STEM program evaluations in the early years and schooling

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Evaluation of National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) schools and early years initiatives

The department commissioned dandolopartners to evaluate the 2016-17 to 2019-20 NISA-funded school and early years initiatives individually and as a whole. The evaluation, published in 2020, is based on desktop analysis drawing upon program data, available information on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. The evaluation found that, in general, these initiatives were working well, successfully reaching target audiences and increasing their confidence and engagement in STEM.

The report is publicly available. 

Coding Across the Curriculum Evaluation Report

The Coding Across the Curriculum initiative was funded by the Australian Government to support teachers implementing the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies in classrooms. The initiative aimed to produce a suite of resources that promote a pedagogical approach to the teaching of digital technologies, including coding, across the different year levels in Australian schools. The key outcome was the creation of the Digital Technologies Hub.

In 2018, the department engaged dandolopartners Pty Ltd to conduct an evaluation of the Coding Across the Curriculum initiative. The evaluation report found that teachers value the Digital Technologies Hub as a source of new ideas and lesson plans to support implementation of the Digital Technologies curriculum, and that the resources on the Hub are high quality, easy to use, adaptable to a range of settings, clear and engaging.

For a full copy of the Coding Across the Curriculum Evaluation Report, please email steminschools@education.gov.au and a copy will be provided.