DeLorean Project By Rob Steffler

Educator: Rob Steffler

School: Glasshouse Christian College

Position: Dean of Learning & DeLorean Project Founder/Director

Rob Steffler receiving his certificate at the 2024 Next Gen National Awards Ceremony.

What Innovative Projects Or Practices Have You Implemented In Your Classroom Or School, And What Inspired You To Develop Them?

At GCC, I’ve founded and lead our Year 10 DeLorean Project Program, an entrepreneurship education program that transforms traditional schooling by focusing on the strategic, targeted, and explicit teaching and development of 'enterprise' skills.

Inspired by the need to equip students with transferable skills for a dynamic workforce, our program encourages students to identify areas of passion, explore problems, create innovative solutions and share them with the world. Next year marks the 10th year of the DeLorean Project, which supports about 90 students and 30 youth projects annually, fostering a problem-solving mindset and guiding students from idea inception to execution. Our program has an official partnership with the UniSC as well, supporting a number PhD mentorship placements for our students, allowing them to experience genuine research at a postgraduate level.

Can You Share Any Memorable Experiences Or Outcomes From Your Projects That Highlight Its Effectiveness In Preparing Students For Future Opportunities?

One memorable outcome that highlights our project’s effectiveness is RoomReadi, co-founded in 2024 by three students Liana, Jolie, and Holly, through the DeLorean Project program. RoomReadi is revolutionising retail by merging online convenience with in-store advantages, giving customers back their most valuable asset: time. This innovative platform lets shoppers enjoy digital browsing without environmental waste, while retailers welcome ‘warm leads’ into their stores.

The students’ groundbreaking work earned them the Emerging Entrepreneurs award at the 2024 Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards and an invitation to speak at the 2024 Forward Fest conference on the Sunshine Coast. They’re now collaborating with executives from major retailers to bring their SaaS product to market. The success of RoomReadi is just one example that demonstrates how our program effectively prepares students for future opportunities, equipping them with the skills and support to take their ideas into the real world.

How Do You Believe Your Innovative Practices Have Impacted The Overall School Community And Its Approach To Education?

Programs like the DeLorean Project as well as our Year 7 Open Learning Classroom (which I have led and managed the implementation of) provide opportunities to rethink our approach to education. The DeLorean Project has empowered students to become active learners and innovators, engaging them in real-world problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking. This has led to increased student engagement and the development of critical transferable skills, across a number of learning areas.

Our Year 7 Open Learning Classroom program has reimagined the traditional learning environment by promoting flexibility, interdisciplinary learning, and a focus on transferable skills. Teachers collaborate more closely to design and implement curricula, and students benefit from a more engaging and tailored educational experience. These programs have fostered a culture of creativity and continuous improvement within our school, encouraging both students and educators to embrace new ideas and methodologies that prepare them for future

How Do You Define Innovation In Education?

Innovation in education, to me, means rethinking how we teach and how students learn to better prepare them for a rapidly changing world. It’s our best attempt at remaining relevant in the process of equipping young people for their life's journey. It’s not just about using the latest technology or gadgets, but about introducing new ideas and methods that make learning more engaging, effective and ultimately, more relevant. By challenging traditional teaching models and being open to flexibility (and failure), we can make education more accessible, more meaningful, and more relevant to students. Did I use the word relevant enough? I’m not sure…

Looking Ahead, Are There Any Upcoming Projects Or Innovations You Have In Mind To Further Enhance The Educational Experience For Your Students? Absolutely! With our 10 year celebration of the DeLorean Project next year, we have a few really exciting opportunities that we are hoping to leverage. I will also continue to build our relationship with the University of the Sunshine Coast and I am working really hard to build a better pipeline of support on the Sunshine Coast for young people to pursue their innovations in the real world (that exists outside a particular school program but rather within the regional innovation ecosystem, making is more accessible to wider group of young people). I'm also looking forward to continuing to support RoomReadi and handful of other DeLorean teams who have decided to pursue their innovations beyond the end of our Year 10 program.

In What Ways Do You Encourage Other Educators To Embrace Innovation In Their Teaching Practices? I model it. I get beside my teachers and attempt to figure out how they think and what their hesitations might be to being more innovative. Often they are worried about failure, or about permission to do something different. As a Senior leader at our school, it's super important to reiterate our support for the messiness of innovation and that we have a safe environment to fail fast and iterate quickly without judgement or criticism. I then help teachers work through their ideas and model what it looks like to take action. Educators are far more innovative than we give them credit for, most of the time they just need permission to do it.

What Advice Would You Give To Other Educators Looking To Incorporate More Creativity And Innovation Into Their Teaching Practice?

My advice to educators is simple: just start. Use the resources and time you have, and don’t be deterred by limitations. Even small initiatives can have a big impact. Identify your students’ interests and passions, and give them autonomy to explore problems and develop solutions. Encourage a mindset that values creativity, flexibility, and persistence.

Accept that ideation can be messy and non-linear... embrace it! Engage with your community to find mentors and industry connections who can offer support and real-world insights. Partnerships enrich learning experiences and provide practical perspectives. Communicate the value of these projects to parents and stakeholders by highlighting how they develop essential, transferable skills for future challenges. Share success stories to build support.

Remember, innovation doesn’t require perfection, it requires action. Start small, learn from each step, and foster an environment where students feel empowered to explore and grow. Any progress is better than none.

Rob Steffler participated in our Next Gen Awards 2024 program and was one of our finalists for the Innovative Educator Of The Year category. To find out more about the Next Gen Awards and how your projects and initiatives can be showcased head to: www.nextgenoftheyear.com