NBN Co STEM+X
initiative report
How access to services over the nbn™
broadband access network is opening up
a world of online education opportunities.

About this report
This report was developed by NBN Co, the company building
Australia’s broadband access network and reports on the
STEM-X initiative undertaken by NBN Co and the ABCN.
About NBN Co

About ABCNNBN Co (the company) was establishedon 9 April 2009 to design, build andoperate Australia’s new broadband accessnetwork.

The Australian Business and Community
Network (ABCN) is a not-for-profit
organisation established in 2005 thatconnects business with disadvantaged
education through mentoring andpartnership programs.

NBN Co is a wholly owned
Commonwealth company – a Government
Business Enterprise – and is represented
by Shareholder Ministers: the Minister
for Communications and the Minister for
Finance.

Contents

2

Visit www.nbn.com.au for more
information about NBN Co.

1

Foreword by NBN Co’s Chief Network
Deployment Officer Kathrine Dyer

4

2

Background of the NBN Co STEM+X initiative

6

3

Rollout of the STEM+X initiative

8

4

Key insights from the STEM+X initiative

10

5

Our school presentations

14

6

For parents: supporting STEM

18

7

A strong foundation for an uncertain future

18

8

Methodology

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NBN Co STEM+X initiative report

ABCN works with a network of publicschools across Australia to deliver arange of critical skills, employability andleadership programs that involve businessprofessionals mentoring students.
Visit www.abcn.com.au for more
information about ABCN.

© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

3

Foreword
Here at NBN Co, my colleagues and I are
passionate about helping to bridge thedigital divide, whether it is between young
and old, city and country, or Australia andthe rest of the world.
We are proud to say that since connecting
the first homes and businesses some six
years ago, Australia has soared up theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development ranks when it comesto internet equality, jumping from 29th
in 2012 to 17th today. We forecast that
Australia will rank in the top 10 in 20211.
Providing broadband access to areas thatwere deprived of it or had inadequate
access helps drive helps drive economic
and social benefits by supporting
employment, health, agriculture, business,
emergency services and education.
For education, we see the nbn™
broadband access network opening up
a world of learning opportunities online.
This includes gaining access to theinternet for the first time, being able toparticipate in online courses and longdistance education, or benefiting from theincreased employment opportunities of aremote workforce.

4

NBN Co STEM+X initiative report

This couldn’t be more important thanacross regional and remote Australia
where we are doing our bit to help
level the playing field with the city. We
have worked hard to bring broadband
connectivity to regional communities
so they can seize economic and social
opportunities from their hometowns.
The STEM+X initiative has been developedin partnership with the Australian Business
and Community Network (ABCN) in orderto get students from eight underserved
schools around the country excitedabout the possibilities of learning science,technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM), by combining it with their hobbies
and passions: the ‘X’ in ‘STEM+X’.

Through access to services over the nbn™
access network and creating awarenessof the importance of STEM learning, wewant to encourage Australians to leverage
this broadband connectivity, plan for the
future and prosper in the digital economy.
Kathrine Dyer
Chief Network Deployment Officer
NBN Co1.

Connecting Australia report: the nation’s first social andeconomic study into the impact of the nbn™ accessnetwork, which was conducted by data analytics
and economics firm AlphaBeta (and commissioned
by NBN Co).

It is predicted that one in two
Australians will need online skills
such as programming and softwaredevelopment to remain competitive inthe 2030 workforce.2 Therefore, getting
students energised about learning STEM
subjects will be absolutely critical to their
future success.

“One in two Australians
are predicted to need online
skills such as programming andsoftware development to remaincompetitive in the 2030 workforce.
NBN Co’s Chief Network Deployment Officer
Kathrine Dyer

© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

5

40

%

97

%

Prior to the commencement of theinitiative, only 40 per cent of the
170 student survey participants said
they understood how STEM affectedthings they were passionate about.
After the completion of the initiative,
this figure rose to 97 per cent.

