Has anyone been involved in Makerspace at the University Level? I was reading online and notice that several universities are talking about that. For the most part this is in Lower and Middle school but it seems to be moving out into universities as well. Is this necessary or not? Your thoughts please!
Hello @Mardene, I have also been reading about Makerspace, and what came to my mind when I read your question is should we be encouraging more Edisons or Teslas. Edison was one who tinkered and found 10000 ways that did not work, but Tesla worked with his mind, in his mind, and perfected things in his mind. Whether we should have Makerspaces in universities would depend on the particular institution, and the need for it, and resources that it possesses.
I think maker spaces are necessary in universities especially if the university is utilizing outcomes-based education system. There are actually good articles available on the web regarding university maker spaces. Please see the links.
https://www.asee.org/file.../A_Review_of_University_Maker_Spaces.pdf
https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/53812/asee_2015_full_paper_university_maker_spaces_discovery_optimization_and_measurement_of_impacts.pdf?sequence=1
https://web.stanford.edu/group/design_education/wikiupload/0/0a/Weinmann_Masters_Thesis.pdf
@Romer The correct url is https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/53813/a_review_of_university_maker_spaces.pdf
https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/53813/a_review_of_university_maker_spaces.pdf
Marketplace is very necessary at universities. In my institute, there are many small shops. Recently, a multi-activity center have been opened which is just like a medium size shopping complex. It is always nice to enjoy coffee at cafe coffee day (CCD) at good discount.
Thank you all. I just recently started reading about the subject and for some reason I never equated makerspaces with higher education. It seems to be gaining popularity though so I will be following this subject. Thank you all for your input
I think that the term makerspace might be too limiting. Universities have always had labs and workshops, esp. in engineering. Some other things are changing: 1. Who has access. We are seeing more majors welcomed into these spaces. (Design isn't just for engineers anymore. New tools, like 3D printers allow people to realize their ideas more quickly.) 2. The attitude in the space. Creativity research had now demonstrated the value of playing with ideas, of tinkering. So while many workshops insist students work on "serious" projects, others now promote an attitude of exploration. Look for the phrase "thinking through making". And finally, 3. These universities may not see their facilities as makerspaces, but rather where students who have grown up "making" can go to take their ideas to the next level - for research or for commercially viable products.
Hello I would like to share the case of study of a maker activity in a university of Mexico. in our university we don't have a makerspace with 3d printers, laser cutters, etc. but there are many talented and creative people that enjoy making. We know makerspaces are more popular for engineers and programmers in computer sciences but I wanted to extend them to others fields. In this case of study, I presented at a conference in Korea recently, the results of how students, even for students of liberal arts, embody their abstract ideas into concrete products through the Maker activity. We also built a friendly community of makers using repurpose electronics and appliances that did not limit the access of technology and materials for making. I hope it can be useful to you, hoping your feedback. Ciao!
Conference Paper A Case Study of the Maker Activity Program among Undergradua...
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