The Department of Education at the University of Cyprus is a large department with 22 members of faculty and 35 associate or assistant personnel. The Department offers two undergraduate (primary school and pre-school school education) programs, a pre-service postgraduate secondary education program across all subject domains taught in secondary education and seven postgraduate programs at the Master’s and PhD level, including science, math and technology education. UCY is the largest teacher training university of the country and the only one responsible for training secondary education teachers right before entering schools. UCY personnel train about 100 preservice teachers per year, as well as about 100 in-service teachers, and it currently leads the curriculum reform of the country. In Science Education we are active in research into inquiry learning, computer supported collaborative learning, physical and virtual laboratory experimentation, STE(A)M, RRI, modelling, science curriculum development and assessment, conceptual understanding, equity and multiculturism, teacher training and professional development, and educational evaluation in the cognitive and the affective domain. The Research in Science and Technology Education Group (ReSciTEG) at the UCY is led by Prof. Zacharia and conducts a co-ordinated program of research, curriculum development and instruction including pre- and in-service teacher training. The group includes faculty, research associates, post-doctoral students and graduate students at the Master’s and PhD level. The goal of ReSciTEG is to support key audiences and target groups in Cyprus and the EU acquire a thorough understanding of STEM disciplines, achieve an optimum level of scientific literacy, and develop 21st century skills. ReSciTEG’s work has received continuous financial support over the years from the Research and Innovation Foundation in Cyprus and the European Commission through various programs, e.g., IST, Science and Society, FP7, H2020, and Erasmus+. The members of ReSciTEG have a lot of experience in designing and assessing technology enhanced curriculum in science education. They are experienced in training pre- and in-service teachers in digital tools and environments for science teaching and learning. ReSciTEG includes experts in educational evaluating. The group is currently taking a leadership role in the efforts of the Ministry of Education of Cyprus to implement inquiry-based learning and STEM across K-12 as well as to implement its eLearning strategy in designing multimedia environments for science teaching and learning. ReSciTEG maintains strong ties across several actor networks with schools, research organisations and teacher training institutes.
PARTNER ROLE:
UCY, as an expert organisation in education and educational research, with a team highly involved in research and innovation activities for the design and development of technology-facilitated teaching, learning and assessment, as well as in curriculum development and evaluation, will lead WP6, which aims to evaluate the educational impact of AI4EDU applications and to identify the potential and drawbacks of AI implementation through pilot testing in educational settings.
