2021 CoNECD

Promising Practices that Promote Inclusivity at University-affiliated Makerspaces within Schools of Engineering

Presented at CoNECD Session : Day 1 Slot 5 Technical Session 4

The maker movement and resulting makerspaces have permeated informal and formal learning spaces over the past decade. However, little work has been done to deepen the understanding of how inclusive these makerspaces are for engineering students from underrepresented groups. These makerspaces, physical spaces where people work on and complete making-related projects and activities, have the potential to create an open and inclusive community where exploration, creativity and collaboration are emphasized. While there is much potential with these makerspaces, we are concerned that these makerspaces may unfairly benefit students from privileged backgrounds, such as those who are white, male, cisgender, heterosexual, and from higher socioeconomic statuses.

Makerspaces support a multidisciplinary learning experience that seeks to create organic learning experiences for the participants. Within engineering education and society, the cultures surrounding makerspaces can enhance the relationship between informal and formal learning; improve teaching methods, evaluation, and assessment; and develop diversity, accessibility, and inclusion [2]. Thus, makerspaces have the potential to help all students incorporate both the practices and culture of engineering outside of traditional engineering classrooms. In this study, we are interested in uncovering promising practices that promote an inclusive environment in makerspaces. We are focusing on what makerspaces are doing well instead of what makerspaces are not doing so well and hope to inspire readers with practices that may work to increase inclusivity within their makerspaces and for engineering students. In this research, we seek to answer the following research question:

What are promising practices for promoting inclusivity of engineering students from underrepresented groups in makerspaces?

Authors

Dr. Nadia N. Kellam Arizona State University [biography]

Nadia Kellam is Associate Professor in the Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU). She is a qualitative researcher who primarily uses narrative research methods and is interested more broadly in interpretive research methods. In her research, Dr. Kellam is broadly interested in developing critical understandings of the culture of engineering education and, especially, the experiences of underrepresented undergraduate engineering students and engineering educators. In addition to teaching undergraduate engineering courses and a graduate course on entrepreneurship, she also enjoys teaching qualitative research methods in engineering education in the Engineering Education Systems and Design PhD program at ASU. She is deputy editor of the Journal of Engineering Education.
Dr. Audrey Boklage University of Texas at Austin [biography]

Audrey Boklage is research assistant in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She is particularly interested in improving the culture and environment of undergraduate education experience for all students, particularly those from underrepresented groups. Audrey has expertise in qualitative research methods including exploratory case studies and narrative inquiry.
Dr. Brooke Charae Coley Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus [biography]

Brooke Coley, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Engineering at the Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Dr. Coley is Principal Investigator of the Shifting Perceptions, Attitudes and Cultures in Engineering (SPACE) Lab that aspires to elevate the experiences of marginalized populations, dismantle systematic injustices, and transform the way inclusion is cultivated in engineering through the implementation of novel technologies and methodologies in engineering education. Intrigued by the intersections of engineering education, mental health and social justice, Dr. Coley’s primary research interest focuses on virtual reality as a tool for developing empathetic and inclusive mindsets among engineering faculty. She is also interested in hidden populations in engineering education and innovation for more inclusive pedagogies.
Ms. Yue Liu Arizona State University [biography]

Yue Liu is a doctoral student in the Engineering Education Systems and Design program at Arizona State University.

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