (feelings of confidence and capacity in regard to STEM), 
• Continued learning (interest in participating in programs again, consideration of STEM careers, and actual re-enrolment in programs) 

We track and measure these criteria through surveys, case studies, interviews, as well as through key metrics through our online courses (e.g. quiz responses, discussion posts, etc.). 

When we consistently receive feedback from students saying they are engaged and excited to learn more, parents saying they can see how excited their child is to learn, and teachers saying that they feel more confident to bring STEM into their classrooms, we know we have met our high expectations of excellence. 

Bringing powerful STEM learning to students and teachers across the globe to ensure accessibility and equality in underserved communities. 

STEAM Hub is a product that has already been successfully launched across Canada and United States. However, our mission is to make STEM education accessible to youth across the globe, especially in countries in the global South and especially to support girls and other underserved youth. 

The LEAP Fellows would be asked to help us answer the question “How can STEAM Hub be made accessible and be used to meet the needs of students and teachers in developing countries/communities?”

As part of this endeavour, we are also particularly focused on creating long-term sustainable solutions when it comes to teacher professional development and competency building, which STEAM Hub already has the capacity to support through our microcredentials backed by Digital Promise. We understand that teacher professional development is under-serviced and under-funded. How can we make this happen so both students and teachers get access to quality STEM learning to be prepared for success in their lives.

Potential deliverables that would be useful to our organization as part of the LEAP sprint would include:

• A deeper understanding of access to equitable learning opportunities in under developed countries
• A practical guide / roadmap to implement the equitable learning framework, including key contacts that can make this happen both from funding and network perpsective
• Marketing plan to support with breaking into new and unfamiliar markets

A successful outcome of this project would allow us to impact UNSDG #4 Quality education with impact. It will allow us to truly breakdown barriers to learning for both students and teachers in under developed countries. As a company, this will allow us to achieve rapid expansion of our product into new markets where we strongly believe we have the chance to make a positive impact on underserved communities. This would support our organization’s overall profit projects as well as rapidly expand our user base to serve as further evidence to other communities of our product’s success.