Teacher FAQs

General information

What’s the benefit for students?

Students sometimes struggle to see the applications of the things they learn in science and maths lessons, especially if they don’t currently have STEM-related aspirations.

In the ExoMars Rover Zone, students:

• See that engineers are normal people, with hobbies and interests just like them
• Are shown the wide range of careers within engineering — it’s not about spanners and hard hats
• Find out what it’s like working on the ExoMars Rover, through two live chats with the engineers to see how the project is progressing
• Guide the event — they ask the questions and vote for the winning engineers
• Have equal voice — even those too shy to speak up in class can use the text-based platform to connect with engineers

Don’t just take our word for it — take a look at some teacher case studies to see how I’m an Engineer can truly make a difference to students.

 

Who can take part?

Students lead the conversations in I’m an Engineer, which means all age groups, ability levels, and backgrounds are able to get something out of taking part. The activity is open to:

• Year 5 to Year 11
• Special schools, pupil referral units and other non-mainstream educational settings

 

How much time will it take?

We provide all the resources and materials needed.

We recommend spending at least 4 hours on the event. This will be one introductory lesson, one piece of homework (we suggest reading engineers’ profiles and posting questions in ASK) and two lessons of live chat with the engineers.

Be warned: most teachers, when asked what they would do differently next time, said ‘spend more time on I’m an Engineer’.

 

Do I need any special software or equipment?

All you need are computers with internet access for your students. The live chats are text-based (no video or audio needed) and run through this site.

We have had reports that some school networks have been blocking the live chat. To make sure they will work on your system, ask your IT department to add these URLs to your school network whitelist:

*.imascientist.org.uk
*.imascientist.ie
*.iaeuk.ddev.site
*.imamedic.uk
*.googleapis.com
*.gserviceaccount.com
gstatic.com
firebaseapp.com
firebaseio.com
*.firebaseio.com

 

How secure is it?

No personal details are shared on the site, and we moderate all content on the site. The only students who can log in are those who’ve been given access by their teacher.

You can read our safeguarding statement and see further information about the safety of taking your students online.

 

How can I get in touch?

We’d love to hear from you! Contact Jen via email: jen@mangorol.la or call the office on 01225 326 892.

We’re big Twitter fans, so if you’ve got a quick question, or one you think other teachers might also want to know the answer to, you can tweet us @IAEGMOOH.

 

Taking part in the activity

How do I book a live chat?

Once you’ve received your log in details from us and we’ve confirmed your place on the next event, you’ll need to visit the Live Chat Booking page and fill in the form found there.

You can book two 30-minute live chats per allocated class. The first can be booked between 6th January – 3rd April 2020, and the second between 20th April – 10th July.

There’s usually around 3 engineers online for each chat. If no one is available at your booking time, we’ll be in touch with you to rearrange.

To cancel or rearrange your chat booking for any reason, please get in touch by email: jen@mangorol.la or phone us on 01225 326 892 ASAP. We need to let the engineers know and allow them to get back to their day jobs!

See how the Chats work:

 

How do students ask a question?

Students need to be logged in to send a questions to engineer through ASK. Once logged in, students can click the ‘ASK’ button to type their question and choose which of the engineers to send it to.

Watch the video to see ASK in action:

 

I’m having trouble accessing the live chat. What should I do?

Students can access the chat by clicking the ‘Chat’ button at the top of the page. They need to be logged in to be able to type. You can also join in the chat through your teacher account.

We open the chat five minutes before the booked start time. If your booked chat hasn’t opened on time, or you can see the chat but your students can’t type, let us know as soon as possible by calling 01225 326892.

You can ask students to do a hard refresh (Ctrl + F5) on the live chat page and make sure they are all using their individual logins.

 

Can I get a transcript of my live chat?

Yes! Once your live chat has ended, you’ll be taken to a page where you can click a button to download the full transcript. You need to be logged in as a teacher to do this.

If you close the page before you get a chance to download the transcript, drop Jen an email (jen@mangorol.la) with your school’s name and the date and time of your live chat.

 

Can my students log in outside of their lesson times?

Certainly! They can log in anywhere with an internet connection to ask questions, read answers and post comments.

We are also running extra, after school chats as an opportunity to involve parents and carers in what you are doing in school. Students can log in from home and introduce their friends and families to the engineers. Look out for emails during the event letting you know when this will be. More information.