Current curricula teaches either data-oriented programming, theoretical notions of STEM or isolated instances of mechanical handling of devices. We strive at bridging the gap and develop complex skills in our trainees that will include aspects from engineering - IT - science in a complex pattern that ultimately increases motivation for the study of STEM subjects and a better insertion on the labour market. Students design an embedded system in a flipped classroom environment. Project team members gather all data (input) and design the first module of the curricula focused on the design, engineering of a microcontroller application. IO1 is structured on engineering. The elements of innovation are the special blend of skills (both transversal and basic ) in VET students which are the focus of this IO and the means to achieve it through the joint effort of specialists in engineering -IT- sciences. The method is also innovative for it is through flipped classroom techniques that students arrive at theoretical data. In teams with coordinating teachers and under the guidance of an industry specialist they have to build devices which use embedded systems. A lot can be said about microcontrollers and systems that use these devices as they are everpresent in our day-to day life. Topics to be included: Understanding Microcontrollers

 Choosing a Motor Controller

 Controlling the device

 Using Sensors

 Getting the Right Tools

 Assembling a device

 The focus of IO1 is to use this technology in flipped classrooms with groups of 15-30 students and create a set of resources with multiplication potential in other VET training centres. The leading organization for this output is MECB which boasts rich experience in creating electronic devices for current needs (eg. A special doll for autistic children). Companies will partner a VET school and thus provide the support needed for the implementation of designed projects. Schools have the possibility to organize the hands-on trainings and add methodological expertise to the tasks initiated by industry experts. Therefore LIIS will work with LUDOR, SFV with DANMAR and MECB with ALP on 3 devices each team, using embedded systems (microcontrollers). The companies will provide the data for the task and the schools will complete the projects and provide feedback on the activities. Each school will record videos, photos of the experimentations and document the obtained results. The Teams will work to create documentation that details the phase of design and contruction of 9 devices using microcontrollers. The documentation will be uploaded on the project site and the platform and represents the first module of the curricula.

 Programing a microcontroller can be done with modern Integrated Development Environments (IDE) that use up-to-date languages, fully featured libraries that readily cover all of the most common actions, and several ready-made code examples to get the students started. Microcontrollers can be programmed in various high-level languages including C, C++, C#, Java, Python, .Net, and Basic. Development Boards are circuit boards that provide microcontroller chips with all the required supporting electronics (such as voltage regulator, oscillators, current limiting resistors, and USB plugs) required to operate. A microcontroller is an integrated chip in which we store the code which is written in an assemble language. Inserting the coded program into a microcontroller will require a device which is known as burner or programmer. A programmer is a hardware device with software which reads the content of the file is stored on a pc or laptop. In terms of innovation programming is the number one popularity trend for undergraduates. They all look for practical methods to exercise their skills. Therefore, starting elementary programming is advocated in all educational systems. However we lack both instruments and the methodology to encourage these activities in our VET institutes. Once the partnership will establish a successful educational model it could be adapted to the needs of other VET training institutes.

 The Intellectual output is led by DANMAR who are experienced and have expertise in this field. Again the industry specialists will team with VET trainers and students and come up with programming solutions for the 3 devices created in IO1. The intellectual output is linked to IO1 as they are part of the curricula in three modules on the use of microcontroller application to foster technological skills in VET students. The teams will organize sessions in simulated work based environments and structure the documentation for the module based on flipped classroom experiences followed by a carefully monitored analysis. The documentation will include video, images, technical parametres for each of the VET schools, with the organisational support and insight from partner companies. UPT will monitor the quality management and check whether the skills stipulated in the documentation comply with both the level of expertise advocated by national curricula and the abilities required upon insertion on the labor market.

