Makerspace: Innovation in Mechanical Engineering Education

Year 2021, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 207 - 213, 30.04.2021

Elif Bengu , Emin Faruk Keçeci

Abstract

The complexity of industrial developments requires engineering students to have hands on experience as well as theoretical engineering
knowledge. There is a need for a change of classical engineering curriculums. Makerspaces can be a crucial part of this change. They are
introduced as physical locations where engineering student’s curiosity is fed and solutions to problems are found through teamwork. Their
use in higher education can also provide an opportunity for students to engage in experiential learning. They can develop a large range of
soft skills that traditional undergraduate curriculum is unable to provide, such as planning, teamwork, critical thinking and communication.
There are still limited studies about the full effect and impact of these spaces in teaching and learning, from the pedagogical perspective.
The aim of this study is to determine students’ experiences with such spaces and examine how makerspaces are contributing to their
learning. Descriptive research method (one-on-one interviews and normative survey) were used to evaluate students, graduate assistants
and a faculty members’ perception of the space and depict the situation. The results of this study showed that students want more than
theoretical knowledge from their engineering education. They want to be able to gain hands on experience while they are learning theory.
While designing a makerspace for that purpose, the sustainability and the functioning of these spaces should be taken into consideration.
The findings of this study can provide guidance for the institutions that are planning to build a makerspace in their campuses.

Keywords

makerspace, higher education, engineering education, innovation, hands-on learning

Supporting Institution

Department of the Scientific Research Projects, Abdullah Gul University

Project Number

SCD-2018-112

Makerspace: Makina Mühendisliği Eğitiminde İnovasyon

Abstract

Gelişen endüstrinin karmaşıklığı, mühendislik öğrencilerinin teorik mühendislik bilgilerinin yanı sıra deneyime de sahip olmalarını
gerektirir. Klasik mühendislik müfredatlarının değiştirilmesine ihtiyaç vardır. Makerspace bu değişikliğin önemli bir parçası olabilir. Bu
alanlar, mühendislik öğrencilerinin merakının beslendiği ve ekip çalışması yoluyla sorunlara çözümlerin bulunduğu fiziksel yerler olarak
tanımlanmaktadır. Yükseköğretimde kullanımları, öğrencilerin deneyimsel öğrenmeye katılımları için bir fırsat sağlamaktadır. Geleneksel
lisans müfredatının veremediği planlama, ekip çalışması, eleştirel düşünme ve iletişim gibi beceriler bu şekilde geliştirebilirler. Pedagojik
perspektiften bakıldığında ise, bu alanların öğretim ve öğrenmedeki önemi ve etkileri hakkında hâlen sınırlı sayıda çalışma bulunmaktadır.
Bu çalışmanın amacı öğrencilerin bu tür alanlardaki deneyimlerini belirlemek ve bu alanların öğrenmelerine nasıl katkıda bulunduğunu
incelemektir. Öğrencilerin, araştırma görevlilerinin ve bu alanı kuran öğretim üyesinin mekâna ilişkin algısını değerlendirmek ve durumu
tasvir etmek için amacıyla tanımlayıcı araştırma yöntemi (bire bir görüşmeler ve normatif anket) kullanılmıştır. Sonuçlar, öğrencilerin
mühendislik eğitimlerinden teorik bilgilerden fazlasını istediğini göstermiştir. Teori öğrenirken aynı zamanda tecrübe de kazanmak
istemektedirler. Bu amaçla bir makerspace tasarlanırken, bu alanların sürdürülebilirliği ve işleyişi de dikkate alınmalıdır. Bu çalışmanın
bulguları, kampüslerinde bir makerspace kurmayı planlayan kurumlara rehberlik edebilir.