Backgroundof the NBN Co STEM+X
initiative
Why STEM?
Science, Technology, Engineering andMaths (STEM) lay the foundation for theway we view and make sense of the world,
teaching critical and creative thinking
as well as problem-solving. These skills
are crucial to the workforce of the futurewith 75 per cent of the fastest-growing
occupations requiring STEM skills3 and thecontribution of digital technologies to theAustralian economy forecast to be $139
billion, or seven per cent of Australia’s
gross domestic product, by 2020.4
Despite STEM skills being in highdemand for future economic growth inAustralia, there is a decline in the numberof students studying STEM-related
disciplines in secondary school andbeyond. A significant gender and socioeconomic imbalance also exists in take-up
of STEM subjects: 2009 data shows year
12 students from low socio-economic
schools are almost 30 per cent less likely
to undertake STEM studies in year 12 thanhigh socio-economic schools.5

6

NBN Co STEM+X initiative report

Research has also shown that
understanding the diverse range ofapplications of computer science, and its
opportunity for positive social impact, is
important in encouraging young women
into this field.6 That is why this is the‘STEM+ X’ initiative as the ‘+X’ relates
to how the personal passions of thestudents can be enhanced through STEM
disciplines. It enables students to maketheir learning personal and integrate
their passions.
The NBN Co STEM+X initiative focuses
on students aged 10 and 11 to inspire theirinterests in STEM-related subjects, wellahead of when students begin to identify
their own specialisms and consider theiroptions for higher education.

Collaboration: NBN Co,
ABCN and How Ridiculous
Access to fast broadband over the
nbn™ access network is helping to breakgeographical barriers and is enablingchildren in regional Australia to access aworld of education resources remotely.
NBN Co recognised the need to show
students how STEM was applicable intheir daily lives and how STEM subjects,
combined with their own interests andpassions, could help create future careers.
NBN Co teamed up with ABCN and
YouTube influencers How Ridiculous to
execute the NBN Co STEM+X initiative.

ABCN has a proven track record of driving
passion for STEM among school-age
Australians, having developed STEM skill
strategies that bring STEM subjects to life
in partnership with some of Australia’s
biggest corporate organisations.
With over 2.8 million YouTube subscribers,
How Ridiculous are a group of three
Australians, who are passionate about
making a difference. Their content spansscience, technology and social giving,
and they enjoy a particular reverence
among young people. Bringing How
Ridiculous on the NBN Co STEM+X
journey undoubtedly increased the ‘funfactor’ for participating students.

2.

NBN Co and the Regional Australia Institute, The future of work – setting kids up for success (2016)3.

Becker, K. and Park, K., Effects of integrative approaches among STEM subjects on students’ learning, Journal of STEM
education (volume 12 – issues 5&6, July–September 2011)

4.

Deloitte Access Economics, Australia’s Digital Pulse 20175.

Lamb S., et al, Educational opportunity in Australia 2015: Who succeeds and who misses out

6.

Google, Women who choose computer science – what really matters (2014)© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

7

Rollout of the
STEM+X initiative
Launched in February 2018, the NBN
Co STEM+X initiative saw students fromeight underserved schools across thecountry tasked with developing an idea
to help brighten their community’s orAustralia’s future by attempting to solve
real-world challenges.
Students undertook a full day workshop,
facilitated by NBN Co and ABCN, tonurture and grow their understanding of
STEM as well as take their project brief.
Following three months of brainstorming,
students then saw their hard work
come to fruition when they presented
their ideas via an nbn™ access networkconnected video conference, to a panel of
STEM experts at the nbn™ Futurists’ Fair
in Sydney.

8

NBN Co STEM+X initiative report

The STEM experts were made up of NBN
Co’s Chief Network Officer Kathrine Dyer,
ABCN’s Chief Executive Officer Allegra
Spender, as well as Scott Gaunson andBrett Standord from the YouTube channel
How Ridiculous.
This report provides the perspective of
those schools around Australia about thechallenges and opportunities in engaging
students in STEM.

“

Through the STEM+X initiative, our aim
was to inspire students to focus on
having a growth mindset, innovation,
collaboration and creativity when tacklingproblems and challenges because these
are the skills that will equip themfor the STEM jobs of
the future.

”

ABCN’s Chief Executive Officer
Allegra Spender© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

9

Workshop
I understand how STEM affects the world I live in.

35%

92%

I can see how STEM is connected to my everyday life and things I am passionate about.

