An important element of the BE-21-SKILLED project will focus on creating innovative tools to enrich the curricula in its attempt to equip the students with relevant 21st century skills (21CS). The BE-21SKILLED project will put a heavy emphasis on nurturing competencies that cannot be (easily) replicated by artificial intelligence (e.g. ethical judgement, relationship development and maintenance, contextual ambiguity and uncertainty, socio-emotional adeptness, strategic negotiation).
The aim is to use innovative teaching methods to instill these skills, and aid in disrupting the traditional teaching routines, which are often in the opposition to the ethos of 21st century skills. Stimulating innovative learning and teaching practices to accomplish its primary goal of developing 21st century skills in STEM students to be able to respond better to the labour market demands, BE-21-SKILLED project puts HEI teachers in limelight.
HEI teachers are often regarded as the main driving force behind student skills and key competencies development, yet the assumption that HEI teachers possess the relevant skills to be taught to students is not necessarily true . Even though the policymakers demonstrate a strong commitment towards inclusion of 21st century skills in HEI curricula, in the practical domains HEI teachers have been found to not have satisfactory levels of 21CS themselves to be able to successfully transfer those to their students (OECD, 2019).
Very often this is due to the fact that 21CS are in opposition to their own pedagogical training they underwent during their own studies and due to the lack of current professional development schemes at the HEIs where they are employed. Thus, the BE-21-SKILLED project aims to tackle these problems by
This partnership addresses 3 important challenges & needs in STEM and aims to meet these needs and challenges that are reflected through 3 target groups:
