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INNOVATIONLATEST (/INNOVATION#LATEST) THEME (/INNOVATION#THEME) POPULAR

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January 2019

Volume: 14 Number: 1

COLLEGE MAKERSPACES DEVELOP INNOVATION-READY GRADUATES

Karen Fraser-Middleton

Innovation Showcase

To prepare students for meaningful work, California Community Colleges (CCC) haveinvested $17M over three years in the CCC Maker (https://cccmaker.com/) initiative tofacilitate a network of 24 college makerspace communities. What’s at stake is the untappedpotential of the 2.1 million students in the largest and most diverse system of highereducation in the country, according to Carol Pepper-Kittredge, CCC Maker Statewide ProjectDirector and Associate Dean of Workforce Innovation at Sierra College. “I believe thatmakerspaces are transforming education,” said Pepper-Kittredge.

Tags: Teaching and Learning (/functional-area/teaching-and-learning),Learning Environments (/specialty-area/learning-environments), Student Success (/topic/student-success),Workforce Preparation (/specialty-area/workforce-preparation)

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In an educational makerspace, surrounded by innovators encouraging them to explore andcreate, students have the freedom to become stronger self-directed learners. . . . Byexperiencing success and failure, the students learn how to iterate and innovate, developing anentrepreneurial mindset that will serve them in 21st century careers.

Funded by the CCC Chancellor’s O�ce under the Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy(http://doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu/) framework, 24 colleges across California have developedmakerspaces designed to �t with their distinct ecosystems. The CCC Maker initiative provided a six-month lean startup process for 34 colleges interested in establishing makerspaces and encouragedcolleges to build community before out�tting a makerspace. Of those, 24 colleges were funded fortwo years with CCC Maker grants of $100,000 to $350,000 per year based on the work plans thatcame out of the startup process.

In the spirit of the maker movement and to share the makerspace planning process with othereducators, the CCC Maker initiative published the California Community College Makerspace StartupGuide, Preparing Students for Jobs of the Future (https://cccmaker.com/about/startupguide/), which isfreely available from the CCC Maker website.

Educational Makerspaces Are International PhenomenaSupport for campus makerspaces is building momentum across the country as evidenced by theformation of the Higher Education Makerspaces Initiatives (HEMI), a collaborative community madeup of representatives from leading universities. Among the presentations at HEMI’s 3rd annualInternational Symposium on Academic Makerspaces (ISAM) conference in August 2018 were threefrom CCC Maker initiative participants (https://cccmaker.com/ccc-maker-presents-at-isam-2/)—AllanHancock College, Folsom Lake College, and the CCC Maker leadership team. Community colleges canaccess this international body of knowledge by reviewing the ISAM 2018 published papers(http://isam2018.hemi-makers.org/).

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Four Pillars of CCC MakerspacesThe four-pronged approach to establishing makerspaces used by the CCC Maker initiative focusedon building community, developing maker curriculum, providing work-based learning experiences,and creating the physical makerspace. An advisory committee chaired by Make Media CEO DaleDougherty has encouraged the colleges to view their makerspaces as “solution centers” for localbusinesses that bene�t from students’ ingenuity harnessed through internships and as a source oftalent for hiring. According to Dougherty, community colleges are in the unique position todemocratize making by giving students access to makerspaces. “Students develop the ability tolearn, adapt, and change when they join a maker community,” said Dougherty. “As students createprojects that re�ect their interests and abilities and share it with students from other disciplinessuch as art, engineering, or business, it can change the nature of their lives.”

The CCC Maker initiative is administered by Sierra College. CCC Maker colleges are supported byDeborah Bird and Salomon Davila, Technical Assistance Providers who coach and support thecollege teams. Symposiums on workplace skills and maker curriculum have been o�ered throughpartners such as the New World of Word and the California Council on Science and Technology.These in-person events, combined with an online Workplace by Facebook platform, have built acommunity of practice among educators separated by hundreds of miles across the state. Theinitiative has o�ered 36 webinars to guide implementation and participation, including extensive�nancial reporting support.

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The colleges have been given unprecedented access to the CCC Maker website(https://cccmaker.com/?_ga=2.263727887.2022249939.1546449476-1102805991.1544495871) wherethey have their own pages and have jointly contributed over 350 blog posts. The website also posts aClicData graphic report (https://scopewave.clicdata.com/b/fSemtXhzWFhD?_ga=2.30262972.2022249939.1546449476-1102805991.1544495871) that shows the results ofcolleges’ quarterly reporting through Smartsheet. During year one of implementation, dashboarddata submitted by the colleges noted the following:

16,566 students accessed makerspaces, participated in 1,216 student activities, and earned 443badges869 students were recruited for internships and 576 received pre-placement training600 employers were recruited and provided 209 internships195 advisory committee meetings were held and industry partners gave 2,227 match hours1,081 faculty members attended 360 professional development activities

Student Leaders Rise Out of MakerspacesStudents indicate that one of the most powerful outcomes from their involvement in a makerspaceis the sense of community, explained Sierra College Superintendent/President Willy Duncan. "In amakerspace, students develop their own multidisciplinary community by connecting with otherstudents, faculty, and industry partners," said Duncan. "As a makerspace community member,students shape the culture, take ownership of the space, and become mentors and instructors. Thechance for students to interact both formally and informally with industry experts facilitatesauthentic relationships and career networking."

During the startup phase, CCC Maker encouraged colleges to map their ecosystem using Kumu.io;hold advisory meetings; connect with makers in their community; host student events as a prototypefor the makerspace; and connect with faculty, administrators, and sta� to build campuswide supportfor the project. Before the makerspace even existed, Sacramento City College used student-designed

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posters and events to build community and promote inclusivity to reach economically challengedstudents. Students helped design the space, documented the process, installed equipment, andtaught others to use the tools. Documentation of their process led to videos shared at nationalevents, including the International Symposium of Academic Makerspaces and the Nation of Makersinaugural conference.

