The Aldebaran Project | Providing opportunities for girls in STEMS

Presentation theme: inclusion diversity equity accessibility

Show that girls are less confident than boys about technology, and less comfortable with hands-on experiences involving computer programming. What's more, when they do engage in such activities, their participation tends to be mainly superficial. This lack of confidence often leads to a lack of interest in STEMS. In a changing world that needs people from these fields more than ever, can we really do without half of humanity? 

Offering engaging hands-on programming activities could be a beneficial strategy to increase girls’ self-efficacy beliefs for programming since it has the potential to offer them exposure to mastery experiences. We explored how a science museum’s introductory programming workshop focused on robotics can impact pupils’ self-efficacy beliefs for programming related to mastery experiences, with a specific focus on girls. In this workshop, we'll discuss what research suggests to encourage girls to get involved in this field. You'll also have the chance to take part in a hands-on robot programming activity that has been proven to improve girls' confidence in their programming skills. 

In this activity, known as The Aldebaran Project, you’ll have access to a wide range of parts to modify your robot for different tasks and missions. Program your robot to put a communications satellite into orbit, deploy solar panels and collect Martian rock samples. Will you be able to successfully complete the first manned mission to the Red Planet?

Image © Arena Berlin