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.

创客空间是包含设备和工具的物理场所，允许其用户创建和发明原型，将想法开发成模型，并协作设计新产品和解决方案。创客空间的存在在过去五年中大幅增加，现在通常被整合到本科工程准备课程中。创客空间在STEM学科中受到越来越多的关注，特别是在工程教育中，这为研究这些空间对本科生发展成为专业人士的影响提供了理由。人们普遍认为，创客空间的访问和互动可以通过让学生参与促进他们作为工程师发展的活动来增强工程专业学生的本科学习体验。然而，缺乏数据支持工科学生参与大学附属创客空间体验和活动对其专业发展产生积极影响的观点。本项目对大学工程教育创客空间项目进行了六个案例研究，以确定创客空间对工科本科学生专业形成的影响，以及创客空间对教师的使用和影响。在案例研究的基础上，该项目将开发并传播一份全国性的调查报告给从事与创客空间相关的工程教育项目的工程教育学生和教师。该项目将增加我们对创客空间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。本项目收集的数据将通过对本科工程教育学生、教师、项目和机构的考察，记录工程教育项目中创客空间的可持续性和可扩展性。最后，这项工作为高等教育专业工程准备项目中的创客空间提供了新的研究思路。通过六个为期两年的案例研究和一项全国性调查，该项目正在研究创客空间融入本科工程课程的影响。该项目采用访谈、观察、焦点小组和人工分析（如课程大纲）等方法，对6个与创客空间相关的工程教育项目进行纵向研究。该项目侧重于教师和学生与创客空间的互动，以及创客空间对学生职业认同、动机、成就和毅力发展的影响。案例研究数据正在使用应用先验和归纳编码方法的内容分析进行检查。案例研究分析将为全国范围内对创客空间附属大学工程准备项目进行评估的调查提供信息。该研究项目将为工程师的形成提供新的调查线索，并将为那些在工程教育项目中促进创客空间的人提供数据，以告知他们的项目发展和支持。结果将通过主办网络研讨会和其他虚拟渠道分享。此外，通过STEM- central.net，这些信息正在与更大的STEM社区和美国高校协会（American Association of Colleges and Universities）分享，这些信息是关于创客空间中的领导模式和组织结构，可以改善工程专业学生职业身份的发展。此外，与每个研究人员所在机构的合作推广计划合作，教学和信息简报将通过国家科学教师协会、美国教育研究协会、美国工程教育协会和STEMTech等会议传播给K-16 STEM教师和社区。总的来说，这项工作将为创客空间的领导者、工程教师、本科工程专业学生以及对创客空间和STEM教育感兴趣的研究人员和政策制定者提供信息。