A growing number of research studies, teacher surveys and school case studies undertaken in Australia and America show the impact that Makers Empire’s pedagogically sound and differentiated approach to learning is having on influencing learning outcomes for students.
Researchers observed high levels of creativity in 71% of lessons
Researchers observed high levels of design thinking in 64% of lessons
Researchers observed high levels of problem-solving in 58% of lessons
I don’t think there was one child in the group that didn’t achieve something with it… Also, there was never a problem with them going back and doing something again. If this was a writing project and I asked them, ‘can you go back and redo this?’, the kids would groan. But, if we said, ‘I really like the way you did this but can you go back and try this?’, they would.”
Teacher, Australia
There is much research indicating that spatial skills are strongly linked to future performance in STEM fields. So improving students’ spatial reasoning skills helps improve their chances of a STEM career.
A class of students more than tripled their ability to design with symmetry in spatial reasoning.
A class of students improved their ability to identify connections between shapes by 48% in spatial reasoning.
A class of students doubled their ability to sequentially describe their design steps.
“Through (Makers Empire), my after-school STEM club has gained interest to where students had to be put on a waiting list. Students have discussed participating in STEM clubs in middle school and high school as well as more interest in engineering type careers.”
100% of lessons observed had high levels of student engagement
94% of students wanted to keep using Makers Empire after school for fun or work.
“Makers Empire is a real leveller for all children to meet with success. You can make it as big or as narrow as you like and every child can meet with success…Makers Empire elevates children to feel good about themselves,”
Teacher, Australia
99% of teachers identified positive links between students’ literacy &/or numeracy and using Makers Empire
The number of teachers with a strong to extensive understanding of Design Thinking increased from 42% to 76%
The number of teachers feeling “very confident” in their ability to teach STEM increased from 23.9% to 34%.
“The majority of my kids, when they started the school year, were more than a year and a half behind in reading and Maths. And (because of) what I’ve been able to do with Makers Empire and 3D design this year, many of my kids have grown more than a year and a half. With this program, I’m being able to close that gap for these kids,”
Teacher, USA
Makers Empire’s built in assessment tools make it easier to monitor and assess students’ design work.
89% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that the “built-in assessment tools help them do their job better.”
89% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that the “built-in assessment tools will reduce the time they spend assessing student’s designs.”
89% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that “it is easy to use the assessment tools.”
“I’m loving the assessment option in Makers Empire, especially the bulk assessment – it is so easy and useful and I can personalize it and make it personal or private. What a great feature!”
91% of special needs students displayed above average level of creativity and effort using Makers Empire
100% of special needs students displayed significantly above average level of creativity and effort in their designs
82% of special needs students displayed significantly above average level of achievement in the quality of their work
“My STEM class is a place where ALL students can participate and create. Makers Empire has helped level this playing field and create equality among my students.”
For a custom project with multiple NSW schools, Makers Empire created custom curriculum and lesson plans aligned to the local NSW curriculum.
The number of teachers feeling “very confident” in their ability to teach the new NSW K-6 Science & Technology Syllabus increased by a factor of 4.
The number of teachers reporting a strong to extensive understanding of the new NSW K-6 Science & Technology Syllabus increased by a factor of 3.
The number of teachers reporting a strong to extensive understanding of maker pedagogy increased by a factor of 7.
