Impact Assessment for STEM Camps. Case of Ecuador

Abstract:

Future jobs will require professionals with skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and others developed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. However, latin american children and teenagers lose interest in learning science, and scientific or technological vocations are not awakened. Therefore, it is necessary to create spaces for boys and girls to develop skills and competencies required for future employment. An IEEE Ecuador initiative has implemented a STEM camp program, holding 26 workshops in the last 3 years, which has enabled the training of 521 boys and girls in 19 communities in Ecuador. This paper examines the impact of the STEM Camps program, through stakeholder surveys, and values obtained with the stated preference approach and the revealed preference technique. The results show benefits mainly in four stakeholders: children, teachers, schools and volunteers. The camps have allowed the participants to acquire knowledge and improve their STEM skills, increasing their interest in these areas. The document also reports on the evaluation of the social impact of the project, through an analysis of the Social Return on Investment (SROI). These results suggest that for every dollar invested in the project, between $9.54 and $11.18 dollars of social value are generated.

Año de publicación:

2022

Keywords:

• Social Return on Investment (SROI)
• Education
• STEM
• Camps

Fuente:

scopus