The Go-Lab Initiative arose from the successful project Go-Lab, which lasted from November 2012 to October 2016, and gave the Initiative its name. The aim of the Go-Lab Initiative is to facilitate the use of online laboratories and inquiry learning applications for science education in schools. The Go-Lab Initiative provides the Go-Lab Ecosystem for teachers, where they can find various online labs and create customized Inquiry Learning Spaces. Furthermore, the Go-Lab Initiative conducts training for teachers all over Europe on the topics of Inquiry-Based Science Education in schools and the use of the Go-Lab Ecosystem. Currently, the Go-Lab Initiative is funded by the Next-Lab project. Below, you will find the list of all projects, which have (co-) funded the Go-Lab Initiative.

Next-Lab

Project name: Next Generation Stakeholders and Next Level Ecosystem for Collaborative Science Education with Online Labs
Project duration: 01 January 2017 – 31 December 2019
Project funding: European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme (grant agreement No 731685)
Project coordinator: University of Twente, the Netherlands
Project website: project.golabz.eu
Project description: Next-Lab focuses on introducing inquiry-based science education (IBSE) in schools and continues the mission of the project Go-Lab, promoting innovative and interactive teaching methods in primary and secondary schools. Next-Lab brings Go-Lab ecosystem to a new level of innovation, providing advanced collaboration facilities for teachers and students, online labs for younger students (primary school), learning apps helping students to acquire 21st century skills, an ePortfolio tool, and other new features. Furthermore, Next-Lab addresses pre-service teachers, cooperating with teacher training institutions and contributing to their training programmes. Next-Lab provides training and support to teachers in 30 European countries, extending Go-Lab community and facilitating cross-border teacher collaboration.

TW1ST education

Project name: Twenty-first century skills for technical education
Project duration: 01 September 2015 – 31 December 2019
Project funding: The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
Project coordinator: University of Twente, the Netherlands
Project website: TW1ST education
Project description: The aim of the TW1ST project is to provide an effective and stimulating learning environment, in which vocational technical students acquire deeper domain knowledge as well as proficient skills relevant for their field of work. The project focuses on the development of two innovative learning packages built around virtual laboratories for vocational technology education. These learning packages include computer simulations and assignments based on the real practices of companies and organizations in the region. Furthermore, specific cognitive tools for 21st century skills training are provided. Finally, advanced learning analytics facilities give teachers insights into the learning and communication processes, so that they can best support their students.

Ark of Inquiry

Project name: Ark of Inquiry: Inquiry Awards for Youth over Europe
Project duration: 01 March 2014 – 28 February 2018
Project funding: European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7, grant agreement No 612252)
Project coordinator: University of Tartu, Estonia
Project website: Ark of Inquiry
Project description:

In the Ark of Inquiry project, thirteen partners from twelve countries aspired to attract more young people, between the ages of 7 and 18, to the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through the application of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE).

Throughout its activities, the Ark of Inquiry project has mainstreamed RRI into real-life educational activities and has demonstrated this approach in both formal and informal learning environments. By doing so, the project has built capacity of youth to tackle societal challenges in the long run through empowering teachers to create conducive learning environments that foster mutual learning and equal participation of both genders in the STEM subjects.

In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the Ark of Inquiry project has endeavored to provide comprehensive and detailed training to over 1,100 teachers of STEM subjects on using the principles of RRI through inquiry learning methods. Here, authentic, challenging and higher-order learning experiences using tools and techniques, advocated by the project, facilitated the creation of a “new science classroom”; wherein pupils are encouraged to reflect, think critically, discuss and participate in scientific discourse and the inquiry process, i.e. scientific thinking. In addition to the teacher trainings, learner and teacher communities had access to an online portal comprised of over 700 (to-date) carefully selected inquiry activities, in at least the twelve partner languages. These activities could easily be customized and deployed in order to address diverse learning needs in and out of classroom settings.

SiWay

Project name: STEM it your way!
Project duration: 01 February 2016 – 02 December 2016
Project funding: IMAILE Project (in scope of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme)
Project coordinator: imc information multimedia communication AG, Germany
Project description: The SiWay project focused on designing and developing a Personal Learning Environment for inquiry-based learning in schools. The SiWay system combined features of a Learning Management System (like content and participant management) on the one hand, and features of an inquiry-based learning environment (the Go-Lab Portal) on the other. Furthermore, the SiWay system integrated OER Repositories for STEM education and provided a recommendation system for teachers. The overall aim of the project was to provide a learning environment, enabling teachers to create personalized learning scenarios for students and to monitor their progress, students to study with innovative, interactive tools, and parents to support their children.

Go-Lab

Project name: Global Online Science Labs for Inquiry Learning in Schools
Project duration: 01 November 2012 – 31 October 2016
Project funding: European Union's Seventh Framework Programme
(grant agreement No 317601)
Project coordinator: University of Twente, the Netherlands
Project website: www.go-lab-project.eu
Project description: The Go-Lab project opened up online science laboratories (remote and virtual labs) for the large-scale use in school education. The overall aim of the project was to encourage young people aged from 10 to 18 to engage in science topics, acquire scientific inquiry skills, and experience the culture of doing science by undertaking active guided experimentation. To achieve this aim, Go-Lab created a portal, enabling science teachers to find online labs and inquiry learning applications appropriate for their class, combine these in Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILSs) supporting particular lesson scenarios, and share the ILSs with their students. Using the ILSs, the students received the opportunity to perform personalized scientific experiments with online labs in a structured learning environment.

ROLE

Project name: Responsive Open Learning Environments
Project duration: 01 February 2009 – 31 January 2013
Project funding: European Union's Seventh Framework Programme
(grant agreement No 231396)
Project coordinator: Fraunhofer FIT, Germany
Project website: www.role-project.eu
Project description: The ROLE technology was centred on the concept of self-regulated learning supporting (lifelong) learners in constructing their Personal Learning Environments according to their learning goals, experiences, and preferences. ROLE provided a framework supporting individual composition of learning services, tools, and resources and aimed at empowering each user to generate new tools and functions according to their needs. In scope of the ROLE project, the collaborative learning environment Graasp was developed, which was later adapted in the Go-Lab project to support inquiry-based science education, particularly, enabling teachers to create Inquiry Learning Spaces. Furthermore, the ROLE Widget Store served as a prototype for the Golabz Repository for Online Labs, Inquiry Apps, and Inquiry Learning Spaces.