UNESCO Chair's Co-Creation with The Education University of Hong Kong and Further Leading Universities at the University of Jyväskylä's Summer School Program in STEM
10 September 2025
The University of Jyväskylä (JYU) concluded its intensive "Creative Approaches, Methods, and Practices in STEM Research, Innovation and Education" Summer School program, a dynamic five-day immersion that brought together Master's and Doctoral students from across the globe.
Chaired by Professor Pekka Neittaanmäki, UNESCO Chair on Digital Platforms for Transforming Education and Health Services, the course was co-led by Innovative Learning Environments Lab's coordinators, Dr. Kristof Fenyvesi, a Senior Researcher in STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and Dr. Kati Clements, Research Coordinator of JYU IT. Two researchers are from the STEM Special Interest Group of the Global Research Institute for Finnish Education (GRIFE) at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK).
From 4-8 August 2025, participants engaged in a transformative learning experience focused on fostering creative problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technology-driven innovation within the vital fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), with strong connections to IT, natural sciences, and STEM pedagogy.
EdUHK Excellence and Long-Term Collaborations
The Summer School proudly welcomed an outstanding group of students, with the largest representation coming from our university, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). Their presence not only highlighted EdUHK’s excellence in preparing future STEM educators and researchers but also enriched the collaborative spirit of the program. The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) students' impact underscores the long-term leadership roles of Dr. Kristof Fenyvesi, Dr. Kati Clements, and Dr. Josephine Lau in the STEM Special Interest Group of EdUHK's Global Research Institute for Finnish Education, along with several collaborations with EdUHK, including Professor Susanne Yeung's Social Robot project, Dr. Maxwell Ho's comparative educational research between Hong Kong and Finland carried out in cooperation with the University of Jyväskylä.
Student Participation and International Diversity
Alongside the EdUHK students, the diversity of perspectives was further enriched by students from the University of Jyväskylä (JYU), LUT University (Finland), and the University of Pécs (PTE, Hungary). In terms of nationalities, over 80% of participants were from Hong Kong/China, complemented by attendees from the Philippines, Brazil, and Spain. This mix of a strong core from EdUHK and international voices created a uniquely dynamic learning environment, ensuring that the projects and discussions combined regional depth with global breadth.
Distinguished Teaching Team and Academic Leadership
The distinguished teaching team included Professor Arto Lahti, an expert in innovation economics, Dr. Leonid Chechurin, a leading expert in systematic creativity (TRIZ methodology), ensuring a comprehensive and rich learning environment.
Dr. Anssi Lindell from the Faculty of Education and Psychology, and Maria Fisk, Dr. Saana Mehtälä and Dr. Josephine Lau from the Innovative Learning Environments Lab contributed to the course by representing the STEXperiments Erasmus+ project content and further international projects concerning Digital Wellbeing and doctoral education.
The program's core philosophy revolved around project-based learning, challenging students to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Participants formed diverse, international teams, each composed of four-five members with mixed nationalities and areas of expertise, ideally with no prior acquaintance, mirroring the collaborative nature of global innovation. These teams embarked on a journey from problem identification and mini-needs analysis to the development of a "mini startup idea" and a compelling pitch presentation. Throughout the week, students engaged in interactive lectures and thematic workshops in the mornings, followed by dedicated team project work in the afternoons.
Key checkpoints, including a short pitch of initial ideas on Day 2 and a midway feedback session on Day 4, ensured teams stayed on track and received expert mentorship from their instructors.
Student Voices: A Testament to Transformation
The impact of the program resonated deeply with its participants, as evidenced by their enthusiastic reflections.
"This course transformed how I approach STEM challenges. Before, I struggled to blend creativity with technical research, but the workshops on systematic creativity (like TRIZ) gave me practical tools to generate innovative solutions."
"I learnt to have fun. It was nice that most of the students in the STEM class were much younger than me. I adapted a bit of their funny side and playfulness."
Several students found the experience "unforgettable," noting the emphasis on group collaboration and interaction, a departure from traditional classroom settings.
"I learned how creative thinking can enhance problem-solving and innovation," - a participant reflected, citing their group's project on integrating STEM into enhancing student well-being and psychological health.
There were students who appreciated the interdisciplinary nature, specifically how finance and customer psychology could be integrated into STEM education: "By integrating finance and psychology into STEM education, we can better prepare students to tackle real-world problems that require both technical skills and an understanding of human behavior." A finance specialist student, expressed how the course "profoundly reshaped my perspective on conducting interdisciplinary research, particularly in bridging finance, technology, and sustainability."
