Microsoft Dream Space in Ireland is a programme that enables teachers and students to leverage technology in education. It provides workshops where students can interact hands-on with advanced technological tools to demonstrate their practical uses and foster interest in STEM fields.
Dream Space also prioritises teacher training, equipping educators with essential digital skills, knowledge and tools to incorporate technology to enrich students’ learning experiences.
Furthermore, Dream Space aims to extend its influence beyond the classroom by encouraging broader community engagement and a passion for ongoing technological education. Its reach among students and teachers highlights Microsoft’s commitment to transforming education and preparing a future-ready workforce.
IMI has been contracted to develop a series of theories of change to enable strategic impact planning for Microsoft Ireland Dream Space. Evaluating Dream Space’s effectiveness is crucial to understand its impact and to plan for the future. The overall project to establish a robust evidence base for the programme involves 3 stages, starting with a strategic impact review and theory of change development (Stage 1).
This will involve analysing how Dream Space is influencing learning and teaching outcomes across all programme strands, reviewing and applying available evidence and supporting research and theory to clarify pathways to impact from Dream Space activities, documenting examples and evidence of the impact of such initiatives on students, teachers, and the educational landscape within a theory of change framework, and offering strategic and practical recommendations to enhance the programme’s impact.