Projects

ImSTEAM (Immersive STEAM Academy) is an innovative Erasmus+ Teacher Academies project designed to transform STEAM education in European secondary schools through immersive technologies (VR/AR/MR). The project addresses a critical “contextualisation gap” identified in PISA assessments, where students struggle to apply abstract STEAM knowledge to real-world problems. Working across five countries (Greece, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, and Slovenia) with varying PISA performance levels, ImSTEAM brings together 17 partners, including universities, schools, educational technology experts, and policy facilitators.

The consortium will develop a comprehensive framework that aligns STEAM competencies with the PISA 2025 assessment framework and delivers them through immersive, scenario-based learning experiences. Key outputs include: the ImSTEAM Pedagogical Framework mapping contextualised competencies; a modular teacher training program with 19 micro-courses; an Immersive Education Platform with AR/VR learning scenarios; a Cross-border Teacher Mobility and Mentoring Program; and an Open Badge Factory for recognizing acquired competencies. The project employs a three-phase methodology of Alignment (mapping STEAM skills to PISA competencies), Classification (embedding them in real-world contexts), and Operationalisation (creating immersive learning scenarios).

A structured Ambassador Program and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing mechanisms will multiply impact, while sustainability is ensured through a self-sustaining Teachers’ Academy and Content Sharing Platform.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Tajana Ban Kirigin (project leader on the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Rijeka), Sanda Bujačić Babić, Ana Jurasić, Ines Radošević Medvidović

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

ERASMUS+ projekt (Cooperation Partnership KA220_HED)

European Classroom for Mathematics Teachers Training  (EUMathClass) aims to enhance future mathematics teachers’ diagnostic competencies to better identify and address students’ learning difficulties. By developing five modular, implemented training materials and implementing an international COIL seminar with over 90 student participants, the project seeks to improve teacher education, promote inclusive learning and foster long-term institutional cooperation across Europe, ensuring the sustainability of its outcomes beyond the project’s duration.

The consortium consists of: Universitaet Bielefeld, Germany (project leader), Universita degli Studi di Enna Kore, Italy, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Croatia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal, Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon, Greece.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Sanja Rukavina (project leader), Ana Grbac, Sanja Rukavina, Marina Šimac

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

CroRIS webpage

The activities and results of the InAmath project, as well as the positive experience of collaboration on the project, motivated us to submit a new project proposal, SciMaG – Science & Math Educational Games from Preschool to University. The project has been approved for funding by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes.

The main goal of the project SciMaG – Science&Math educational games from preschool to university is to design and create educational games that develop mathematical, scientific, and digital literacy. The designed activities will address the application of game-based teaching in STEM. The activities take an interdisciplinary approach and promote students’ literacy, social skills, and creativity in different forms of expression, and physical activity.
The project will start on 01-09-2023 and the EU grant is 250.00,00 EUR. The project coordinator is University of Rijeka and partner organisations are: University of Novi Sad, University of Primorska,Centar tehničke kulture Rijeka, Gimnazija Jovan Jovanović Novi Sad, Osnovna sola heroja Janeza Hribarja Stari trg pri Lozu, Prva sušačka hrvatska gimnazija u Rijeci, Osnovna škola “Sveti Matej” Viškovo.

Project leader: Vedrana Mikulić Crnković

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Bojan Crnković, Vedrana Mikulić Crnković, Ivona Traunkar

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

The Faculty of Mathematics is participating in the Future Art and Science Industrial Heritage (FASIH) project, which has been approved for funding under the Creative Europe Programme – Culture.

The collaboration between art and science, supported by the use of new media, can propose inspiring pathways toward a sustainable and reflective future for global Europe. FASIH seeks to connect contemporary models of revalorisation and revitalisation of industrial heritage through the use of digital technologies, while providing new approaches to promoting the value of cultural, scientific, and industrial heritage in ways that are attractive to new generations.

The project focuses on interdisciplinary art–science research into industrial and cultural heritage, as well as on identifying, exploring, and evaluating those architectural achievements and intangible processes that have marked the modern history of Belgrade, Rijeka, and Trbovlje. The final phase of the project will be marked by exhibitions in all three cities, showcasing the results of the collaboration.

The project coordinator is the Center for the Promotion of Science. In addition to the University of Rijeka and its Academy of Applied Arts of the University of Rijeka, project partners include the Natural History Museum Rijeka, the Museum of Science and Technology, and the Zavod za kulturo – Delavski dom Trbovlje.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Bojan Crnković, Vedrana Mikulić Crnković (project leader), Ivona Traunkar

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

The e-University Project is funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026.

The project holder is the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET. The e-University Project aims to improve the quality and accessibility of the higher education system by strengthening the flexibility and innovativeness of public higher education institutions (HEIs) through support for investments in digital teaching infrastructure.