Internships Based on Makerspace SkillsTo propel students toward careers that will value innovation-ready graduates, the CCC Makerinitiative is funding up to 800 20-hour internships often supplemented by another 20-hour matchfrom employers. Training for the internships is based in the makerspace, where students learnworkplace soft skills as well as technical skills on makerspace tools. For example, Sierra Collegeprepared 25 students for internships by delivering New World of Work training and providingworkshops in design, laser cutting, and 3D printing.

Students who have experimented and built projects in a makerspace are primed with valuableworkplace skills, according to Pat Crain, Software Engineering and Data Science Manager at TheShop, VSP Global, and CCC Maker advisory committee member. "Seeing the talents of SacramentoCity College students working in their makerspace inspired me to work with the college and CCCMaker to develop a design thinking project," said Crain. "Employers want employees with problemsolving experience and the ability to work with a team to iterate and create prototypes. Communitycollege makerspaces can be the source of future employees prepared with relevant skills."

Cabrillo College partnered with Goodwill Central Coast to facilitate student internships withbusinesses in the Santa Cruz area. Digital fabrication student Megan Barrett was placed in aninternship with MOD, the Children’s Discovery Museum in Santa Cruz, to create a front windowdisplay. “What is so exciting about the makerspace internship program is the real experience,” saidBarrett. “I got experience managing a budget, managing my time, and problem solving.”

Faculty Engage With the MakerspaceFoothill College's Krause Center for Innovation, supported in part by the CCC Maker grant, o�erstraining to makerspace educators from elementary, middle, and high schools as well as colleges,explained Thuy Thi Nguyen, President of Foothill College. "Maker education is part of a movementthat democratizes innovation and, consequently, requires proactively �nding ways to bring in peoplewho normally would not have access to such tools and curriculum," said Nguyen. "Makerspaces area vehicle for transforming students' educational experience by engaging them in their own learningto �nd solutions to real-world problems that they care about."

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The Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College o�ered a Makerspace Coordinator certi�cateand Maker UniDIVersity program for women, especially women of color. To encourage faculty toconsider inserting making into their curriculum, Sierra College held Crafternoons for facultymembers at the Hacker Lab powered by Sierra College as well as professional development onMakefulness. City College of San Francisco conducted faculty professional development based onresearch into equity and access in the maker movement.

CCC Maker colleges found unique ways to embed making into curriculum. Cabrillo College o�ers aDigital Fabrication in the Arts course to teach maker skills. At American River College, the Spanish361 class visited the James Kaneko Gallery on campus, selected the Spanish word that best capturedtheir experience, and laser etched the word at the Design Hub. Orange Coast College developedcurriculum focused on the action sports industry in the San Diego region to teach students todesign, engineer, and make skateboards, surfboards, and paddleboards. And Golden West Collegeconducted a design thinking experience for students at the Imaginology Fair in Orange County.

The colleges are also engaging their K-12 partners. Golden West College presented a summer DesignThinking Academy in the college makerspace and Moreno Valley College o�ered a cybercamp at themakerspace to 117 middle and high school students who learned and practiced cybersecurity andcoding.

Diverse Approaches Based on EcosystemsIn California, the makerspaces took a di�erent form at each of the colleges, increasing the chancefor the network to learn as they shared their varied approaches. For example, Cabrillo Collegeformed a campus team representing arts, sciences, and technology to lead the creation andmanagement of the makerspace. Sierra College created mini makerspaces on campuses and

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established three private-public partnerships with community-based makerspaces near itscampuses in Rocklin, Nevada County, and Tahoe Truckee. Moreno Valley College out�tted theiMAKEMOBILE, a mobile rapid prototype design space that can serve the campus and community.

Makerspaces Make Sense for StudentsCollege makerspaces are taking an innovative approach to engaging students; teaching cross-disciplinary courses; delivering skills certi�cation; and connecting a community of students, faculty,and industry partners. For community colleges seeking innovative ways to inspire, engage, andprepare students for success, makerspaces o�er an enriching complement to what is taught in theclassroom.

Kimberly Glaster, a Sacramento City College student, indicated that one of the greatest bene�ts thata makerspace o�ers to students is the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a communityenvironment. “Students from all backgrounds can come to one location to work together as a teamto create an idea or thought into something tangible,” said Glaster.

A community college makerspace can serve as an engine for local economic development, creativeplacemaking, and community revitalization, commented Stephanie Santoso, Director of MakerInitiatives, US2020; founding Board Member of Nation of Makers (http://nationofmakers.us/); andCCC Maker advisory committee member. According to Santoso,

Because community colleges are accessible to everyone, they play a critical role in lowering thebarriers to entry for students of all ages and backgrounds to engage in making and learnvaluable skills that empower them to become entrepreneurs, prepare them for the jobs of thefuture, and solve community-based problems. The CCC Maker Initiative is a wonderful exampleof how this can take place and can serve as inspiration and [as] a resource for othercommunities.

This issue of Innovation Showcase continues the story introduced in the April 2018 issue titled, SierraCollege Incorporates the Maker Mindset Into Education (https://www.league.org/innovation-showcase/sierra-college-incorporates-maker-mindset-education).

Karen Fraser-Middleton is responsible for Strategic Communication for the California Community CollegesCCC Maker Initiative and is president of Marketing Action, Inc.

Opinions expressed in Innovation Showcase are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily re�ectthose of the League for Innovation in the Community College.

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The League for Innovation in the Community College(League) is an international nonpro�t organization dedicatedto catalyzing the community college movement.

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