YERUN – Young European Research Universities – held a Launch Event on 7 November in the European Parliament in Brussels. The project “SAILS – Strategies for Assessment of Inquiry Learning in Science”, lead by DCU and coordinated by CASTeL researchers Odilla Finlayson, Eilish McLoughlin, Paul van Kampen and James Lovatt was selected as one of six key projects funded by the European Union coordinated by YERUN members to be showcased at this event.  Paul van Kampen presented the outcomes and impact of the SAILS project on science education across Europe.

The SAILS project has demonstrated how inquiry approaches can be used for teaching a range of scientific topics, and has helped science teachers become confident and competent in the assessment of their students’ learning through inquiry. More than 2500 science teachers in 12 countries have participated in SAILS teacher education programmes. These teachers have strengthened their inquiry pedagogy and assessment practices by developing their understanding of the role of assessment. www.sails-project.eu

Speaking at the Launch, Professor Anthony Foster highlighted that the YERUN Network aims to make a difference with a total of 300,000 students, 26,000 staff & research income of 1.25 bn euros a year.