The core project activities include investments in:

• network and computing infrastructure
• equipment and related services
• cybersecurity activities
• enhancement of the existing information system and integration of higher education records
• educational support and training programmes to strengthen teaching staff competencies for learning and teaching supported by digital technologies
• support and professional development of administrative and technical staff

The Faculty of Mathematics is participating in the segment of the project related to the implementation of digital technologies in teaching. The pilot study is a qualitative study whose primary purpose is to establish a learning community, share good practices, and analyse the needs of higher education institution staff regarding the use of digital technologies.

The planned implementation period of the pilot study is from January to December 2023.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Bojan Crnković, Vedrana Mikulić Crnković (project leader)

Diagnostic Tools in Mathematics (DiToM) is an ERASMUS + project funded by the European Union, in which partners from seven European countries (Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Sweden and Spain) are working together. Aim of the DiToM project is the development of diagnostic screening tests in the areas of arithmetic and algebra. A total of five screenings provides detailed feedback on basic skills from the start of primary school to the end of secondary school. The screening test aim at the transitions 0/1, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7 and 8/9. They seek to identify those students who, due to yet insufficient precursor skills, will most likely experience considerable difficulties with their further mathematical learning and understanding as they are still lacking the necessary basic skills. The early and systematic identification essential to provide the required immediate intervention and support.

Project leader is University of Bielefeld (Germany). The project began in January 2023 and has a duration of three years.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Doris Dumičić Danilović (project leader), Ana Grbac, Sanja Rukavina and Marina Šimac 

The University of Rijeka is a partner in the European project Blue Connect, within which the Researchers’ Night 2022 and 2023 are being organised.

The Faculty of Mathematics is involved in the implementation of various project activities, including Researchers’ Night, Researchers in Schools, the promotion of Researchers’ Night, and related outreach initiatives.

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

The project is led by the Center for Technical Culture Rijeka and is implemented together with the following partners: Višnjan Astronomical Society, Connect IT Association for ICT Development, City of Rijeka, Međimurje IT Club Čakovec, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Engineering Rijeka, Community of Technical Culture of Zadar County, Community of Technical Culture Karlovac, and Community of Technical Culture Split.

The role of the Faculty of Mathematics in the project is to design and deliver training for association members on the popularisation of STEM, with a particular focus on mathematics, and to guide educators from these associations in designing and implementing activities aimed at promoting STEM. Given our extensive experience in mathematics popularisation, we expect that through project activities we will motivate the associations to increase their own efforts in promoting mathematics, using innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.

For us, participation in the project represents an opportunity to enhance the quality of our existing activities through experience exchange and, through collaboration, to develop new creative ways of popularising STEM, especially mathematics, thereby improving mathematical literacy among young people.

We are particularly excited about collaborating on the design of the STEM Park and STEM Lab.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Bojan Crnković, Vedrana Mikulić Crnković (voditelj), Ivona Traunkar

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

The project “Enactive Learning in Mathematics at Home (EnLeMaH)” aims to promote students’ enactive work in the area of functional relationships. For this purpose, in-service training is being developed in which teachers’ competences are developed to enable enactive work in distance or home-based teaching.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Doris Dumičić Danilović, Sanja Rukavina (voditelj), Marina Šimac

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

The goal of the project is to design and make available a package of measures that, upon project completion, will result in greater integration of interdisciplinarity in mathematics teaching. These measures include designing and implementing interdisciplinary activities with students using interdisciplinary methods, creating activity scenarios that will be accessible to educators, and training teachers to acquire the necessary competencies to design and implement such activities.

The project is led by the University of Rijeka, with coordination by the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Rijeka. Partner organizations include: University of Mostar, University of Novi Sad, University of Primorska, Center for Technical Culture Rijeka, Primary School Heroja Janeza Hribarja Stari trg pri Ložu, and Primary School Nikola Tesla.

Voditelj projekta: Vedrana Mikulić Crnković

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Bojan Crnković, Vedrana Mikulić Crnković, Ivona Traunkar

The final report of the InAMath project was awarded the maximum score by the national agency AMPEU – Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, and the European Commission recognized the project as an example of good practice.

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

Within this Erasmus+ project, coordinated by the Faculty of Organization and Informatics, University of Zagreb, with the University of Rijeka as one of the partners, the goal is the development and implementation of innovative pedagogies (teaching and learning methods) aligned with student assessment.

Project team at the Faculty of Mathematics: Vedrana Mikulić Crnković

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results

The University of Rijeka is implementing the project Strategic Internationalization of Graduate Studies in Mathematics and Biotechnology – OPTILIFE, funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) under the Operational Programme “Efficient Human Resources” 2014–2020.

The project coordinator is the University of Rijeka, in cooperation with its Department of Biotechnology and Department of Mathematics. Project partners include the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka and the company LogIN d.o.o..

Through the OPTILIFE project, the University of Rijeka will enhance quality and strengthen its institutional capacity for internationalization by developing and delivering the first year of a new graduate study programme, “Biotechnological Research in Life Sciences,” as well as by developing a new Optimization module and delivering part of the study programme “Discrete Mathematics and Applications,” aligned with emerging labour market demands.

The project aims to foster scientific excellence and mobility, and to improve the quality and relevance of higher education through internationalization. 

Additional information about the project, project activities, and results