ALPER-EU Piloting to Schools’ Summer Clubs and After Class Activities

The 1st Piloting of the ALPER-EU Curriculum for the European project 2025-1-EL01-KA220-SCH-000351019 titled “K12 Agile Learning of Programming with Educational Robotics”, funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ KA220SCH programme, is being held in the Digital Literacy Centre (DDLTS) with the participation of leading educational institutions, universities and schools, including also the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports of Greece, the University of Malta, the Hellenic Mediterranean University from Greece, Osnovna Skola Pecine from Croatia, as well as teachers and students from schools’ summer clubs from Malta.

The ALPER-EU pilot to schools’ summer clubs, which is taking place from 26–27th August, 2026, brings together educators and experts from three European countries to provide professional development in the modern teaching of programming through agile teaching methodologies and educational robotics.

Within the pilot program, educational robotics is utilised to teach earthquake concepts by constructing and programming models that simulate primary and secondary seismic waves. Students also explore structural engineering principles, examining how specific building design features withstand earthquakes of varying intensities and durations. In another experiment the focus falls on mechanical and software engineering where educational robots are used to manufacture and programme a safebox.

In that project focus shifts on the demanding mechanical building of the safebox using a more complex programming algorithm for its secure operation. The two agile sprints use comparatively two different educational robots, WeDo2 and SpikePrime, respectively, aimed at primary and middle school students in a comparative study searching for the lower age limit of use for either of them. Teachers are actively engaged in the teaching project led by ALPER-EU expert members. 

The ALPER-EU project is implemented by a consortium of eight organisations from five EU countries. The partnership is characterised by strong complementarity, combining educational policy development, academic research, and classroom implementation.

The consortium includes:

• The Directorate for Digital Literacy and Transversal Skills (DDLTS), contributing expertise in digital education innovation; 
• The Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), ensuring alignment with national educational policy; 
• The University of Malta, providing scientific and pedagogical support; 
• Osnovna Škola Pećine, bringing experience from the practical implementation of educational robotics; 
• Agrupamento de Escolas Terras do Ave, contributing extensive experience in STEM projects; 
• Šiaulių Dermės Mokykla, a special education school offering expertise in inclusive education and serving as a model of good practice; 
• The STEM-LABELED 47th Primary School of Heraklion, strengthening links with educational practice and European innovation networks; 
• The Hellenic Mediterranean University, serving as project coordinator and providing the scientific and technological foundation of the project. 

ALPER-EU aims to contribute substantially to the development of a modern European model for teaching programming by fostering students’ creativity, collaboration, and digital skills from an early age. At the same time, it places particular emphasis on supporting teachers and ensuring that educational policy makers actively listen to and address the real needs and challenges educators face in their daily teaching practice.