1. Amanda Ervin Makerspace Coordinator

2. Makerspaces allow students to apply concepts and theories to hands on skills.
They also allow free “space” for creative tinkering, exploration, and integration with other disciplines.
This free space fosters innovation and leadership in technology.

3. Leadership, creativity and innovative thinking can be difficult to teach.
ABET curriculum can be somewhat rigid, limiting time for this freedom to Make.

4. How is Making being integrated into ABET courses now?
3D Printers, Laser Cutters, Physical Computing, Sewing Machines, Woodshops,
Welding shops, etc are often found in Makerspaces.
Sometimes it’s as easy as giving students access, but if those hands on skills are to be part of a course’s curriculum, things like Safety Training and expert level craftsmanship might take weeks to develop, before students can actually start getting their hands dirty.

5. There are solutions to this problem, and I will highlight a few here.
Co-teaching
Maker Labs
Research Seminars and Electives
Independent Study
Extra Credit for Maker Activities
Student Led Maker Classes
Research Assistantships
Two Beginning Level courses, one with Maker components, one without.

6. Co-teaching
Are there classes that utilize similar skills, and can this skill building be co- taught?
Co-teaching might be two faculty members who switch for parts of a course.
If a course does have a hands on component, but student’s creativity and innovative thinking still need improvement, perhaps there are faculty members who could help apply the skills through music, art, theater, architecture, etc.

7. Maker Labs
This might manifest as a Badging System, non credit Maker classes, or credit bearing labs taught simultaneously to classes.

8. Research Seminars and Electives
Are they being used to their full advantage?
Are students testing their theories through prototyping and design?
Are departments working together to understand that if a student wants to apply Electronic Engineering skills based on audio frequencies to a music class, is there a particular music elective that would give the EE major the freedom they need to experiment?

9. Independent Study Opportunities
How open are faculty to these?
Can faculty work together to help students who need assistance from multiple disciplines?

10. Extra Credit for Maker Participation
Can you give out extra credit to students who build things, or participate in Maker Events and Activities across your campus?

11. Student Led Maker Workshops
Despite not learning these skills through classes, some students come prepared with outstanding skillsets.
Take advantage of this. Giving them a chance to teach frees up faculty time, and lets them develop leadership skills and confidence. The recipients of this knowledge clearly benefit as well.

12. Paid Research Assistants
This is certainly an opportunity for students who want to apply skills. This can often include prototyping, design, etc.

13. Two Simultaneous Courses
Some schools are experimenting with the way their beginning level courses are taught. One traditional, and one with Maker integration.
The results are measured. MakeSchools is looking at ways to measure this effectively. What does Maker bring to ABET that is not currently measured by ABET?

14. Is it measurable?
MakeSchools.org has invested a great deal of time in developing a cohesive structure for higher education institutions that want to bring Maker Culture into their curriculum.
They have said that Maker Culture has really developed its own feedback loop, meaning that there is no grade, but within Maker Communities, there is praise from peers and other Maker Institutions.

15. Maker Feedback Loop
Self-Identify
Press
Online Publishing

16. Maker Feedback Loop
First, students have to identify as Makers, often a self-identifying process.
Once they identify, Makers are often recognized through press like television, newspapers, blogs, etc.
The internet has been a great facilitator of Maker Culture. Often Makers publish tutorials online, where others learn from them, positioning them as leaders in their work.

17. Maker Feedback Loop
Once they identify, Makers are often recognized through press like television, newspapers, blogs, etc.
Make Magazine and Hackaday are two major publishers of Maker Projects, but due to popularity, Maker Culture is certainly present on mainstream news.

18. Maker Feedback Loop
The internet has been a great facilitator of Maker Culture. Often Makers publish tutorials online, where others learn from them, positioning them as leaders in their work.
They often receive feedback from community members that is encouraging and develops further investigation and perspective.

19. Access!
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes access is the simplest way to integrate Making.
Some ways for access to happen include Open Access and Badging Systems that give access to closed systems.

20. Access
Open Access – machines setup in open facilities, like libraries, where students can learn on their own, and explore freely.
Badging Systems – Students work through Safety and Training protocol to develop skills that eventually gain them wide open access.

21. MakeSchools.org
Current Call to Action. If your campus already has set plans to integrate Making, you should consider touching base with MakeSchools.org. They are currently looking for commitments from Higher Ed Institutions who want to be a part of the White Houses’s Nation of Makers. The White House has actually employed someone who is dedicated to developing Maker Education across the country. The deadline to participate in this is June 8th. You can find more information about this at MakerSchools.org.

22. Amanda Ervin ervina@union.edu