De Rosa, A. J., & Buckley, J., & Trauth, A. (2025, June), Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/57467

\bibitem{asee_peer_57467}
  De Rosa, A. J., \& Buckley, J., \& Trauth, A. (2025, June), \emph{Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada .
  https://peer.asee.org/57467

Alexander John De Rosa, Jenni Buckley, and Amy Trauth.  "Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces".  2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada , 2025, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/57467 Internet.  19 Aug, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_57467}
  Alexander John De Rosa, Jenni Buckley, and Amy Trauth.
  "Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces".
  \emph{2025 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada , 2025, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/57467 Internet.  19 Aug, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_57467
author = "Alexander John De Rosa, Jenni Buckley, and Amy Trauth"
title = "Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition "
year = "2025"
month = "June"
address = "Montreal, Quebec, Canada "
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/57467}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Academic makerspaces represent an ideal opportunity to present engineering students with active, experiential learning opportunities that reinforce theoretical concepts through conceptual design and prototyping. When appropriately supported, experiential learning in makerspaces has the capacity to drive development of technical skills and positive self-efficacy among novice engineers. However, research suggests that students who identify as part of historically underrepresented groups (i.e. those who are not White and male) can experience makerspaces in ways that marginalize their success. Thus, care must be taken in makerspace design and operation to create an environment that has a positive impact on the success of all students. In this study, we consider the perceptions and experiences of women and underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities (URMs) in an academic makerspace at one large, research intensive institution. We surveyed 256 undergraduate mechanical engineering students to compare and contrast their self-efficacy, their perceptions of makerspace support, and their peer-to-peer interactions. We found that student self-efficacy for conceptual design and prototyping did not differ by race or gender. However, females reported they were more likely to have a positive experience in the makerspace when supported by a teaching assistant who was also female. Students who identified as URM were significantly more likely to report discomfort in working with peers in the makerspace. We anticipate the outcomes of this study will provide implications for faculty and staff makerspaces at other postsecondary institutions who aim to build an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all students.
AU  - Alexander John De Rosa
AU  - Jenni Buckley
AU  - Amy Trauth
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/57467
ER  -