PROMOTING ENGAGEMENT OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES WITH THE MAKER SPACE MOVEMENT space STEM/STEAM SKILLS FOR THE CREATIVE ECONOMY APRIL 2016 maker Promoting Engagement of the California Community Colleges with the Maker Movement Prepared by the California Council on Science and Technology for the California Community Colleges’ Chancellors Office Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and Economy Framework April 2016 Authors: Laura Feinstein, M. Daniel DeCillis, Laurie Harris Editors: Susan Hackwood, Amber Mace, Van Ton-Quinlivan Acknowledgments This report has been prepared for the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) with funding from the California Community Colleges. Copyright Copyright May 2016 by the California Council on Science and Technology ISBN Number: 978-1-930117-81-5 Promoting Engagement of the California Community Colleges with the Maker Space Movement About CCST CCST is a non-profit organization established in 1988 at the request of the California State Government and sponsored by the major public and private postsecondary institutions of California and affiliate federal laboratories in conjunction with leading private-sector firms. CCST’s mission is to improve science and technology policy and application in California by proposing programs, conducting analyses, and recommending public policies and initiatives that will maintain California’s technological leadership and a vigorous economy. About the California Community Colleges The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. Under the Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy framework, the Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions. The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/. Note Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendation expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. For questions or comments on this publication contact: California Council on Science and Technology 1130 K Street, Suite 280 Sacramento, A 95814 916-492-0996 [email protected] www.ccst.us ii Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 5 Purpose and Process ............................................................................................................................ 5 What Is Making? ................................................................................................................................... 5 What is a Makerspace? ....................................................................................................................... 6 Impact of the Maker Movement ....................................................................................................... 6 What Learning Outcomes are Achieved in a Makerspace? ........................................................... 7 Why Should Community Colleges Engage with the Maker Movement? ..................................... 7 Chapter 2. Literature Review ............................................................................................ 10 Evolution of the Makerspace .......................................................................................................... 10 Defining a Makerspace .................................................................................................................................. 10 How They’re Run: Legal Status and Governance .................................................................................. 11 Studies About the Maker Movement ....................................................................................................... 12 Makerspaces in Institutions of Higher Education ................................................................................. 16 The Entrepreneurial/Educational Interface ..................................................................................................... 17 The White House Initiative .......................................................................................................................... 19 Metrics for Success ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Literature Cited – Chapters 1 & 2 ............................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 3. A Playbook for Growing a Maker Network Across the California Community College System: Developing a Strong Workforce for California’s Innovation Economy ............................................................................................................ 25 Vision: Statewide Network of Makerspaces Linked to Community Colleges .......................... 25 Key Network Characteristics ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Network Purpose ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Network Structure ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Varying Models can be Represented in the Network ..................................................................................... 27 Timeline .............................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Start Up Checklist – What do you need to consider when opening a makerspace? .......................... 28 Learning Outcomes Achieved at Makerspaces .................................................................................................. 29 Network Evaluation ...................................................................................................................................................... 30 Practical Considerations for Makerspaces .......................................................................................................... 32 Makerspaces in Relation to Traditional Course Offerings ............................................................................ 34 Makerspaces as a Link Between Community Colleges and their Regional Economies ................... 35 Key Findings and Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 36 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................. 36 Literature Cited – Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................ 37 Table A. Potential strategies for aligning metrics with metrics ................................................. 39 Table B. Behaviors in a makerspace as they relate to Soft Skills and 21st Century Skills necessary for workforce success ..................................................................................................... 43 Table C. Estimated Three-Year Costs for Community College Makerspace Network ............ 45 Appendix A. Definitions ...................................................................................................... 47 Appendix B. Outfitting a Makerspace ............................................................................ 47 Appendix C. Makerspace Budget Example ................................................................... 48 iii Executive Summary Executive Summary The Maker Movement is rapidly growing at educational institutions around the world and across age and employment levels, from kindergarten to mid- and late-career. “Making” offers complementary learning environments to the traditional classroom and helps participants develop skills that differ from those developed in traditional student projects and learn-by- doing classes. The spaces housing these activities are called makerspaces, also sometimes referred to as hackerspaces, hacker labs, or fab labs. Broadly, they are all interdisciplinary, participatory, peer-supported learning environments where people can design and invent among a community of other makers. Yet, there is great variation in the capabilities and foci of makerspaces, ranging from traditional crafts such as woodworking to the use of digital technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters. There is an inherent challenge in bringing together traditional academic institutions with Maker culture. Traditional academic environments rely on measureable outcomes, working to achieve the “correct” result, and testing to demonstrate the value of an educational experience. In contrast, makerspaces emphasize intrinsic motivation, student-led learning, multiple acceptable products/results, and the process