Opportunities
“I’m a Space Person” website, design, and teaching resource tender
Context
Educational research highlights that improved careers education is needed to increase participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, our formative research has highlighted the need for careers resources concerning the space sector which better reflects the diversity of roles present. Furthermore, there is a lack of space careers material aimed at upper-primary and lower-secondary students, who have been identified as being most in need of engagement. Further information can be found in this recently published paper.
“I’m a Space Person”
The “I’m a Space Person” project, being developed for Imperial College London’s Space Lab thanks to STFC funding, adapts the approach of NUSTEM’s careers postcards to the space sector. Based on the ASPIRES research and Gatsby career benchmarks, the approach highlights personal attributes associated with different jobs so that children can relate to them.
The “I’m a Space Person” postcards will feature three personal attributes on one side, allowing children to select a card that they relate to. The other side will summarise information about a space-related career that uses those attributes including a brief description, qualifications that are required/helpful, relevant curriculum-linked topics, and example UK employers. This content has already been compiled for the 36 space sector roles that will be highlighted. The resource will feature a trackable link to an accompanying website that will be created. Finally, a prompt will be included to encourage parents/carers to post on social media using #spaceperson sharing their child’s attributes and how these relate to space careers. On the project’s website there will be a web-app that allows people to explore the full list of space careers compiled, sortable by both attributes and topic interests. This will allow young families to find out about further space-related roles beyond simply the postcard they choose. Finally, accompanying resources for teachers and parents on how to incorporate the postcards into their teaching practice will also be available.
Tone and messaging
The main audiences for this project are young people (7-14 year-old school students) along with their parents and teachers. Therefore, the tone and brand identity should be suitably targeted towards this audience, i.e. be child-friendly. The project requires a complete set of visual assets different from that of Imperial College London.
The key messages the project resources and website need to convey are:
- Space careers are inspirational and can be relatable, accessible, and diverse.
- You/anyone can be a “space person”.
- Young people should be encouraged to think about work within the space sector.
- Imperial is a world leading institution at the forefront of the space sector (secondary).
Tender
We are looking for external contractor(s) with experience in developing engaging, educational resources and is aware of current trends and research in informal science learning to take our initial ideas and form them into the final resources. There are three areas we are looking to complete:
- Resource design We are seeking a designer to create an editable template for the postcards along with matching assets for use on the project’s website. These must be provided in an editable, reusable format for the project owners. “I’m a space person” requires its own visual identity for use across the resources, website, and beyond.
- Web development Creation of an editable Wordpress-based website with accompanying dynamic web-app (with the functionality mentioned previously) to feature the careers. This must be AA accessibility compliant. Hosting and domain management is not required with this project.
- Teacher & parent resource creation Development of the accompanying KS2 and KS3 teacher / parent resources (both content and resource design) featuring curriculum links for each role, guidance on inclusion in lessons, plus contextual information on research into careers engagement/education.
You may submit proposals for one or any of these areas of work.
Timeline
Prototypes of the postcards, website, and teacher/parent resources will need to be completed before October 2022. It is expected that proposals will include scope to make suitable edits based on evaluative data at some point in the following year.
Application
To apply please provide:
- Two-page outline of the proposed implementation
- Two-page overview of suitability for the project including links to previous work
The total budget for all three areas of work is £6,000 (inclusive of VAT if applicable). Please submit your proposal to Dr Martin Archer (m.archer10@imperial.ac.uk) by Monday 6 June. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview by phone / online.