Learn STEM’s main goal is to improve the quality and efficiency of STEM learning in secondary schools. Under the leadership of the coordinator, Dr. Christian M. Stracke from the Open University of the Netherlands, Learn STEM brings together nine partners from six European countries. They are collaborating for innovative STEM education and have developed the Learn STEM Pedagogical Model and the Inquiry learning package. All these contents will be integrated in the open online learning environment and offered as a free online course for teacher training.

In addition, Learn STEM aims at increasing pupils' interest in STEM and building STEM competences. Therefore, Learn STEM designs and provides pedagogical methods and tools for secondary schools to explore and solve real life questions. Thus, Learn STEM supports and contributes to the key objective of the European Education and Training 2020 Strategy (ET 2020) that fewer than 15% of 15-year-olds should be underskilled in reading, mathematics, and science.

Moreover, the Learn STEM project will also address the need to enhance knowledge of and about science as a precondition to prepare Europe’s population to be actively engaged, responsible citizens, as well as conversant with complex societal challenges. In the PISA study 2015, most students expressed a broad interest in science topics and recognised the important role that science plays in their world; however, only a minority reported their participation in science activities. In addition, teachers still declare they need more professional development linked to tailoring, diversifying, and innovating teaching practices. To help achieve this, Learn STEM aims at strengthening secondary schools’ capacity to develop skills in STEM subjects through innovative and interactive pedagogical methods and approaches.