Working with STEM Ambassadors Conference
Final Report
Produced by Bryan Fryer – 30/10/11
Introduction
The aims of the project were to;

Increase awareness of the National HE STEM and STEMNET programmes and current
projects with teachers, current and potential future STEM Ambassadors and other
stakeholders

Provide examples of good practice of working with STEM Ambassadors in a HEI and school
environment
The overall objective of the project was to provide a conference type event in the West Midlands
that contributed to answering the following questions;

What are the most effective ways to engage professional engineers and students as STEM
Ambassadors?

How do you ensure they are adequately briefed and provided with resources to deliver
information about STEM careers appropriately and facilitated into schools?
The target groups for the project were;

School, college and university staff engaged at any level in promoting / delivering STEM
engineering activities and who want to gain new ideas and/or share good practice.

School and university students who currently are STEM Ambassadors or who wish to explore
becoming STEM Ambassadors

Engineering employers and other organisations which are seeking effective ways of engaging
with the STEM initiative and/or wish to share good practice
The Programme
The programme was created and amended with feedback from stakeholders, including members of
the University’s STEM Focus Group (including representatives from project partners, schools,
STEMNET and HE STEM). Following these discussions it was decided that the focus of the conference
should be broader than just engineering, although still keep it as a central topic. The finalised
programme can be found in Annex 1.
The first couple of sessions were to introduce and highlight the HE STEM and STEMNET programmes
for the benefit of those attendees who were not familiar with their work. They also provided an
opportunity for attendees to meet the representatives to facilitate networking and discussion at the
designated timeslots. The next two sessions were included to provide an update and feedback on
two current HE STEM projects that linked with the STEM Ambassador programmes. The two
workshops were included to highlight some of the work taking place with partners of the University.
South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy had been running an after school STEM club with STEM
Ambassadors from the University for several months and the success of the club had seen numbers
increasing dramatically. Mel Weatherley was asked to present due to her experience as a STEMNET
contract holder (Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin based at Enginuity), previous work with the
University and experience of managing the education function of two regional engineering and
technology related museums.
Following lunch and discussions with attendees it was decided to shorten the day as several
attendees had stated that they needed to leave early. The two workshops were shortened and run
one after another, instead of concurrently and then repeated. As a consequence the final plenary
session didn’t run, however the networking opportunities allowed attendees to discuss ideas further
and progress some of the ideas presented themselves.
Attendance
The target attendance for this event was 50-80 and so Wolverhampton Science Park was booked as
the venue due to its location, ease of access and capacity and flexibility to hold events catering for
different sizes. In addition the organisers were to work jointly with another HEI to promote and run
the event, drawing on the partner’s contacts within other areas of the Region to meet the targets.
Unfortunately this additional capacity from the project partner did not materialise and so the event
was promoted, organised and then evaluated by the one partner. Promotion of the event was
facilitated through existing school links and partner organisations. The University’s focus groups,
staff and student emails, partner school and college contacts, STEMNET contract holders and HE
STEM were all used.
Interest was received from 44 people, including the speakers, and the full list can be found in Annex
2. Of these: five sent their apologies; nine were absent and 30 attended the conference. The
attendees can be broken down as follows;
School staff and students – 9 / University staff and students – 12 / Employers – 5/ Others – 4
Evaluation
An evaluation form, see Annex 3, was distributed to all attendees to complete and return before
they left the conference. In order to make sure that as many completed forms were returned as
possible, an electronic version was sent to all attendees via email after the event. In total 20
evaluation forms were completed and returned.
Full details of the responses are contained in a separate SurveyMonkey report. Below are some of
the key findings from the responses;
1) 100% of respondents rated the event as either Good (82%) or Excellent (18%).
2) The reasons for attending the event are summarised as follows; (not in order)
a. Networking and sharing experiences, e.g. “networking with access to ambassadors”
b. Finding out more about STEMNET and STEM Ambassadors, e.g. “have an in-depth
knowledge of STEMNET…” and “…STEM projects…”
c. Finding out new ideas for using STEM Ambassadors within school, e.g. “to be able to
incorporate STEM ambassadors effectively into curriculum/extra curriculum
activities”
3) Both workshops were popular and well received but the ‘Effective STEM Ambassador
support to STEM Clubs’ session was preferred by 78%. Responses included; “gave some good
guidance as to how projects can work in the school environment”; “Good knowledge
transfer and ideas” and “affordable, fun, relevant activities. Some good ideas.”
4) All respondents stated that the workshops met their expectations with comments such as; “I
did learn a lot about different work done by STEM ambassadors who really encouraged me
to get more involved”; “Yes it was effective. I started thinking seriously about the matter.”
However, there were also some comments on how they did not meet their expectations:
“…but I am still not clear how to link to university and STEM ambassadors”; “…more ideas or
a wider spread of ideas would have been useful”; “would have liked more teachers to give
some clear wants and needs of STEM”.
5) When asked what the most useful and meaningful thing learnt at the conference was, the
following responses were made: “…links and networking”; “be more proactive interacting
with schools”; “how to request a STEM Ambassador”; “the enthusiasm of volunteers and
people who work in this area”; “the developing links between universities and schools in the
region to promote higher education in science and technology”.
6) Some respondents felt that they were very keen to work with STEM Ambassadors but
needed help getting started. Others felt further information on activities, events and other
opportunities available, and on a budget, would be helpful.
7) Not all aspects of the conference were as well received. The two project updates from HEI
representatives perhaps took up too much of the programme: “They seemed to contain too
much details and could have been summarised” and one of these speakers was described as
“a bit laborious and repetitive”.
In addition, one teacher pointed out that “there seems to be a ‘hole’ with getting started –
and I am still not clear how we go about this”. Prospective STEM ambassadors commented
that they were unclear on “exactly how to become involved” and the “difference between
student ambassador and STEM ambassador”.
8) Respondents reported some positive ideas when asked how attending the conference may
influence future activity. “I will register as a STEM ambassador – and attempt to develop
links”; “get more involved, encourage new STEM ambassadors, make better use of STEM
Ambassadors”; “be more proactive…”; “…develop further collaboration with science
teachers…”.
9) Lastly, when asked how future events could be improved the following comments were
made: “more science and biomedical science”; “…invite more schools…”; “…more maths.”;
“streamline the time taken to give presentations…”; “…pre-conference papers” and “more
participation from participants”.
Conclusion
In many respects the conference was successful in that it attracted a wide variety of participants
from each of the target areas. Each participant felt that the event was successful, rating it as at least
‘Good’, and the comments suggest that many positive actions will be taken as a result of attending.
However in terms of the number of participants it fell short of the targets and without any specific
feedback from those that didn’t attend, it’s difficult to speculate as to the reasons why. Certainly
there was a delay in organising and confirming the date due to no communication from the other
partner organisation, despite their initial desire to participate. This reduced the amount of time to
recruit attendees to six weeks. With a longer lead time there could have been the potential to
recruit more participants and specifically more teachers.
Based on the responses about the workshops and presentations, it is recommended that the less
practical sessions be kept to a minimum, perhaps simply summarising, and that more examples of
activities, events and ideas for projects be provided. The attendees seemed to respond extremely
positively to the examples demonstrated from the STEM club and way in which heritage and
museums can be used to enhance the delivery of STEM in schools.
Despite providing introductory sessions to both the STEMNET and HE STEM initiatives, and
structuring the conference such that it gave examples of collaborative projects using STEM
Ambassadors, attendees commented that they were still unclear about how to proceed. If repeated,
it is recommended that a session such as ‘Getting Started with STEM’ be included to run through the
practical steps for those wishing to engage with the programmes after the conference.
Annex 1
‘Working with STEM Ambassadors’ Conference
Friday 24th June 2011 – Wolverhampton Science Park
09:30 Registration
10:00 Welcome and Introduction to the programme – Bryan Fryer (Project Manager, Academies and
Trusts Unit, University of Wolverhampton) – Exhibition Space
10:10 Introduction to the National HE STEM Programme – Annette Smart (Regional Officer for
Widening Participation and Outreach, HE STEM Programme – Midlands and East Anglia)
10:20 Introduction to the STEMnet and STEM Ambassador programmes – Brenda Dearn (Black
Country STEMhub)
10:40 Introduction and progress report on the HE STEM Outreach project led by University of
Wolverhampton Engineering department, involving universities from across the Midlands and
East Anglia region – David Dyke (Senior Lecture, School of Technology)
11:00 Refreshment Break / Networking
11:20 Introduction and feedback on the STEM Clubs and HEIs collaboration project between the
University of Wolverhampton and The High Arcal School, Dudley – Dr. Godfrey Blunt (STEM
Ambassador)
12:00 Lunch / Networking