Keywords

makerspace, yükseköğretim, mühendislik eğitimi, inovasyon, yaparak öğrenme

Project Number

SCD-2018-112

References

• Barak, M. (2013). Teaching engineering and technology: cognitive, knowledge and problem-solving taxonomies. Journal of Engineering Design and Technology, 11 (3), 316-333. doi: 10.1108/JEDT-04-2012-0020.
• Beanland, D., Hadgraft, R. (2014). Engineering Education: Transformation and Innovation. A Monograph commissioned by UNESCO, Melbourne, Australia.
• Bengu, E., Emeric, A., Sabuncuoglu, I., Yilmaz, C. (2020). Rethinking higher education for the emerging needs of society. Global Solutions Journal, 5, 178 – 187. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2M4ynnT
• Bengu, E. & Sebnem, S. (2018). Attitudes of Instructors Towards Active Learning at a New Generation University. In F. N. Seggie, & T. Kurt (Eds.), Proceedings of Revisiting Higher Education in an Ever-Changing World: 3rd International Higher Education Studies Conference (pp. 44-51). Istanbul: Caretta.
• Blackley, S., Sheffield, R., Maynard, N., Koul, R., & Walker, R. (2017). Makerspace and Reflective Practice: Advancing Pre-service Teachers in STEM Education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(3). doi: 10.14221/ajte.2017v42n3.2
• Burke, J. (2015). Making Sense: Can Makerspaces Work in Academic Libraries. Association of College and Research Libraries, 497 – 504.
• Dede, C. (2009). Comparing frameworks for “21st century skills”. http://sttechnology.pbworks.com/f/Dede_(2010)_Comparing%20Frameworks%20for%2021st%20Century%20Skills.pdf
• Hatch, M. (2013). The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers. McGraw-Hill: first edition.
• Hilton, E. C., Talley, K. G., Smith, S. F., Nagel, R. L., & Linsey, J. S. (2020). Report on engineering design self-efficacy and demographics of makerspace participants across three universities. Journal of Mechanical Design, 142.
• Kececi, F. (2017). Applied Interdisciplinary Engineering Education Space-AGU Make.
• Lanci, S., Nadelson, L., Villanueva, I., Bouwma-Gearhart, J., Youmans, K. L., & Lenz, A. (2018). Developing a measure of engineering students’ makerspace learning, perceptions, and interactions. American Society for Engineering Education. 2018 ASSE Annual Conference & Exposition, paper ID #22089.
• Myers, J. (2015). Creating Collaborative Spaces at the University of Arizona: Ways to Encourage Interdisciplinary Research and Ideas. University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ.
• Roffey, T., Sverko, C., Therien, J. (2016) The Making of a Makerspace: Pedagogical and Physical Transformations of Teaching and Learning. ETEC 510 Curriculum Guide.
• Sahin, E. & Tosun, N. (2018). Maker Movement and Applications in Turkey. In S. Gulsecen, C. Selcukcan Erol, Z. Ayvaz Reis, & M. Gezer (Eds.), Proceedings of Innovations in Learning for the Future: Digital transformation in education (pp. 70-78). Istanbul.
• Saorin, J. L., Melian-Diaz, D., Bonnet, A., Carrera, C. C., Meier, C. & De La Torre-Cantero, J. (2017). Makerspace teaching-learning environment to enhance creative competence in engineering students. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 23, 188-198. doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2017.01.004
• Shay, S. (2012). Conceptualizing curriculum differentiation in higher education: a sociology of knowledge point of view. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(4), 563-582, doi: 10.1080/01425692.2012.722285.
• Sheffield, R., Koul, R., Blackley, S. & Maynard, M. (2017) Makerspace in STEM for girls: a physical space to develop twenty-first-century skills. Educational Media International, 54 (2), 148-164. doi: 10.1080/09523987.2017.1362812
• Stager, G. (2014). What's the Maker Movement and Why Should I Care? Scholastic Administrator Magazine. http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3758336.
• Wilczynski, V. (2015). Academic MakerSpaces and Engineering Design. 122nd ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. Seattle, WA. Paper ID # 13724.
• Wong, A. & Partridge, H. (2016) Making as Learning: Makerspaces in Universities, Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 47(3), 143-159. doi:10.1080/00048623.2016.1228163