Over 1100 cases for 130 schools and 12 continuing education courses
As part of the Zurich SimplyNano 2 project, 130 Zurich secondary schools in 95 school communities were equipped with around 1100 free SimplyNano 2 experiment kits and over 200 learning workshops. Between September 2021 and June 2022, twelve accompanying half-day professional development courses for teachers were held. Seven courses took place physically. Five courses were conducted as online seminars. The physical courses were always held in schools or at the SimplyScience Foundation in Zurich. Finally, a course was held at the headquarters of Vetropack AG in Bülach. The course participants had the opportunity to find out about training opportunities and apprenticeships. Within the framework of the courses, 87 teachers were trained.
Feedback from teachers about the SimplyNano 2 project and the professional development courses was very positive and encouraging. The “ready-to-use” materials and documents and the many practical applications and examples were particularly appreciated. Teachers also appreciated the “do-it-yourself” experimentation and hands-on work as well as the compact course format. The continuing education courses also provided a good opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange with training managers from industry.
Great support from 38 partners!
The SimplyNano 2 project in the canton of Zurich was supported by a total of 38 partners. In addition to the lottery fund of the Canton of Zurich, the project was financed by a broad sponsorship of companies, associations, foundations and Rotary Clubs. Thanks to this generous financial support, it was possible to offer the suitcases and continuing education courses to the schools free of charge. A list can be found here: https://simplynano.ch/projekt/zh/
Nationwide deployment in schools by 2025.
Based on the positive experience and feedback, the SimplyNano 2 project will be implemented in all upper secondary schools throughout Switzerland by the end of 2025. The next cantonal projects will start in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn in the fall of 2022. Further projects are planned for 2023 in Central Switzerland and Thurgau.
With the implementation of the SimplyNano 2 project in secondary schools in the canton of Zurich, an important step towards nationwide implementation has been achieved.
Publication: Innovation Society
Image source: Innovation Society