A student mentioned her plans to "Re-engineer my carbon finance research using TRIZ to resolve conflicts between regulatory constraints and profit incentives, potentially creating patentable methodologies."
Other students echoed these sentiments. Some of them highlighted the value of collaboration and peer support in overcoming academic challenges, while some of them noted learning how to use AI more comprehensively and "think out of the box."
A student coming from a psychology background, discovered that "STEM was not that hard as my expectations and it's related with all of us. There are STEM everywhere which I didn't realised before." Another young researcher found the Finnish educational approach fostered an "open and collaborative learning environment," inspiring a fresh perspective in her future career.
A student summarized the program as having "profoundly transformed my professional development as an educator, providing me with innovative pedagogical strategies and a renewed perspective on effective STEM teaching.
"Innovation on Display": Project-Based Learning: From Ideas to Startup Pitches
The program culminated in a mini-conference, where teams presented their creative solutions to peers and invited experts. These presentations showcased the diverse applications of STEM innovation across various domains:
- "Difficulty in implementing STEM education in kindergarten": This team, including Chung Uen Ying, Tsang Hei Tung Emily, Wong Hiu Ching, Rehna Sotto, and Mario Alves, addressed the challenges faced by kindergarten teachers in implementing STEM education. Their solution involved creating a "STEM Social Hub website" offering ready-made interactive games and stories, training and seminars for teachers and parents, a forum for teacher discussions, and a marketplace for STEM-related products. Their research included a Webropol survey and online market comparison, revealing a lack of existing services for comprehensive STEM training and teacher collaboration.
- "Balancing Clean-Label Snacks: STEM, Psychology & Student Demand": Liu Weile, Liu Yingying, and Feng Weiyi tackled the intriguing problem of student rejection of clean-label snacks due to taste and texture issues, framing it as both a STEM (food engineering) and psychological problem. Their solution proposed hands-on activities to make "clean" snacks with students, like Qingtuan, to learn science by doing. They also designed a taste test to see if labels influence perception and planned to develop an app to track feelings and guilt related to snack choices.
- "Difficulties in conducting STREAM education: Green Building education in Hong Kong": Lui Yan Hei, Sung Yee Man, Tai Sze Wing, Cheung Lok Hei, and Zhao Mingjie identified challenges in implementing Green Building education for gifted primary students in Hong Kong, including lack of interest, limited local green building samples, and students' timidness. Their proposed solution leveraged VR, games, interactive cartoons, and e-books to simulate the Urban Heat Island Effect and green building concepts. They also aimed to provide opportunities for students to design their own green buildings through project-based learning.
- "Minegarden: All-in-one application for addressing mental illness of high school students in Hong Kong": This team, comprised of Cheung Ho Kwan, Lee Yik Ip, Chow Tsz Kiu, Lo Yan Yiu, and Mak Lai Ki, focused on the pressing issue of mental health among Hong Kong high school students, driven by academic pressure, sleep deprivation, and inadequate support. Their "Minegarden" application concept included daily uplifting messages, a "cultivating crops" feature, a "tree hollow" for expressing thoughts, weekly self-reflection with mood tracking, a forum for communication, and an AI chatbot for emotional support and early detection of mental health issues.
Best Poster Award: Feng Weiyi’s Research Plan on Generative AI, Human Creativity, and Hybrid Lesson Planning
Feng Weiyi was awarded the Best Poster Award at the Summer University for her outstanding research plan exploring the intersections of generative AI and human creativity in education. Her work focused on comparing the strengths and limitations of AI-generated outputs with human-designed approaches, while also envisioning hybrid solutions that bring together the efficiency of AI and the irreplaceable originality of human thought. During the summer course, Feng Weiyi decided to apply for doctoral studies at the University of Jyväskylä, under the supervision of Dr. Kati Clements, Dr. Kristof Fenyvesi and Prof. Pekka Neittaanmäki.
Success and Next Steps
The success of the 2025 Summer School exemplifies the University of Jyväskylä and the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)'s commitment to fostering innovative thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration. By equipping future leaders with systematic creativity methods and practical problem-solving skills, we continue to contribute to impactful research and education that addresses the complex challenges of our world.
Check more at : https://www.jyu.fi/en/news/unesco-chairs-co-creation-with-the-education-university-of-hong-kong-and-further-leading