Sciencescope: Internet of Things for Education

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How a revolutionary UK EdTech provider is driving understanding of Internet of Things to prepare school children for careers of the future

Country: United Arab Emirates

How a revolutionary UK EdTech provider is driving understanding of Internet of Things to prepare school children for careers of the future.

ScienceScope is spearheading the drive, in the UK and internationally, to teach school children about the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected devices.

GCC governments have identified technology as being crucial to the continued development of their respective education systems

The education sectors in GCC nations are relatively young by global standards and are extremely dynamic. The region is uniquely placed to leap-frog other markets and set global best standards in education. The UAE National Agenda 2021 calls for all schools, universities and students to be equipped with smart systems and devices to enhance all teaching methods and research. Meanwhile, one of the main objectives of the Saudi Ministry of Education in the country’s National Transformation Programme is the “continuation of a shift to digital education in support of both teachers and students”. The plan aims to equip teachers and students alike with the skills necessary to succeed in the digital age.

The GCC’s education sector is experiencing impressive growth. The total number of students in the GCC is projected to reach 15 million in 2020, registering a CAGR of 3.6% from an estimated 12.6 million in 2015. In addition, the region’s education sector is highly profitable. According to a Dubai Private Education Landscape report by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), private schools in Dubai generated an impressive Dh7.5 billion in revenues in the academic year 2017-18 through tuition fees; this is up from Dh6.8billion in revenue in 2016-17, Dh6.1billion in 2015-16, Dh5.3billion in 2014-15 and Dh4.7billion in 2013-14.

As competition is high, it is important that schools differentiate themselves by providing the best possible quality of teaching and superior learning outcomes. Technology can play a key role in transforming teaching and learning processes for the better. ScienceScope is a leading UK technology company that is dedicated to working with schools in the region to transform the provision of education, with innovation at its core.

ScienceScope is deeply committed to working with schools to ensure pupils are equipped with the skills they need to excel in the digital age.

ScienceScope is one of the UK’s leading education technology companies. Through its innovative solution, IoT@School, the software provider aims to teach children about the Internet of Things through the collection of environmental data. Data is being gathered around us all of the time - whether that’s carbon dioxide levels in urban areas, or the amount of rainfall in any given month. IoT@School enables school children to collect data in their own communities which can then be stored on the cloud and shared with businesses and local government to influence issues that matter – such as urban planning. The software teaches children about social responsibility and sustainability in addition to how data is collected and analysed: it also helps teachers to drive understanding of tricky concepts such as IoT in a practical way.

Speaking about the importance of teaching children about IoT, Alex Wright, Director at ScienceScope, said: “We see future job roles around the world becoming more and more data driven and IoT@School is a tool that exposes teachers and students alike to big data across a range of different subject areas, but especially science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Typically, a classroom investigation consists of collecting 10 to 20 data points to show a scientific principle or environmental pattern. In the real world this is not enough. What our system offers is the ability to view millions of data points to help make better informed decisions and learn more about the environment and world around us.”

ScienceScope is already working closely with GCC schools to support their visions to integrate digital technology into the region's education systems.

ScienceScope has already been recognised in the UAE for the important contributions that it can make to digital learning. Expo 2020 Dubai has granted funding to ScienceScope to develop Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives in two UAE-based schools. The selected schools will receive IoT weather stations, that will monitor conditions including wind speed, rainfall, humidity, pollution levels and temperature, and IoT development kits to enable students to access data gathered by the weather stations using the internet. Students can then compare the data that they have sourced to that collected by other schools around the world.

Speaking about ScienceScope’s objectives in the region, Alex Wright, Director at Sciencescope, said: “Our goal is to see IoT technology and big data used in classrooms as a tool to expand student’s knowledge of the world around them and to promote sustainable development in education across the Middle East.”

ScienceScope’s commitment to the Middle East is part of a wider objective to take its innovative solution to schoolchildren around the world. The software provider is currently working on a project with the Asia Europe Foundation to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the IoT@School solution in more than 51 schools across Asia, Europe and Oceania.

ScienceScope is an example of the UK's expertise in developing pioneering technology that will play an instrumental role in transforming edcation systems around the world.

The UK Government is dedicated to playing a leading role in the development of innovative technologies that will shape tomorrow’s workforce. EdTech is one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors with over 1,000 companies. The UK is ranked top in education technology venture capital and angel funding in Europe, where more than half of the top 20 EdTech companies are from the UK.

UK schools are leading by example and in the past five years alone have spent more than £1 billion on digital-first learning tools, with 70% of UK students using a tablet in class.

The UK Government’s Department for International Trade (DIT) helps connect international buyers with UK goods and services to meet their needs, supports overseas companies to locate and grow in the UK, drives both inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade.