About us
Researching what works in education and putting it into practice.
Why STEP UP?
STEP UP grew from a belief that education can be both rigorous and genuinely engaging - and that access to high-quality learning should not depend on where a student goes to school or what opportunities happen to be available to them.
It began when UNSW Professors Isabella Dobrescu and Alberto Motta developed Playconomics to help university students learn economics through decision-making in a simulated world. The strong response from students raised a bigger question: could the same approach help more young people build confidence, skills and pathways into further education?
That question became STEP UP. Today, we work with schools to deliver free, game-based learning while using real-world evidence to understand what helps students engage, learn and progress. By combining research with delivery, STEP UP can test ideas in the environments where they matter most - and turn what works into programs that can reach more students.
Meet the people behind STEP UP
STEP UP brings together researchers, educators and outreach specialists committed to improving how education is designed, delivered and experienced.
Meet the team and discover the expertise they bring to our research, programs and partnerships.
Explore what we do
Discover how STEP UP combines research, school outreach and game-based learning to test new ideas and make education more engaging and accessible.
Playconomics
Learn economic and financial literacys by making decisions in an immersive massive multiplayer online (MMO) game. Students explore real-world concepts, test different choices and see the results unfold in real time as they play.
Outreach in schools
STEP UP gives Year 9–12 students free access to university-level economic and financial literacy learning, with online materials and support that make it easy for schools to take part.
The research behind the program
Explore the experiments and evidence showing how game-based learning, feedback and online activity can improve student engagement, learning and support.
Get involved with STEP UP
Support our outreach work
Help STEP UP reach more students and schools, improve economic and financial literacy and create lasting opportunities for communities experiencing disadvantage. Philanthropic support allows us to expand our programs, test what works and turn research into meaningful outcomes for young people.
Contribute to our research
Contribute to an interdisciplinary research agenda combining theory, empirical analysis and randomised controlled trials. We invite researchers to reach out and work with our network across UNSW and the wider community to design, test and share new approaches to education.