 Once the modules from IO1 and IO2 are set they lead to the third chapter of the curricula which is the proper use of embedded systems to stimulate the development of scientific outputs and increase student motivation in studying STEM subjects, thus improving school performance. Students will use the created devices... Participants will learn how to help their students start quickly with simple successes and dive deeper when their curiosity is engaged. Course discussions and assignments are designed to help educators plan for a successful STEM implementation in their classroom. The accompanying tutorials were written with high schoolers in mind and successfully used from middle school through university; discussion will include adapting for use with different grade levels. The curriculum will include contents that aim to develop STEM skills in students, examples of learning activities and evaluation methods. We mention a few useful themes for the development of STEM skills in students: -Adequate application of Maths, Physics and Chemistry typical for microcontroller applications. - Implementing practical tasks on electromagnetic conversion, electromagnetic phenomena, specific static convertors, electro-mechanics, electric equipments and electro-magnetic actions. - Exercising techniques for electric and non-electric measurements - Creating signal conditioning circuits - Types of microcontrollers - Microcontroller architecture and programming - Applying skills from Physics and Maths to power the microcontroller, intelligent integrated circuit display, applications with LED and relays, sound generators, display for an elevator, programmers for microcontrollers - Physical programming of microcontroller memory Themes will be established by all participants, after careful analysis of learning needs suggested by the two VET schools partner in the project. The partners will study documents on the STEM school curricula in every partner country participating in the project. The curriculum will be implemented as an integrated optional course at the level of the VET school, and also as extended curriculum for any of the STEM school subjects. The curricula is useful for anyone interested in the understanding of microcontroller functioning and the applications that can be created with their help.

 This intellectual output will be coordinated by LIIS, a VET school which is experienced in implementing learning activities adequate for student needs. All partners will collaborate in the elaboration of the curriculum as follows: - Liceul Teoretic de Informatica "Grigore Moisil" and STROJARSKA TEHNICKA SKOLA FAUSTA VRANCICA will organize analysis needs among students to identify the themes of interest and will suggest themes after careful study of the STEM programs in the two educational systems, the Croatian and the Romanian system. - UNIVERSIDADE PORTUCALENSE INFANTE DHENRIQUE-COOPERATIVA DE ENSINO SUPERIOR will contribute with their educational expertise, rich experience in creating contents, but also microcontrollers and their programming; they will connect the partners’ proposals to the contents of the STEM curricula in Portuguese VET schools. - MACDAC ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY BUREAU LTD - MECB will bring its expertise in VET training and adapt the contents to the requirements to the labor market. - the industry partners have expertise in IT and microcontrollers SC Ludor Engineering SRL, MECB , Danmar Computers sp z o.o. will bring the perspective of the employer who wishes certain technical skills developed in future graduates because they have to get used to the working environment in a company from school years and be familiar with the practical activities required is using and designing microcontrollers. and Danmar Computers sp z o.o. will bring the perspective of the employer who wishes certain technical skills developed in future graduates because they have to get used to the working environment in a company from school years and be familiar with the practical activities required is using and designing microcontrollers

 The guide will include methodological suggestions to project learning activities in STEM subjects for teachers. It will include contents that detail curriculum themes and aspects that target projecting and organization of contents: - Used methods and procedures; - Evaluation instruments (item packages, evaluation questionnaires, student observation charts, project presentation charts, evaluation of practical tasks, etc); - examples of learning activities; to achieve applications with microcontrollers during cu STEM study classes; - teacher's journal of ideas; - student practice journal. The guide will be a brochure both printed and posted online on the platform to assure the dissemination towards as many target groups as possible including the VET schools in rural areas that have a limited resource to electronic resources. This guide will become a milestone for the science teachers that aim to project their educational content in a practical way, adapted to present day economic realities. All curricular resources will be posted on the platform. The E-learning platform will be interactive, accessible with an intuitive interface and a graphics that is attractive to users. This will facilitate the transfer of educational contents created in the project to a big number of users and will transform the resources created in Open / online / digital education – Open Education Resource (OER). The platform will assure the monitoring of learning, through registration of users and their access to contents. The members of the target groups will benefit from access to the e-learning platform throughout the project implementation and in the following stages, using the facilities offered by the support community created in the project. The E-learning platform will be user - friendly, the members of the target group will benefit from a mobile application to access the platform directly from their mobile phone, anytime and anywhere, according to the time allocated for study. The structure and the contents of the E-learning platform are designed to encourage the trainee – student in active following of tutorials.

