
Under the overarching theme of Rethinking STEM Higher Education, the 2021 STEM conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on, learn from, and further progress our responses to the COVID-19 crisis, to ensure that our approaches to STEM education are more resilient, effective and inclusive and to identify the new opportunities that have arisen from the pandemic.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has shaken the world and changed our lives, possibly forever. The STEM disciplines, and their staff, have been in the forefront of leading our national response to the virus: working collaboratively with medical institutions and industry to design and update life-saving equipment for the NHS; undertaking national and international research initiatives to understand the virus and its global spread; exploring all avenues to expedite the creation of a vaccine; and not least in redesigning curricula to ensure STEM students receive a learning experience that meets expectations and learning outcomes despite being in lockdown.
The conference will take place over a single day, delivered via our virtual conference platform. It will feature a programme of live keynote speakers and panel sessions, plus live parallel workshops and interactive breakout sessions, an extensive programme of on-demand oral presentations and a virtual poster exhibition.
Join the conversation at #STEMConf21
Date: 28 January 2021
Location: Online
Who: All higher education professionals

Conference outcomes
The conference will:
- create space for delegates to engage with creative thinking, and rethinking, around STEM teaching and learning issues to enhance the student experience;
- increase knowledge and confidence of delegates to enhance their STEM teaching practice and have a positive impact on the success of their students; and
- engage with leaders and influencers from across the HE sector who share a passion for continuous improvement and enhancement of STEM teaching and learning in HE.

Conference themes
The overarching theme for the conference will be Rethinking STEM education and it will address the following thematic areas:
Rethinking practice-based education
Re-Connecting
Rethinking assessment
Renewed

Conference programme

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Conference abstracts
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Keynote speakers
Dr Andrew Garrard
Dr Andrew Garrard is the deputy head of the department for Multidisciplinary Engineering Education at the University of Sheffield. Andrew was instrumental in establishing the operation of the department which is dedicated to professionally delivering all the practical teaching to students in the Faculty of Engineering. As the department’s Director of Academic Operations he leads the team of academics, with specialisms across a broad range of engineering disciplines, to provide quality practical education through innovation and scale.

Professor Elena Rodríguez Falcón
Elena joined The University of Sheffield in 2001 where she was the founder of the University of Sheffield Enterprise (USE); Institutional Director of Learning Inclusive Learning and Teaching; Director of Enterprise Education and Director of Women in Engineering, going on to become Director of Communications and External Relations of Engineering, whilst holding a Chair in Enterprise and Engineering Education.
In 2018 Elena moved away from Sheffield becoming President & CEO of NMITE. Now leading the creation of the most ambitious and radical disruptor in engineering higher education in the UK.


Events sponsors

Learning Science are award-winning internationally-recognised innovators of technology enhanced learning for university STEM courses. Combining expertise in science education and interactive web technologies they create leading edge, online resources in partnership with the academic teaching and learning community. They are a specialist technology partner with a mission to help educators make the right choices in the rapidly advancing landscape of digital learning.

DigitalEd is a cloud-based software company with a simple and resonant purpose to shape the world through digital learning. At DigitalEd we’ve used our beliefs, values and core pillars of software development to build the Möbius platform, the most innovative and comprehensive learning platform for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

We’re the world’s learning company. We work in partnership with UK educators and institutions to help them succeed through delivering world-class learning experiences. Whether it’s by providing personalised interactive course resources, institution-wide assessment, course design or online tutoring services, our focus is on helping you and your students get results.
If you would like to find out more about how Pearson can help your institution, please get in touch at HEenquiriesUK@pearson.com.

Related blogs

STEM Conference 2020 Highlights
To view the highlights of last year's STEM Conference 2020, please visit our web page here.