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Shape Robotics

SR

Shape Robotics is a publicly listed growth company within EdTech that provides schools with excellent classroom technology for STEAM Education.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Ilana Cicurel (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Sept 2023 · Meeting with representatives of Shape Robotics

Response to Interim evaluation of the European Education Area

10 Aug 2023

Shape Robotics, a Danish SME active in the field of educational robotics, welcomes the interim evaluation of the advancement of the European Education Area (EEA). Shape Robotics fully supports the EEA's objectives to help Member States build more resilient and inclusive education and training systems. One of the EEA's focus areas is digital education, as an EdTech company Shape Robotics would like to focus its feedback on this topic. Many European funds such as the RRF, Erasmus+, Digital Europe and InvestEU contribute to the financing of digital education in schools. According to the European Commission's 2022 Communication on the Progress towards the achievement of the European Education Area, around 28 billion from the RRF is helping to support digital education and skills across the EU. But despite this funding, the targets for digital education are far from being met. The EEA Strategic Framework Resolution sets a target that the share of low-achieving eighth graders in computer and information literacy should be less than 15% by 2030. The Education and Training Monitor's comparative report shows that the target is far from being met in all the countries that provided data. For example, the proportion of students underachieving in digital skills is 33.2% in Germany and 43.5% in France. These particularly worrying results might be due to investment in ineffective school digitalisation policies. Shape Robotics believes that effective digital education is not just about getting students to use technology, but also about teaching them how it works. It is also about having a stimulating learning space to foster students' motivation, innovation, creativity and problem-solving skills. One very effective policy is to equip schools with STEAM laboratories. STEAM labs are classrooms equipped with a variety of technologies, including robotics, VR, 3D printers and interactive whiteboards. Shape Robotics welcomes the launch of the Expert Group on Quality Investment in Education and Training and of the Working Group on Digital Education: Learning, Teaching and Assessment (DELTA) but regrets that robotics is not mentioned in their work. Indeed, teaching coding and programming from an early age is essential to prepare children for the society and labour market of tomorrow. Moreover, modular robots can be used to teach a wide range of subjects: physics, mathematics, informatics, industrial design and even art. Besides, programming and building robots requires teamwork, creativity and problem-solving skills. Because children tend to be fascinated by robots, both girls and boys get enthusiastically involved with these machines. Therefore, the use of modular robotics should be encouraged in future EEA policies.
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Response to Monitoring and evaluation framework for Erasmus

4 Aug 2023

Shape Robotics, a Danish SME active in the field of educational robotics, welcomes the revision of the monitoring and evaluation framework of the Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027. However, after careful examination of the additional indicators, we would like to express some concerns. Indeed, criteria regarding digital and STEAM education are lacking. More precisely: -There are no criteria assessing the uptake of new technologies in the classroom such as e.g., modular robotics even though teaching coding is crucial to achieve a European Union Fit of the Digital Age and to fulfil the huge demand for a skilled workforce. -There are no criteria assessing students learning about technologies. Shape Robotics firmly believes that digitalisation is not only using technology in the classroom. Students must also learn how technology works to fully understand it. -There are no criteria assessing the uptake of a STEAM approach. Teaching STEAM in schools is essential because it will prepare students for the future, foster creativity, problem-solving and innovation. Digital education should be for all students, no matter their gender or socioeconomical background. One way to ensure every student has access to digital tools is to equip schools with STEAM labs. STEAM labs are a classroom equipped with various technologies and usually include robotics, VR, 3D printers and interactive boards. -There are no criteria assessing the progress of girls in STEAM subjects even though bridging the gender gap in STEAM fields is key to achieve the EUs commitment to gender equality. To this day, women make up under a third of the workforce across science, technology, engineering, and maths and just one in five professionals working on Artificial Intelligence is a woman. Several EU initiatives aim to solve this issue, e.g the European Strategy for Universities, and several roadmap initiatives. The Erasmus+ programme should therefore align with the core aim of the European Commission to include more women in STEAM fields. In order to better assess how the Erasmus+ programme helps to improve digital education across the EU, Shape Robotics suggests adding indicators that measure the aforementioned elements.
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Meeting with Henna Virkkunen (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Jun 2023 · Digital education

Meeting with Alicia Homs Ginel (Member of the European Parliament) and Lykke Advice

23 May 2023 · Digital education and training among EU citizens (APA level)

Meeting with Alina-Stefania Ujupan (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager) and Lykke Advice

26 Jan 2023 · digital skills and education

Meeting with Nicola Beer (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Jan 2023 · STEAM Education