Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. -- Project Number: 2026-1-SE01-KA220-HED-000465857 --

Project Description

Background

The Fostering EDI project, initiated by industry demand, addresses the lack of trained staff and practical Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) tools by developing pedagogical resources for higher education, particularly within STEM fields. Bridging a gap between theoretical EDI research and practical classroom application, the project aligns with EU policies to improve educational quality and workplace preparedness.

Aims

The EDIFY project aims to strengthen Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in STEM higher education by building institutional capacity and equipping educators with concrete tools. It delivers three core results: a searchable multilingual database with 200+ annotated sources, a formally accredited 3 ECTS pedagogy course for teachers, and a practical Teachers' Toolkit featuring lesson plans and workshop models. These objectives directly support Erasmus+ priorities on inclusion, diversity, and high-quality teaching while promoting shared European values.

The specific objectives Fostering EDI project would like to achieve are:

  • Strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions to integrate Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) perspectives into STEM teaching.
  • Improve lecturers’ competences through research-based pedagogical approaches combining EDI principles and design thinking methods.
  • Promote inclusive learning environments preparing students to address diversity challenges in future professional contexts

Target Groups

The main project Target Groups are:

  • Higher education teachers in STEM disciplines at the partner institutions. These teachers are the primary beneficiaries of the project as they will strengthen their competences in integrating Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) perspectives into course design, teaching practices and student engagement. Teachers are motivated through opportunities for professional development, the possibility to acquire new pedagogical competences and the opportunity to experiment with innovative teaching approaches related to EDI in STEM education.
  • Undergraduate and postgraduate STEM students enrolled at the partner universities. Through redesigned learning activities, assignments and workshop formats, students will engage with EDI challenges and develop competences related to inclusive design, awareness of bias and collaborative problem solving.

Results

The results Fostering EDI project are:

  • A database containing annotated EDI resources supporting evidence-based teaching in STEM.
  • A formally structured training course and course manual for lecturers on inclusive STEM pedagogy.
  • A Teachers’ Toolkit with ready-to-use teaching materials enabling the practical implementation of EDI-oriented teaching approaches.
Fostering EDI
The Fostering EDI European project has been written and coordinated by the project applicant University of Sodertorn (Sweden) in cooperation with Pixel. The project was funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, Cooperation partnerships in Higher Education. The EDIFY project enhances Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in STEM higher education.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
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