Collaborative Research: The Making of Engineers: Influence of Makerspaces on the Preparation of Undergraduates as Engineers

合作研究：工程师的培养：创客空间对本科生成为工程师的准备的影响

• 批准号: 1664272
• 负责人: Louis Nadelson
• 金额: $ 9.11万
• 依托单位: Colorado Mesa University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-07-01 至 2018-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1664272&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Making; Engineers; Influence

Makerspaces are physical locations that include equipment and tools to allow its users to create and invent prototypes, develop ideas into models, and collaborate to design new products and solutions. The presence of makerspaces has increased substantially over the last 5 years and are now commonly integrated into undergraduate engineering preparation programs. The increased attention makerspaces are receiving in the STEM disciplines, and particularly within engineering education, provides justification for examining the influence of these spaces on undergraduate student development into professionals. There is wide speculation that access to and interactions within makerspaces enhance engineering students' undergraduate learning experiences by exposing the students to activities that enhance their development as engineers. Yet there is a lack of data supporting the notion that engineering students' involvement in university affiliated makerspace experiences and activities positively influences their professional development. This project is conducting six case studies of university engineering education makerspace programs to determine the influence of makerspaces on the professional formation of undergraduate engineering students and the use and impact of makerspaces on faculty members. Building upon the case studies, the project will develop and disseminate a national survey to engineering education students and faculty members working in makerspace-affiliated engineering education programs. The project will increase our understanding of how makerspaces influence students' professional identity development, motivation, expertise, and propensity for persistence. Data gathered from this project will document the sustainability and scalability of makerspaces in engineering education programs through examination of undergraduate engineering education students, faculty, programs, and institutions. Finally, the work informs new lines of research regarding makerspaces in postsecondary professional engineering preparation programs. Using six two-year long case studies and a nationwide survey, this project is examining the influence of makerspace integration into undergraduate engineering programs. The project uses interviews, observations, focus groups and artifact analysis (e.g. course syllabi) to longitudinally study 6 makerspace-affiliated engineering education programs. The project focuses on faculty members' and students' interactions with makerspaces and the impact the makerspaces are having on the development of students' professional identities, motivation, achievement, and persistence. Case study data is being examined using content analysis applying both a priori and inductive coding approaches. Case study analysis will inform the development of surveys for a nationwide assessment of makerspace-affiliated university engineering preparation programs. The research project will inform new lines of inquiry about the formation of engineers and will provide those promoting makerspaces in engineering education programs with data to inform their development and support of their programs. Results will be shared though host webinars and other virtual outlets. In addition, via STEM-Central.net, the information is being shared with the larger STEM community and the American Association of Colleges and Universities about models of leadership and organizational structures in makerspaces that can improve the development of engineering students' professional identities. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Cooperative Extension program at each of the investigators' home institutions, teaching and informative briefs will be disseminated to K-16 STEM teachers and communities through conferences such as the National Science Teacher Association, American Education Research Association, American Society of Engineering Education, and STEMTech. Overall, this work will inform makerspace leaders, engineering faculty members, undergraduate engineering students, and researchers and policymakers interested in makerspaces and STEM education.

创客空间是包括设备和工具在内的物理位置，允许用户创建和发明原型，将想法转化为模型，并协作设计新产品和解决方案。在过去的5年里，Makerspace的出现有了很大的增加，现在通常被纳入本科生的工程准备课程。在STEM学科，特别是在工程教育中，Makerspace受到越来越多的关注，这为研究这些空间对本科生成长为专业人员的影响提供了理由。人们普遍猜测，通过让学生参与有助于他们作为工程师发展的活动，进入Makerspace并在其中进行互动可以增强工科学生的本科生学习体验。然而，缺乏数据支持这样一种观点，即工科学生参与大学附属制造空间体验和活动对他们的专业发展具有积极影响。本项目正在进行六个大学工科教育Makerspace项目的案例研究，以确定Makerspace对工科本科生专业形成的影响，以及Makerspace对教职员工的使用和影响。在案例研究的基础上，该项目将向在MakerSpace附属工程教育项目工作的工程教育学生和教职员工开发和传播一项全国性调查。该项目将增加我们对Makerspace如何影响学生的职业认同发展、动机、专业知识和坚持倾向的理解。从这个项目收集的数据将通过对本科工程教育学生、教师、项目和机构的检查来证明Makerspace在工程教育项目中的可持续性和可扩展性。最后，这项工作提供了关于高等教育专业工程准备计划中的makerspace的新的研究思路。该项目利用六个为期两年的案例研究和一项全国性的调查，正在研究将makerspace整合到本科生工程专业的影响。该项目使用访谈、观察、焦点小组和人工制品分析(例如课程大纲)对6个MakerSpace附属工程教育项目进行纵向研究。该项目关注教师和学生与Makerspace的互动，以及Makerspace对学生的职业认同感、动机、成就和毅力的发展所产生的影响。案例研究数据正在使用内容分析进行审查，内容分析采用先验和归纳编码方法。案例研究分析将为全国范围内评估MakerSpace附属大学工程准备计划的调查提供信息。该研究项目将为工程师的形成提供新的调查思路，并将为那些在工程教育计划中促进MakerSpace的人提供数据，为他们的计划的发展和支持提供信息。结果将通过主办方网络研讨会和其他虚拟网点共享。此外，通过STEM-Central.net，正在与更大的STEM社区和美国大学协会分享有关制造空间的领导模式和组织结构的信息，这些模式和组织结构可以改善工科学生的职业认同发展。此外，与每个研究人员家庭机构的合作推广计划合作，将通过国家科学教师协会、美国教育研究协会、美国工程教育学会和STEMTech等会议向K-16 STEM教师和社区传播教学和信息摘要。总体而言，这项工作将为MakerSpace领导者、工程学教员、本科工程学学生以及对MakerSpace和STEM教育感兴趣的研究人员和政策制定者提供信息。