The Futureproof CD-ROM project is part of a larger partnership project called HE Full Circle, which is funded by the regeneration agency Advantage West Midlands. The aim of the CD-ROM is to raise aspirations among school pupils in the Stoke and Staffordshire area. This is part of a range of widening participation initiatives in the region aimed at increasing the number of local graduates.

Futureproof is a fully networkable interactive classroon resource aimed at pupils in Key Stage 4 and gives general information about university life. It was developed to complement the curriculum for PSHE, but is a flexible resource which schools can use in many ways.

The program is broken down into seven sections:
TELL ME ABOUT IT: students talk about their experiences of higher education
VIRTUALLY THERE: users can explore a virtual campus
SKINT?: users learn about student finance in a fun game
WHAT'S YOUR BAG?: users complete a fun quiz to find out what kind of course might suit them
CHILL: users find out about social life by visiting a Students' Union fair
LET ME IN: information about getting into higher education.

Futureproof is being made available free of charge to state schools in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, and it is hoped we can extent its use further through partnerships and our licensing scheme.

Each CD is accompanied by a detailed teachers' pack including national curriculum information, lesson plans and factsheets.

Futureproof fits into a suite of new media products aimed at bringing university into the secondary school curriculum at each Key Stage. New media is an ideal way to bring information to pupils en-masse in a way which they find entertaining and engaging.

The product was developed with young people to ensure that the look and feel would appeal to them and that the content was appropriate. The CD was developed by Kate Fox at Keele and programmed by Manchester based company Code Computer Love.

For information on Keele's other new media products, existing and planned, please refer to the new media page.

For information on licensing the product for your area please see our licensing page. For other queries about the Futureproof package please email us at Keele.