The Applied Learning Programme (ALP) helps students see how what they learn in class applies in the real world. It builds their motivation and sense of purpose to learn new knowledge and skills.
ALP is non-examinable. It focuses on applying knowledge and thinking skills, stretching students' imagination, and using these in real-world settings in society and industry.
STEM Inc supports schools enrolled in the STEM ALP programme. Depending on the school, STEM ALP is offered in one of the following themes:
Gaming is a large and fast-growing industry, with over 2 billion gamers worldwide. For many young people, it is also an entry point into coding, augmented reality (AR), and machine learning.
The Game Design & Making Applied Learning Programme (ALP) teaches students computational thinking and design frameworks. They use these to create educational games that are enjoyable, valuable, and useful for learning.
Students learn the components of a game and the stages of game development. They then build their own interactive experiences, such as a 3D flight simulator. These projects test creativity, logic, storytelling, situational thinking, and spatial awareness.
Projects are iterative. Students try, fail, and try again, and in the process they build collaboration and communication skills that are useful in future careers.
Singapore's population is ageing, and many working adults spend most of their day sitting. Both trends are linked to rising rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. Unhealthy food trends, driven by affluence and social media, make this worse.
Technology plays a part in sedentary lifestyles, but it can also improve wellbeing.
The Health Science Applied Learning Programme (ALP) teaches students to apply STEM to design health solutions. Examples include DIY step trackers, heart-rate monitors, blue-light filters, posture detectors, and educational games that promote fitness and nutrition.
Materials science combines engineering, physics, and chemistry. It studies how a material's structure, properties, processing, and applications are linked, across natural, synthetic, and composite materials.
This work leads to new products through research and design, such as non-creasing clothes, fully biodegradable plastics, and longer-lasting batteries.
The Materials Science Applied Learning Programme (ALP) teaches students tools and methods to create or modify materials and processes. Examples include breathable, reusable, high-filtration face masks and stain-resistant uniform fabrics.
Students learn through hands-on experiments and investigation. In the process, they build critical thinking and analytical skills to solve real-world problems.
Transportation connects people and goods by land, air, and sea. It underpins global supply chains and economies.
The Transportation Applied Learning Programme (ALP) teaches students how different modes of transport operate, what infrastructure they rely on, and which physical principles govern them. Examples include Bernoulli's principle for helicopter lift, buoyancy for ships, and magnetic levitation for trains. Students apply physics, engineering, and maths to design vehicles.
Students also explore innovations such as contactless payments and digital traffic management. Through hands-on projects, students build transport systems and programmes to solve real-world mobility challenges.
Over 4 billion people live in cities. Cities offer jobs and services, but they also face overcrowding, high costs, pollution, waste, obesity, and competition.
The Cities & Urban Landscape Applied Learning Programme (ALP) teaches students to tackle the challenges of urbanisation using design thinking and STEM.
Projects include:
By experimenting with technology and planning, students develop solutions that make cities more sustainable and resilient.
The Emerging Technologies Applied Learning Programme (ALP) explores how new technologies reshape daily life and help solve future challenges. These include artificial intelligence (AI), automation, 5G, biometrics, wearables, 3D printing, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Students study each technology's affordances (what it makes possible), its impact on society, and its cost-benefit trade-offs. They then research and prototype solutions through hands-on projects.
Examples include:
The programme builds students' skills to use and innovate with digital solutions that improve quality of life and address real-world problems.
Transportation is changing fast to meet demand for speed, convenience, and new frontiers, from space tourism to underwater habitats. Innovations such as autonomous vehicles, hyperloops, cargo drones, and gyroscopic air taxis promise faster and more varied ways to travel.
The Future of Transportation Applied Learning Programme (ALP) teaches students engineering, physics, and technology. They use these to:
Students learn through hands-on experimentation, and use it to solve tomorrow's transport challenges today.
The Health & Food Science theme combines programming and technology with biology and chemistry. Students use them to solve real-world health and food challenges.
Students study food analysis, microbiology, food processing, preservation, and molecular gastronomy. They then prototype solutions.
Examples include:
Through hands-on, try-fail-try projects, students innovate to improve wellbeing and strengthen food security.
Rapid urbanisation and population growth are putting pressure on water, food, and energy resources. This makes sustainability essential.
Renewable energy sources and good resource management reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biofuel.
Singapore has few natural resources. It uses NEWater (recycled water), desalination, and solar energy to meet its needs.
The Sustainability Applied Learning Programme (ALP) builds students' awareness and practical skills in energy conservation, energy conversion, and programming. Students work on hands-on projects such as:
These projects help prepare students to design sustainable solutions for real-world challenges.
Find out more about them by clicking on their respective school names.