Resource:How to engage the campus community in the design of a makerspace

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A makerspace can provide a social and creative outlet that brings together a campus community. Many schools are enthusiastic about the possibility of a makerspace, but the logistics of designing one can be intimidating. Each location presents its own set of needs, resources, and challenges. This article describes the process of designing a community-focused makerspace using insights shared by Brad Turner.

Filling Needs and Setting Goals

When designing a makerspace, you should consider the needs it can meet. A UIF Landscape Canvas may be helpful for assessing the gaps present on campus and the tools that may be used to fill them. These gaps can also be identified through observations made during day-to-day school life as well as conversations with fellow students and faculty. If there is no particular target audience, it’s imperative that you get a variety of perspectives in order to objectively look at what the campus needs as a whole, rather than just your specific college or department.

After determining the needs of your campus, goals should be set so you can meet the identified needs and determine which needs take precedence over others. Collaboration with students of all types and majors will help ensure that the needs are met. Additionally, it is important to have regular meetings when students can voice their opinions, share their ideas with fellow students, and offer a different perspective.

Faculty Support

Though it is beneficial to have a student-led makerspace, faculty support is crucial for the initiative to be launched and sustained. In the case where only one advisor is selected to oversee the entire space, it may be helpful to choose someone with a passion for innovation over someone with great technical skills. An advisor’s role will largely be to consult with and advocate for the makerspace. Though it would be ideal for the advisor to know how to work the tools in the makerspace, the advisor will not likely need this kind of knowledge.

The implementation of a makerspace panel, with advisors from various disciplines and areas of the school, is an efficient and productive system used by schools such as Michigan Tech. The panel includes people from computer science to biology to engineering as well as people from facilities management and campus safety. A panel dynamic nurtures collaboration for decisions regarding the makerspace. Because the panel can have face-to-face meetings set at a predetermined time every month, this setup cuts down on seemingly infinite email strings of communication. The combination of perspectives from different areas of the school bring a fresh and productive dynamic to the makerspace.

Materials

Goals for the makerspace should include a vision for what kind of projects will occur in the space. Discussions regarding the tools needed for such projects should be open to university personnel beyond the makerspace team. By getting outside opinions, you will be able to gauge the equipment needed for operation. Your makerspace may call for a metalworking area, a woodworking station, a 3-D printer, or something totally different. While considering the tangibles for the makerspace, keep in mind that organization and operation of any equipment should be addressed before asking for such equipment.

At this point you will also need to consider sustainability of the equipment. For instance, pipettes should be calibrated every six months. Make sure there are sufficient funds allocated to maintain equipment and purchase supplies to meet the demand of students.

Financial Support

A makerspace is a considerable investment, so securing financial support can be a challenge. Gaining faculty support is key to gaining administrative and financial support. After all, a makerspace will likely be operated primarily by faculty and students. The need and support for a makerspace should be demonstrated, then the conversation can shift toward funding. Obtaining local company sponsorship in any way, particularly for tools and materials, is important to further convey enthusiasm for the makerspace. For example, Michigan Tech’s makerspace was given a large donation of equipment from Milwaukee Tool which included prototyping tables. The makerspace team then turned the table building into an event!