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University Maker Spaces: Discovery, Optimization and Measurement of Impacts

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Conference

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Seattle, Washington

Publication Date

June 14, 2015

Start Date

June 14, 2015

End Date

June 17, 2015

ISBN

978-0-692-50180-1

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

10

Page Numbers

26.1631.1 - 26.1631.10

DOI

10.18260/p.24967

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/24967

Download Count

583

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Paper Authors

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Ricardo Jose Morocz Georgia Institute of Technology

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Ricardo graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in May of 2014. He started his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Fall of 2014. He joined the Innovation, Design Reasoning, Engineering Education, and Methods (IDREEM) Lab. Ricardo is currently working on measuring the impact of university maker spaces like the Invention Studio on students' retention in STEM related field, creativity, and engineering design confidence.

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Bryan D Levy Georgia Institute of Technology

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Craig R. Forest Georgia Institute of Technology

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Craig Forest is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech where he also holds program faculty positions in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. He is a Fellow at the Allen Brain Institute in Seattle WA and he is one of the inaugural recipients of the NIH BRAIN Initiative Grants, a national research effort to invent the next generation of neuroscience and neuroengineering tools. He is cofounder/organizer of one of the largest undergraduate invention competitions in the US—The InVenture Prize, and founder/organizer of one of the largest student-run prototyping facilities in the US—The Invention Studio. He was named Engineer of the Year in Education for the state of Georgia (2013).

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Robert L. Nagel James Madison University

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Dr. Robert Nagel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering at James Madison University. Dr. Nagel joined the James Madison University after completing his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Oregon State University. He has a B.S. from Trine University and a M.S. from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, both in mechanical engineering. Since joining James Madison University, Nagel has helped to develop and teach the six course engineering design sequence which represents the spine of the curriculum for the Department of Engineering. The research and teaching interests of Dr. Nagel tend to revolve around engineering design and engineering design education, and in particular, the design conceptualization phase of the design process. He has performed research with the US Army Chemical Corps, General Motors Research and Development Center, and the US Air Force Academy, and he has received grants from the NSF, the EPA, and General Motors Corporation.

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Wendy C Newstetter Georgia Institute of Technology

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Dr Wendy C. Newstetter is the Director of Educational Research and Innovation in the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech.

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Kimberly Grau Talley P.E. Texas State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-6235-0706

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Dr. Kimberly G. Talley is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology at Texas State University and a licensed Professional Engineer. She received her Ph.D. and M.S.E. from the University of Texas at Austin in Structural Engineering. Her undergraduate degrees in History and Construction Engineering and Management are from North Carolina State University. Dr. Talley teaches courses in the Construction Science and Management Program, and her research focus is in student engagement and retention in engineering and engineering technology education. Contact: kgt5@txstate.edu

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Julie S Linsey Georgia Institute of Technology

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Abstract

University Maker Spaces: Discovery, Optimization and Measurement of Impacts Background: It is crucial that engineering education move beyond teaching engineeringscience and analysis: engineers must design, create, and innovate. In response to the success ofcommunity maker spaces outside of academic settings, many universities are moving beyondtraditional machine shops and building multi-disciplinary maker space design centers. This studyseeks to understand and use these new environments to achieve long-elusive aims in engineeringeducation such as improving student retention, fostering diverse learning environments, andpromoting multi-disciplinary teams. Maker spaces also have the potential to positively influencefemales and minorities, who are driven to pursue engineering by opportunities for creativethinking and human impact. This work will also investigate the potential of maker spaces topositively influence females and minorities and there by broaden participation in engineering. Methods: Impact will be measured through engineering design self-efficacy; retention inthe engineering major; and idea generation ability. Impacts will be measured at two levels. Thefirst phase of the project will use a randomly assigned experimental design to assess the impactof early engagement on females and minorities through a longitudinal measurement. In thesecond level, maker space participants will be studied via a comparison between extensive usersand those with minimal exposure. In this project, segment snapshots and longitudinalmeasurements will be combined. The second major research objective will be to identifyapproaches and guidelines for designing maker spaces.

Morocz, R. J., & Levy, B. D., & Forest, C. R., & Nagel, R. L., & Newstetter, W. C., & Talley, K. G., & Linsey, J. S. (2015, June), University Maker Spaces: Discovery, Optimization and Measurement of Impacts Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24967

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