 UPT will coordinate the elaboration of the guide. A certain format of resources will be established (a single structure) and tasks shall be assigned to every partner. Ludor, MECB, Danmar will detail the curriculum themes and will project the student’s practice journal . The 3 VET schools will adapt the contents to facilitate the transfer of innovative ideas from industry into school practice. MECB will prepare the instruments for evaluation. UPT will create together with the 3 VET schools , examples of learning activities. UPT will detail the methods and the means by which the structure of the teacher’s journal will be established. Danmar will prepare the format of the resource to be published, on paper and in electronic format. Danmar will coordinate the building of the E-learning platform to upload all resources created as intellectual outputs in the project. Industry partners will structure the created materials in intellectual outputs in the project (the 3 modules of the Curriculum, the resources from experimentations, curricular resources - contents, learning activities, evaluation instruments and the Methodological Guide for the Implementation of Practical Activities into STEM subjects) to upload them on the platform. All partners having expertise in IT will work together for the back-end of the platform, the front - end on the webpage. They will adapt the platform for the mobile application Android and IOS. They will test the functionality of the platform. UPT and MECB will prepare tutorials for the platform. The 3 schools will pilot the use of the platform, coordinating each a minimum of 70 students enlisted on the platform. UPT will prepare materials for the evaluation of the platform piloting.

 Toolkit with curricular resources (contents, learning activities, evaluation instruments) is a long awaited product both by Stem teachers and by students. The science curricula in schools is not adapted to new developments in industry. STEM teachers need practical applications to develop in students the skills required on the labour market, due to the rapid evolution of new technologies. The robotisation of economic activities is a current theme on all markets in Europe, and on top of that it is even talk of the development of the 4.0 industry, and the connectiong of robots to other robots, etc. The educational models will be created for Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Sciences, but also for interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches. Through these educational models centered on practical activities, experiments and simulations student interest and motivation for the study of sciences will be boosted, developing their STEM skills and the transversal skills (collaborating in teams, self awareness and self control, creativity, active involvement, etc). These resources will also stimulate the desire to improve teacher’s teaching skills in STEM subjects and boost students’ drive towards sciences. STEM teachers and their students will have the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills through access to new technologies, developing businesses that have as main object microcontroller applications.

 With the feedback from the piloted curriculum the project partners can set out to design a toolkit which will include computer assisted lessons based on 21 didactic scenarios experimented in the 3 partner schools. The Toolkit will act as a manual of useful practices drawing on the collective experience of the project. SVF will coordinate the achievement of this intellectual output and all partners will contribute to its completion. The partners will envisage didactic outlines for the curriculum themes to stimulate students’ interest for sciences and make them develop their STEM skills. All partners will agree on the structural elements of the resources and come up with ideas for computer assisted models. Each partner will suggest 3 didactic models totaling up to 21 models covering all the themes in the toolkit. Each model will contain all the elements needed by the teacher /trainer to organize a training activity for the students. UPT will evaluate the suggested educational models and will complement them with monitoring instruments for the activity of the students. Industry partners will comment on the models suggested and will add the practical dimension to the study with hands on exercising and practical participation of students in simulated learning situations that mirror microcontroller application activities developed in companies. VET schools after having implemented each 3 educational models, will fill in a journal with student feedback and evaluation from an expert that participated at the activity (teacher trainer, inspector, professor, company specialist, VET trainer).A collection of curricular resources (contents, learning activities, evaluation instruments) will be created to include the 21 educational models to develop STEM skills for VET students.