Resource:How to convince other student orgs to establish their home in your campus makerspace

Creating a makerspace for your campus can be a necessary breakthrough to see new creative and innovative ideas surface from your school’s student body. The space allows all students to have access to certain technologies and tools that can allow for new creations and solutions. The main mission for when a makerspace is established is for all students to utilize the space. Having student clubs and organizations use the makerspace as their homebase can be extremely beneficial. If clubs use the space consistently then the makerspace is being used productively and is not going to waste. Securing student organizations to your makerspace will also secure funding and school support. If several students rely on the makerspace for their own needs and are able to use to space productively and effectively, that will be the best argument for funding and support. Clubs and organizations will also bring in outside student interest and generate a popularity that the space needs to be successful.

Reaching Out to Student Orgs

The most important step in convincing student organizations to come to your makerspace is communication. Reaching out to students leaders and advisors is key. Suggest that they come check out the space and try to use it at least once for a meeting or other activity. Ask if they have already used to space and what they would suggest for changes to better accommodate the club’s needs. Be sure to get input from students who actually want to use the space and cater the space to what helps out as many students as possible. Convincing leaders and advisors of club and organizations is much easier when you listen to what they want to see in the space.  

Promoting Your Campus Culture

Your makerspace needs to be indicative of your campus’ culture. No one makerspace is the same. A makerspace is altered and tweaked to fit the needs and values of the college or university is what created for. A fundamental way of getting clubs interested in your makerspace is by promoting their needs and values. Your makerspace should have a clear mission for whyit was created. That why is determined by the environment and community that your makerspace is established in. When creating your makerspace you have to find your campus culture, it is vital to making a successful makerspace. Truly capturing your campus culture will ensure that all students of every major will be able to utilize the makerspace.

Generating Interest Around Campus

A vital part of getting students interested in your makerspace is making sure they knowabout the makerspace. An easy way to lose participants and students users is by quietly creating a makerspace and expecting people to come to you. One tip is to use all available social media outlets. Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat are easy ways to get information to people fast and get them in the know. Emails and fliers can work just as well and can get information professors and advisors. Another way is by partnering with your college website to put up a page about your makespace and even adding virtual tours of the space. Hosting pop-up classes within the makerspace is another way to bring in new students and a good way to promote the efficient use of the space. Even by asking around at different student groups and club about what they would like to see within the space can generate interest in the makerspace before it is even completed. Letting students input what they’d like to see gets them excited and invested in the space, which can lead to more support for the makerspace.

Maintaining Interest

Once your makerspace is up and running, there will be some initial buzz around campus and interest will build in the space. However a large hurdle after this point is maintaining interest. You want the space to be utilized regularly so having constant student interest and support is extremely important. The best way to maintain interest in your campus makerspace is to make it adaptable. The space should be able to accommodate different kinds of events. Here are some tips on how to make the space adaptable:

1. Make everything on wheels
2. Make furniture lightweight so it is easy to move
3. Plan the space to be able to change

One way to help aid the adaptability and upkeep of your makerspace is by creating a student organization. They can ask students what should change within the space and can help supervise and manage the space. Another way to keep up interest is to bring in guest speakers to present in your makerspace.

Seeking Faculty Help

When starting a project, it is best to get help from people around the college. Their experience can make it easier to accomplish certain steps. Seeking help from a Dean can bridge the gap between the schools of business, engineering, arts and sciences. The faculty can bring new ideas to the space and spread the word to their students. Don’t be afraid to ask faculty about their opinions on the space, they can be helpful in making it more efficient. When pitching the makerspace to faculty make sure to align the goals of the space with the mission goals of your university. Make the space clearly beneficial to the college. One warning that comes with seeking faculty help is to always be on top of things. The new makerspace will not be a professor’s or dean’s priority, therefore if you know that you can get something done faster - do it.