La Salle Campus Barcelona, a founding member of Universitat Ramon Llull, hosted the closing sessions of DivInTech, the research project led by the La Salle campuses in Barcelona and Madrid that aims to improve the skills and social inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through a STEAM action-research methodology, using educational robotics as a tool adapted to different student profiles.
The final DivInTech session provided an opportunity to take stock, share the lessons learned during the implementation of the project in schools, identify the challenges encountered and collaboratively develop new proposals to further strengthen attention to diversity with the support of technology.
Educational institutions take part in the closing sessions
On 27 and 28 May, the DivInTech closing sessions were held at the La Salle-URL campus. The first day featured an institutional welcome from Ma Angels Laparte, Education Delegate of La Salle Catalunya, and an introduction to the agenda by David Fonseca, Principal Investigator of the project. Representatives from La Salle Seu d’Urgell, Colegio La Salle San Ildefonso – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Salle Sagrado Corazón and La Salle Horta then shared their experiences. Their contributions highlighted the richness and diversity of each educational context.
The second day adopted a participatory and creative approach through the activity 'The Robot Traffic Light', which helped identify the project's main achievements, challenges, obstacles and evidence. Finally, the activity 'The Bridge of Diversity' encouraged participants to look beyond the robot itself and explore how DivInTech's learnings can be transferred across the educational network.
"One of the most powerful messages to emerge from the meeting was that DivInTech is not seen as a closed project, but rather as a learning community under construction. Schools shared not only results, but also doubts, difficulties, adjustments and discoveries. This perspective helps us recognise that educational innovation is not simply about introducing technology, but about creating the conditions that give it meaning: planning, support, training, coordination with families, staff engagement and continuous adaptation to the reality of each student," explains Xavi Canaleta, Director of Educational Innovation at La Salle-URL.
The event concluded with a shared presentation of the main findings, an institutional closing lunch and a visit to the Interactive Arts & Science Laboratory (IASlab), La Salle-URL's pioneering laboratory for transdisciplinary research and artistic creation. In the words of David Fonseca, Principal Investigator of the DivInTech project: "Beyond assessing the project, the overall feeling is that we have built a bridge: between schools; between universities and educational institutions; between technology and pedagogy; and, above all, between different ways of understanding and supporting diversity."
DivInTech, a project that puts technology at the service of people
DivInTech is a project launched in 2023 and funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. From a multidisciplinary perspective at the intersection of Education Sciences, Psychology and ICT, it works to improve the social inclusion of students with ASD through the design, implementation, evaluation and scalability of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) activities in specially designed environments.
Throughout this period, DivInTech has consolidated a collaborative network with educational institutions from La Salle Distrito ARLEP to place technology at the service of people with ASD and contribute to generating a positive impact on society. As a result of the work carried out by the teams involved, the project took part in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Confederación de Autismo de España and has received media coverage from outlets such as Catalunya Ràdio and 3cat.
DivInTech concludes this phase with a wealth of valuable learning and the conviction that technology is a powerful ally for inclusion when it is designed, implemented and evaluated from a people-centred perspective. The challenge ahead is to continue expanding this network, consolidate the resources developed and support more institutions so that STEAM innovation continues to create real opportunities for all students.
