International Day of Women and Girls in Science

• Accessing specialized educational programs, incorporating learning experiences or implementing the latest technological advances in the educational model are just some of the trends that can help foster interest in STEAM studies.

Every February 11, the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Women in Science. This date aims to encourage the development and incorporation of female talent in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) disciplines, in line with the fifth target of SDG4 ‘Quality Education’ of the 2030 Agenda, which places special emphasis on “eliminating gender disparities in education“.

Creating equality in the roles of women and men in science poses a unique challenge, one in which Spain has achieved some notable milestones in recent times. For example, the country reached a 43% presence of women among Teaching and Research Staff (PDI) in the country’s universities and a 36% female presence in the research staff of the CSIC, the highest national public research organization. These are only two of the many achievements included in the report ‘Women and Innovation 2022‘ of the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Within this context of increasing women’s representation in fields such as innovation, research and science we find ODILO, a Spanish digital education company that allows any organization to create its own Learning Ecosystem, offering its users unlimited access to the world’s largest catalog of multi-format educational content, and the possibility of creating all kinds of learning experiences without restrictions.  ODILO has identified three educational keys that will increase the interest of young Spanish women in these studies in the medium and long term:

Educational programs focused on STEAM areas offered

Encouraging the development of practical and technological skills will help young women develop their understanding of technology and become competent professionals in specific STEAM areas through programs targeted to these areas.

The main purpose of ODILO’s STEAM program is to promote excellence through specific skills. The program focuses on the direct development of the student in the CMCT competencies (Mathematical Competence and Basic Competences in Science and Technology). It also indirectly develops other skills such as linguistic communication, digital competencies, or social and civic skills thanks to the pedagogical approach used.

Among the many benefits of offering a specific program to work on STEAM education, it facilitates direct application of skills in the classroom through active and collaborative methodologies.  Teachers create didactic material that students can work on directly in the classroom; likewise, innovation and educational quality is greatly improved thanks to specialized content for the development of STEAM competencies in teacher training as well as student education, ensuring that they have the skills required to work in STEAM education.

Students can learn anytime, anywhere, in any way, and resources are available online and offline.

Prioritizing learning experiences

Beyond the traditional classroom textbook, a wide range of multi-format resources that include documentaries, specialized press and magazines, technical podcasts, among other informative material, make learning more dynamic and allow for better assimilation of STEAM content.

The incorporation of learning experiences is crucial. Initiatives with more practical than theoretical focus help female students undertake a journey in which they come into direct contact with scientific-technical professions through involved, hands-on activities. This modern system encourages not only individual but also collaborative learning.

The program’s learning experiences promote a complete development of skills. They emphasize the importance of active learning to apply theory in a practical way and give students a dynamic role in their own learning, promoting critical thinking and scientific inquiry.

Project-based learning and case studies empower students to propose solutions to current issues, adopting roles as STEAM professionals which strengthen questioning and reflection.

Incorporating the latest technologies in education

A deciding factor that encourages the involvement of female talent in the scientific-technical world is the implementation of the most cutting-edge technological advances in the learning process. Innovations such as Artificial Intelligence, the metaverse or virtual reality increase the number of experiential activities for students and will revolutionize the way they learn.

It key for young women to have access to learning ecosystems adapted to their needs and to the educational model of their center, which also make it possible to continuously monitor and measure what and how they are learning in order to adapt the learning process to the interests and motivations of the student.

Specifically, this program includes gamification modules and individual and collaborative challenges that make learning the content a lot more dynamic and motivating, which increases the learning time of the students and, by extension, broadens their knowledge.

Likewise, since it can be consulted both inside and outside the classroom, the program encourages a guided learning process that involves the participation of the teacher as promoter and coordinator of these technologies in the classroom, and of the student’s families in accompanying the student in her use of the platform at home.

Unlimited learning ecosystems undoubtedly have a significant impact on the educational community and on the development of skills that are increasingly in demand in our modern world.  They offer access to unlimited resources tailored to individual interests and thereby encourage the awakening of scientific vocations, as well as providing learning experiences that lead students to the development of skills in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics; in addition to creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving.

ABOUT ODILO

ODILO is a B2B2C company which has created a new category in the education market: Unlimited Learning Ecosystems. The firm allows any organization to create its own fully customized learning ecosystems, and offer its users unlimited access to the world’s largest catalog of educational content and create all kinds of learning experiences without restrictions. In addition, through the use of Artificial Intelligence, ODILO enables the creation of unique learning paths and experiences for both organizations and users.

More than 8,500 organizations in 52 countries – including governments in Europe, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa; academic leaders such as Peking University and top companies such as Vodafone, Nestlé and Banco Santander – have already created Unlimited Learning Ecosystems from the more than 3.9 million pieces of content available on the platform. In total, ODILO is part of the learning experiences of more than 170 million users worldwide.