makerspace – Digital Pedagogy@Austin College

IMG_20160526_160745310 — A Roo keychain (hopping on a robot)

We’re happy to announce that our new 3D printer has arrived at Austin College. Thanks especially to the initiative and legwork of Tom Buttine, our institutional advancement colleague and entrepreneur-in-residence, and Brittany Derebery, also from institutional advancement, the Ultimaker 2+ has been purchased and set up in the Johnson Center Digital Pedagogy studio (Abell 102). Along with the Ultimaker, we’re also acquiring the EinScan Pro 3D handheld scanner, Rhino 5 2D and 3D modeling software, and other associated accessories. Next spring we plan to add the Glowforge laser cutter to our collection of fabrication resources. Funding is being jointly supplied by the Product Lab initiative and the Mellon Digital Pedagogies grant.

During the summer and into the fall we’ll be experimenting and learning more about what we can do with these tools and, more broadly, how we want to further develop makerspace and fabrication opportunities here at the college. One of the earliest posts on this blog, “Make Moody Hall a MakerSpace?,” broached the subject and included links to resources on campus fabrication ideas and facilities. There will be workshops and tutorials as we get up to speed and discover the possibilities for utilization across our curriculum. We have some preliminary use cases that interested faculty have described, and we welcome further input from faculty, staff and students for project ideas and suggestions. If you are a faculty member considering applying for our final round of Mellon Digital Pedagogy grants, you might want to think about projects that involve 3D printing and the resources and tools listed above. We’ll also be developing an operational guide to establish policies, procedures, and user guidelines. 3D printing is more expensive and time-consuming than regular printing, so we can’t just use that model to regulate things such as payment accounts and scheduling priorities.

You can see our first couple of “builds” above…the Ultimaker robot mascot, hopped on by a kangaroo keychain. ‘Roos over robots…

Recently at Austin College we’ve started discussing the future of Moody Hall, the former home of the natural sciences departments of the college (which moved into the new IDEA Center in 2013). One possibility that is being talked about is to use some of the space in Moody to create a “makerspace” area.

The “maker” movement in education and learning has been gaining momentum for several years now. The underlying idea is to give students a laboratory or studio or workshop type of environment in which to tinker and hack, to learn how to use tools of various kinds, and to pursue projects involving original design and innovation. Spaces typically have tools such as 3-D printers, laser cutters, robotics equipment, art supplies, and high-end computer and digital media production resources. The movement lends itself to collaborative and team-based approaches to projects, and partnerships often develop with local businesses.

A couple of recent articles provide a helpful overview of the maker movement on college campuses. The Educause Learning Initiative did one of their “7 Things You Should Know About…” articles on makerspaces in 2013. Also in 2013, Audrey Watters, who writes at the always bracing Hack Education blog, posted a presentation on “The Case for a Campus Makerspace.” Among her observations:

It’s a case that invokes some of the educational practices that we know work well: small group discussion, collaboration, participatory, project-based, and peer-to-peer learning, experimentation, inquiry, curiosity, play….

Makers work with Arduino, paper mache, Legos, cardboard, robots, rockets, welding machines, gears, circuit boards, computer-assisted drawing software, string, vinyl cutters, LED lights, the command line, string, rubber bands, wire, duct tape, play dough, steamworks, sensors, hot glue guns, scissors, Raspberry Pis, gyroscopes, tesla coils, musical instruments, fire, water cannons, plastic, wood, motors, solar power, wearable computers, and 3D printers. For starters….

Makerspaces give students–all students–an opportunity for hands-on experimentation, prototyping. problem-solving, and design-thinking. By letting students make–whether they’re digital artifacts or physical artifacts–we can support them in gaining these critical skills. By making a pinball machine for a physics class, for example. Making paper or binding a book for a literature class. Building an app for a political science class. 3D modeling for an archeology class. 3D printing for a nursing class. Blacksmithing for history class. The possibilities for projects are endless….

Makerspaces expose students to cutting edge technologies that could in turn lead to employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. And because of makerspaces’ connection to open source hardware and software, students aren’t learning just how to use proprietary tools. They aren’t just learning a specific piece of software. Instead, they learn how to find resources and–this is key–they learn how to learn.

Dozen of colleges and universities have established makerspaces on campus. Here are links to a few that you might find of interest:

Davidson College Campus Maker and Innovation Space
Rice Design Kitchen
University of Mary Washington Think Lab
University of Texas at Arlington Fab Lab
University of Victoria Maker Lab in the Humanties
Wheaton College (Mass.) Autonomous Learning Lab

So…what do you think about the possibilities at Austin College? Let us know with your comments and discussion.