40%

91%

I understand how the internet can help with my STEM learning.

53%

93%

Percentage of students
who strongly agreed withthe statement before theWorkshop/Futurists’ Fair
Percentage of students
who strongly agreed withthe statement after theWorkshop/Futurists’ Fair

Key insightsfrom theSTEM+X
initiative

I am excited about learning more about STEM.

72%

94%

I know what STEM stands for.

62%
96%

Futurists’ Fair
I understand how the internet can help with my STEM learning.

54%
93%
I can see how STEM is connected to my everyday life and things I am passionate about.

39%
97%
I am interested in STEM subjects.

58%

96%

I am able to come up with creative solutions to problems.

44%
92%
I can communicate and present my ideas to others.

49%

85%

I have a greater ability to work together as a team.

65%

Student insights

By Allegra Spender, Chief Executive Officer, ABCN

Businesses and governments alike arededicating resources to developing STEM
skills in children and their educators. They
are also providing the bricks-and-mortar
as well as technology infrastructureneeded for the cultivation of STEM skills.
However, even though there is much
activity taking place, little focus has been
given to addressing the STEM issue inunderserved schools where there is thegreatest need. This is where ABCN sees
the greatest opportunity to make an
impact in conjunction with partners suchas NBN Co.
Students at underserved schools arenotably lagging behind their peers
in STEM studies. For example, datacollected in 2009 for year 12 students
from underserved schools show they arealmost 30 per cent less likely to undertake
STEM studies in year 12 than their peers at
higher socio-economic schools.
We have mentored students alongside
NBN Co and have seen a marked increasein their attitudes and understanding of
STEM as well as the importance of it forthe jobs they may have in the future.
Throughout the STEM+X initiative, we
worked closely with NBN Co to measure
the effectiveness and impact of theinitiative on those involved.

Indicative of the potential long-term
impact that the initiative may have had on
participants, 78 per cent of students said
they were somewhat to highly likely to
pursue a STEM-related career. In addition,
our measurements revealed the following:• A career in STEM: on completion of theinitiative, 78 per cent of students rated
themselves as somewhat to highly likely
to pursue a STEM-related career.
• Understanding STEM: on completion,
93 per cent of students said they
understood how access to fast
broadband could help them with their
STEM learning, compared to 53 percent of students prior.
• Creative thinking: 93 per cent ofstudents said they were now able tocome up with creative solutions toproblems, compared to 44 per cent ofstudents prior to taking part.
• Communication skills: 85 per cent ofstudent said they were now able tocommunicate and present their ideas
to others, compared to 49 per cent ofstudents prior.
• Relevant to their passions: oncompletion, 97 per cent of students
said they could see how STEM wasconnected to their everyday lives
and the things they are passionate
about, compared to 39 per cent ofstudents prior.
Not only was the STEM+X initiative an
engaging way to teach students STEM
skills, it made a positive impact on all who
took part, with all the students agreeingthat they would tell their friends about
the kick-off workshop and many agreeing
they would use design thinking to solve
problems in the future.

96%
10

NBN Co STEM+X initiative report© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

11

Teacher insights
Many of the teachers involved in theinitiative talked about the increased focus
on learning and sense of empowerment
from taking part.
Teachers involved agreed or strongly
agreed that, as a result of the nbn™
Futurists’ Fair, students demonstrated:• a greater understanding of the link
between STEM and their passions andinterests;• a greater interest in STEM subjects;• a greater ability to apply STEM skills
such as creativity, critical thinking andproblem-solving to a group task.

“I want to extend our appreciation for thethought, organisation, professionalism,
and amazing opportunity that our
school has been fortunate to have been
involved in. This has been one of thoseopportunities that our kids will look backon when they are 30 or 40 and say,‘remember when...!’ when our kids arethat age, things will probably be that far
advanced with technology that they will
have a great laugh!
We are so appreciative of the zest andengagement that this project created. I
must say that it isn’t over, though, as the
kids of Invermay Primary School are trying
to get sponsors to get their app up andgoing!”
With appreciation,
Tony Brazendale
Principal, Invermay Primary School
Launceston, Tas“

We love thefact that the STEM+X
initiative is all about helping young
Aussies, regardless of where they live,
develop their skills in a variety of areas to enable
them to flourish in our complex modern world.
We’ve been fortunate to have had many great
opportunities afforded to us and we’re stoked
that this campaign has provided similarly great
opportunities for kids in Australia.
How Ridiculous Co-founder
Brett Stanford

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NBN Co STEM+X initiative report”© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

13

Our school presentations
The following schools presented their
STEM+X ideas via an nbn™ accessnetwork-connected videoconference
to a panel of STEM experts at the nbn™
Futurists’ Fair in Sydney.

Invermay Primary School,
Launceston, Tas.

Beaconsfield Primary School,
Freemantle, WA
Glenorchy Primary School,
Hobart, Tas.
Students were passionate about raisingawareness of plastic waste and createdan app for teachers to track how muchplastic is coming into their classrooms via
students’ lunch boxes.
They used gamification to incentivise
students and parents as a reward for
reducing the amount of plastic being sent
to schools in lunch boxes each week.
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“We have used this initiative as an
exemplar to teach how to use inquirybased learning to cue children into
STEM and link children’s learning totheir passions.”
Wendy Potter, principal

Canadian Lead
Primary School,
Ballarat, Vic.

Students developed an app to capture
and communicate fundraising efforts fortheir local community. For the students at
Beaconsfield Primary School, this would
be applied to support a range of initiatives
to benefit the school such as a new
drinking fountain or funding for children to
go on a school camping trip.
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“An understanding that if they all work
together they can identify and resolvea problem.”Janette Tuttle, teacher

Townsville Central
State School,Townsville, Qld
Students designed a sustainable ‘dream
shelter’ to protect students while outside,using motifs of coral found on the Great
Barrier Reef. In addition, they engineered
circuits to incorporate into the school’sbuilding design that will sound an alarm if
a door or window is left open, therefore
conserving energy.
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“Skills to help them work in a group anda greater understanding of STEM in
the workforce.”

Based on extensive research into
environmental science, including futurescenario reports from the CSIRO, thestudents of Invermay Primary School
used real-world scientific data to enquire
about the impact humans have on theenvironment. They then designed an app
that scans the logos and barcodes on
rubbish found in the environment, andusers receive game points in an effort toencourage people to reduce pollution.
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“This has been one of those opportunities
that our kids will look back on when they
are 30 or 40 and say, ‘remember when...!’”
Tony Brazendale, principal

Para Hills Primary School,
Adelaide, SA
At Para Hills Primary, the students areaware some families need a little extra
support to afford the essential items
required for attending school. Theydeveloped a website called ‘School
Savers’, which aims to provide students
with basic school supplies, clothing andother items they may not have otherwise
been able to afford. The items would be
funded by donations from organisations
and individuals.”
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“The ability to break down their thinking
processes and the link between their
passion/future, and their current learningand development.”

The students at Canadian Lead developed
a prototype of an app based around a
program called ‘The Zones of Regulation’.
The app is designed to help children(and adults) regulate their behaviours,
emotions and feelings, and would benefit
the school and the wider community tocombat bullying.
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“Greater understanding of the impact of
STEM for now and into the future for theirown career prospects.”
Darlene Cameron, principal

Islington Public School,
Newcastle, NSW
Based on extensive research, including
engaging with scientists and otherenvironmental experts, students usedsoftware to model possible pollutionreduction solutions to create a new
rubbish trap/boom for a local creek.
Groups began modelling an app to assist
in educating people about the value ofplastic reduction, re-use and recycling aswell as developing a web page hosting
content created by the students with
their learnings.
The most important thing students
gained from the initiative:“Seeing themselves as capable ofmaking change in their community
and world. Seeing they can accessinformation through experts when
they get stuck. Pursuing an idea andworking collaboratively.”Georgie Read, teacher

Brooke Taylor, teacher

Liam Dunn, teacher
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NBN Co STEM+X initiative report© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

15

Winning school:
Leanyer Primary School
Darwin, NT

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NBN Co STEM+X initiative report

The ‘Tech-X’ team at Leanyer
Primary School has created asolar and wind power-generating
connective phone case andapp with customisable drone tosupport community safety during
extreme weather disasters. In
the event of an emergency, suchas a bushfire or flood, the user
would be able to connect withemergency services and have adrone deliver a care package towherever they are.