12:45 Breakout session A
Menu of workshops:
1. Case study on effective STEM Ambassador support for School STEM Clubs – Rob Baker
(Director of Technology, South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy) and Sam & Ed Wilson
(UoW students and STEM Ambassadors) – Exhibition Space
2. Case study on use of heritage for delivering STEM activities – Mel Weatherley (Head of
Learning, Black Country Museum) – Stephenson Room
(Each session will involve group work in bringing out and capturing examples of good practice)
13:40 Breakout session B (Repeat of Breakout session A workshops)
14:35 Plenary – Identifying Good Practice outcomes from the conference
15:00 Finish and depart
Annex 2
Working with STEM Ambassadors Conference – Attendance list
Name
Organisation
Alan Dutton
Dr. Andy
Gibson
Andy Toy
Annette
Smart
Brenda
Dearn
Bryan Fryer
Carol Casey
Carole
Howard
Ceren Kaya
Dave Henley
Del Wilcox
Ed Wilson
Emma Smith
Dr. Godfrey
Blunt
Dr. Habib
Khan
Dr. Henriette
Harnisch
Henry
Soronnadi
Jacqui
Managh
Lesley
Broadway
Lijo Johnson
Email
Signature
alan.dutton@blueyonder.co.uk
Absent
Yes
andy_gibson11@hotmail.com
AG
Yes
recklessencounters@gmail.com
a.smart@bham.ac.uk
Apologies
sent
AS
National HE STEM Programme
Black Country STEMhub
Yes
brendadearn@gmail.com
BD
University of Wolverhampton
(Staff)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
Yes
b.s.fryer@wlv.ac.uk
BF
Yes
Carol.Casey@wlv.acuk
Absent
Yes
carole-howard@o2.co.uk
Apologies
sent
Apologies
sent
CD
University of Warwick
Chris Dearn
Dan Jeavons
STEM
Amb.
Yes
C.Kaya@warwick.ac.uk
Yes
Morgan Sindall
(Infrastructure) plc
University of Wolverhampton
(Staff)
The High Arcal School
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
South Wolverhampton and
Bilston Academy (Staff)
chris@dearn1.fsnet.co.uk
Daniel.Jeavons@morgansindall.com
Yes
d.w.henley@wlv.ac.uk
Apologies
sent
DH
DWILCOX@high-arcal.dudley.sch.uk
DW
Edward.Wilson@wlv.ac.uk
EW
esmith@swbacademy.org.uk
ES
Yes
University of Wolverhampton
(Staff)
University of Wolverhampton
(Staff)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
Haywood Engineering College
Yes
GB
H.Khan6@wlv.ac.uk
HK
h.harnisch@wlv.ac.uk
Apologies
sent
HS
endysonad@yahoo.com
Absent
Black Country UTC
lbroadway@blackcountryutc.co.uk
LB
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
lijopj.uk@gmail.com
LJ
Lisa Slater
Sandwell & West B'Ham NHS
Matthew
Bates
Mel
Weatherley
Michael Ling
Black Country Museum
Mike Abel
NHS Walsall
Mohammed
Yourself
Olalekan
Olafiranye
Rajendra
Pangeni
Rob Baker
NEW Academy (Student)
Rob
Marchant
Salamatou
Hachoumou
Sam Wilson
MarchantCain Design Ltd
Yes
Yes
lisaslater@nhs.net
LS
Matthew.Bates@wlv.ac.uk
Absent
Mel.Weatherley@bclm.com
MW
NEW Academy (Student)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
SWB Academy (Staff)
ML
Yes
mike-abel@o2.co.uk
Apologies
sent
MY
Yes
lekan_olafiranye@yahoo.com
OO
Yes
operonrp@hotmail.com
RP
RBaker@swbacademy.org.uk
RB
rob@marchantcain.co.uk
RM
Yes
salamatou.hachimou26@yahoo.com
SH
Yes
Sam.Wilson@wlv.ac.uk
SW
Yes
s.smith2@wlv.ac.uk
Absent
Yes
Sarah.Galloway@wlv.ac.uk
SG
Sharon.Crossley@morgansindall.com
SC
Sarah
Galloway
Sharon
Crossley
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
Morgan Sindell Underground
Professional Services
Dr. S Taylor
Highfields School
STaylor@hs3.org.uk
ST
Stuart
Blakemore
Sylvia Miller
NEW Academy (Staff)
blakemores@newacademy.org.uk
SB
sylvia_carole@hotmail.co.uk
SM
Tertsegha
Tor-Anyiin
Trevor
Parker
Vikki Horner
Staffordshire University
Yes
tertsea@gmail.com
Absent
Sandwell & West B'Ham NHS
Yes
trevorparker@nhs.net
TP
VH@belgrave.staffs.sch.uk
VH
Yahya
Ghaznavi
University of Wolverhampton
(Student)
ghaznaviyahya58@yahoo.com
YG
Sara Smith
Belgrave High School
Yes
Annex 3
National HE STEM Programme
Midlands and East Anglia Spoke
The STEM Factor – Working Effectively with STEM Ambassadors
Friday 24 June 2011
Wolverhampton Science Park
Event Evaluation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Overall rating of the event
Pre-event organisation
Organisation on the day
Meals/refreshments
Meeting rooms/facilities
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Poor
1. What did you hope to achieve by attending this event?
2. Which of the workshops was most valuable to you and why?:
1. Effective STEM Ambassador
support to STEM Clubs
Rob Baker; Sam and Ed Wilson
2. The use of heritage for
delivering STEM activities
Mel Weatherley
3. Did the workshops meet your expectations? In what way did they meet/not
meet your expectations?
4. What was the most useful or meaningful thing you learnt today?
5. Please say whether we can help you with further information or contacts on a
particular element of today’s event.
6. What was the most unclear point?
7. What might you do differently in the future as a result of attending this
event?
8. Please suggest one thing which could improve future events:
If you would care to receive details on the following events please provide your email
contact details
The Engineering Message – what makes a good outreach event or activity?
The Engineering Diploma – supporting and promoting the qualification.
Widening Participation and Outreach with local employers – what’s in it for everyone?
Email: .......................................................................................
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide feedback on this activity which we
will take into consideration when organising further events.
Annette Smart, HE STEM Programme Midlands & East Anglia
a.smart@bham.ac.uk 0121 414 8317
www.hestem.ac.uk