Community
Our community programs have been developed in consultation with regional communities to provide STEM inspiration to the broader community.
Our programs target prospective undergraduate students from low SES backgrounds of any age, by offering ongoing campus experiences in STEM with experts and local industry. Experiences such as low-cost robotics and coding clubs, school holiday and after school activities on the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and Fraser Coast campus locations.
I never thought about university being part of my plans for the future. Now I see that this is something I can do!
– Program Participant
Research demonstrates that aptitude and interest are equally crucial to determining the career path an individual chooses. The Community programs focus on participants recognising their abilities in STEM and developing a growth mindset by practicing the STEM skills in activities which are designed to need persistence, yet also enable participants to achieve confidence in their skills by completing the activities successfully.
The Community programs highlight the achievements of women in STEM and we ensure that each program includes female experts, preservice teacher presenters, assistants and role models from UniSC business and industry. This role modelling is designed to remove perceptions that STEM careers are only for males.
What the research says
MindSET-do programs are designed to develop a story around the relevance of learning STEM skills and the real careers which are associated with them. Research by Kelleher, et al., (2007), suggests that using storytelling can assist STEM subjects to appear more hands-on and relatable, especially for females. Diekman et al., (2011), suggest that making STEM careers more relatable and accessible to girls in everyday life can also assist to increase their interest in pursuing these careers.