In 2016 the Queensland Government launched
Advancing Education: An action plan for education in Queensland. A key focus of the plan was the enhancement and development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Science and technology have truly changed our world by transforming the way we live, the way we work and who we are. Engaging with STEM will prepare students to take advantage of the opportunities of a knowledge-based economy.
It is through a diverse STEM education that our students will develop a deeper understanding of our world and the skills needed for the jobs of the future. Our students must be at the cutting edge of innovation, becoming the technology architects of the future.
The Queensland Virtual STEM Academy (QVSA) will engage highly capable Year 5 to Year 9 students from across Queensland in innovative virtual STEM learning.
Vision
Inspiring a passion for and aspiration for STEM through innovative learning, enriching opportunities and transformational partnerships.
Structure
The QVSA is a network of five sites hosted within select Queensland state schools and coordinated via the Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT), Queensland’s premier STEM specialist school. Each site delivers quality assured programs, often with unique regional foci and expertise.
QVSA@QASMT which delivers courses to schools across the south east corner Darling Downs and North Coast regions. The QVSA@QASMT is hosted by the
Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT), Queensland’s premier STEM specialist school. QASMT is a state school for highly capable students in Years 7 to 12. At QASMT, we focus on an international curriculum to help students reach their full potential. The school has a proven world class record and reputation for student academic achievement and pathways to high end tertiary study within the STEM fields and has unique partnerships with the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
For more information contact Glenn Beaumont:
gbeau1@eq.edu.au
QVSA@Roma SC delivers courses to schools across the Darling Downs-South West region. The Queensland Virtual STEM Academy at Darling Downs SW region has links with the DDSW Regional STEM Committee. The committee is made up of members from the University of Southern Queensland, Amaroo Environmental Education, Regional Development Australia (DDSW) and integratedSTEM. They are all committed to linking our students to industry, businesses and international researchers and provide a community based collaborative network. The QVSA program provides students the opportunity to work with like-minded highly capable STEM students from within the region.
For more information contact Tim Lewis
tlewi29@eq.edu.au
QVSA@CQ delivers courses to schools in central Queensland (CQ). The QVSA at CQ is hosted by Rockhampton State High School and delivered by Mrs Breeha Sinnamon, Mr Benjamin Rutherford, and Mrs Lauren Isbel. The QVSA at CQ team are passionate about STEM, student engagement, 21st century learning skills and collaboration, and the team are partnered with CQUniversity to provide authentic learning opportunities to students across the Central Queensland region.
For more information contact Breeha Sinnamon
bsinn11@eq.edu.au
QVSA@NQ (GTF) delivers courses to the North Queensland Region. The Global Tropics Futures Project (GTF) is a unique partnership between the Department of Education (DoE) and James Cook University (JCU), with the vision and drive to achieve improvements in education outcomes and workforce participation in North Queensland. Thuringowa State High School leads the collaboration with James Cook University and aims to boost student engagement and achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The project enables like-minded students to connect, collaborate and explore their STEM interest and passion through a range of enriching and challenging learning opportunities. Students build their STEM portfolio through a blended model of delivery via virtual (Queensland Virtual STEM Academy) and face-to-face learning.
For more information contact Peter Thompson pthom80@eq.edu.au
QVSA@FNQ delivers courses to the Far North Queensland Region. Smithfield State High School works collaboratively with Thuringowa State High School and James Cook University (JCU) as part of the Global Tropics Future (GTF) project. This project has the vision and drive to achieve improvements in education outcomes and workforce participation in Far North and Tropical Queensland. Through this partnership students are able to connect to researchers at JCU (Cairns campus) and build their STEM experiences via virtual and face to face learning that incorporates emerging sciences and current global STEM problems.
For more information contact Gabby Weldon on gmwel0@eq.edu.au.
What we deliver
As a network of schools across the state the QVSA delivers to students via a low bandwidth virtual, immersive video conferencing platform called iSee. The QVSA delivers enrichment and enhancement programs focusing on current, real world STEM challenges and research. These programs are developed and delivered by each of the five QVSA sites or sourced from like-minded, quality assured partners and school centres of innovation or specialisation.
The learning delivered by the QVSA is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and is designed to enrich learning and challenge student interests and learning beyond the Australian Curriculum.
The QVSA also uses an innovative, real time, online learning platform to deliver programs and enable students to collaborate with other like-minded, highly capable STEM students.
Benefits to students
The QVSA program brings together likeminded, highly capable or high potential students who would benefit from and contribute to a motivated STEM learning community. The QVSA seeks to enhance opportunities and the aspiration of our female, indigenous ,rural and remote and socio disadvantaged students in creating this learning community. As a member of the QVSA community, a motivated and passionate student of STEM will have the opportunity to:
- deepen their learning by joining other students from across Queensland with a similar interest to investigate and explore the real world challenges and future opportunities within STEM
- step in and out of opportunities based on their aspiration, interest and point in time school experience
- immerse themselves in enriched learning experiences which
- extend the learning of STEM curriculum
- build their capacity and skills inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, curiosity, creativity and collaboration
- expose them to real life STEM challenges and the expertise of University researchers and industry experts
- develop an understanding of and aspiration for STEM related careers and the opportunities for these worldwide.
Are you a potential
QVSA student?