This is particularly useful insituations where the person isin a remote or hard-to-reachlocation and ensures they receive
emergency supplies until they
can get to safety or can bereached by emergency services.
The judges thought the idea
was extremely well researched
and thought-through. The
presentation was delivered
with energy, enthusiasm andprofessionalism. The video
showed a depth of creativity
and was well produced. The
use of the charger and drone
prototypes helped visualise
how it would be used in an
emergency. All judges thought
the idea was multi-layered andhad real-world potential.

The most important thing
students gained fromthe initiative:“Students and staff engaged
completely in developing skills,
knowledge and understandings
in STEM. The project learning
process was a wonderful
opportunity, particularly having
experts at hand to assist thedevelopment of skills andknowledge.“
Leah Crawford, principal© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

17

For parents:
supporting
STEM
With increased connectivity rolling out
across the nation over the nbn™ accessnetwork, parents and guardians can use
online tools and resources to bolster
their child’s STEM education at homeand help kids to apply their passions to
STEM. There is an array of great free
online resources available such as Khan
Academy, Little Bins for Little Hands, ABC
Splash, Code.org and Ask Dr Universe.
Because STEM is integrated with all
aspects of life, there’s a lot you can doat home to help your child build on theskills they will learn at school and to make
STEM fun and exciting. Whether it is an
online video tutorial, a simple conversationin the kitchen, a STEM-related activity or
an experiment in the garden, there aremany ways to get children involved with
STEM.

Simple conversations with your children
can be started with questions like:• Why do you think this happens?
• How do you think that works?
• What do you think might happen?
Online resources and platforms such
as Google and YouTube are helpful tofind answers to questions and explore
STEM activities outside the classroom.
Many home-based activities promote
the development of STEM skills, fromgardening and cooking to playing with
Lego and other construction toys.
NBN Co and ABCN believe that, alongwith fast broadband, preparing children
by including forward-thinking subjects
within the umbrella of STEM is critical forthe future of Australia.

A strong foundation for
an uncertain future
By the year 2030, one in two
Australians are predicted to need online
skills to remain competitive in the future
workforce.
This is why it’s vital that the entire
community encourages the learningof STEM skills and why access toservices over the nbn™ access network
is fundamental to supporting today’s
education of tomorrow’s workforce in
STEM subjects.
If students are to develop a lifelong
engagement with STEM, they mustsee how it relates to their unique
circumstances and aspirations.

Through NBN Co’s STEM+X initiative,
not only are we showcasing thebenefits of improved connectivity,
we are also providing a platform foryoung Australians to think about thechallenges of today and the technologythat might be utilised to tackle thosechallenges.
With such a positive outcome fromthe initiative, we are confident we arecontributing to inspiring our future
workforce around the importance andrelevance of STEM.

We encourage all loved ones to think of
how they can link STEM learning to theinterests of young Australians in their lives.
The most important thing you can do is toencourage curiosity, creative thinking andproblem-solving, as well as encouraging
children that they could be good at STEM.

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NBN Co STEM+X initiative report© 2018 NBN Co Ltd.

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Research methodology
One hundred and seventy students from eight schools across Australia took part in the evaluation of the
NBN Co STEM+X initiative. Students and teachers were surveyed at three points throughout the campaign
period: before and after the workshops as well as after the nbn™ Futurists’ Fair.

This report was published by NBN Co, the company building Australia’s broadband access network.
© 2018 NBN Co Ltd. ‘nbn’, ‘bring it on’, ‘Sky Muster’, ‘gen nbn’ and the Aurora device are trademarks of NBN Co Ltd.
ABN 86 136 533 741
Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ broadband access network, depends on the technology overwhich services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control (like your equipment quality, software, signal
quality, broadband plan and how your service provider designs its network).
Copyright: This document is subject to copyright and must not be used except as permitted below or under the Copyright Act 1968
(CTH). You must not reproduce or publish this document in whole or in part for commercial gain without prior written consent of
NBN Co Ltd. You may reproduce or publish this document in whole or in part for educational or non-commercial purposes.