Workshop: Making and Makerspaces in Electrical and Computer Engineering Education

政策圈对强大的STEM劳动力的需求进行了大量讨论。特别是，美国授予的电气和计算机工程（ECE）学位的数量已经连续多年下降（随后小幅上升）（国家科学委员会，2016年）。尽管对不断增长的、有能力的欧洲经委会工作人员的需求是有据可考的，但如何影响大学入学率仍然是一个相当有争议的问题。一种可能影响大学招生的方法是支持以电子商务为重点的制造和创客空间。创客空间吸引了许多对电子商务相关主题有浓厚兴趣的人，包括嵌入式系统、机器人、人工智能、人机交互和电子制造，许多创客自认为对电气和计算机工程有兴趣（Dougherty, 2016）。然而，大学校园内外的大多数创客空间的设施主要集中在机械制造工具上，如激光切割机和3d打印机。制造不仅仅是制造塑料3d部件，而是有潜力激发人们关心的问题的真正创新的功能解决方案。虽然机械工程与先进制造业的创客运动紧密相连，但迄今为止，ECE项目在利用与创客运动的强大学科联系方面做得很少。本次研讨会将探讨如何利用制作和创客空间来吸引学生和留住学生，以及通过接触创客空间而产生的学生学习变化。这项活动将有助于促进对Makerspaces和Making play在提高欧洲经委会本科生数量和质量方面的作用的理解。讲习班具有变革的潜力，因为它将为未来的项目奠定基础，这些项目将阐明Making在招收欧洲经委会学生方面所起的作用。研讨会的计划建立在现有会议的基础上，以达到目标受众，并使国家科学基金会的资源能够集中在资源不足的项目上。该团队在创客运动和制造工程方面都有丰富的经验，并与ECEDHA和ASEE有着密切的关系。这项工作的广泛影响是显著的，因为创客空间和创客运动在社区、图书馆和学校中日益增长，并为美国的创新生态系统做出了贡献（德勤边缘和创客媒体中心，2015）。研讨会的计划既包括已建立的ECE创客空间，也包括来自资源不足的学校的参与者，以建立一个多样化的网络。来自hbcu、hsi和tcu的参与者将获得以电子为重点的“盒子里的创客空间”赠品。传播活动将与ECEDHA正在进行的品牌努力相结合，这将使最初讲习班的影响加倍。在ASEE、工程学院院长委员会、制造商博览会和NAMEPA的后续研讨会上，旨在向关键受众传播这一观点。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The need for a robust STEM workforce is heavily discussed in policy circles. In particular there has been a multiyear decline (followed by a small rise) in the number of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) degrees awarded in the United States (National Science Board, 2016). Although the need for a growing and capable ECE workforce is well documented, how to impact college enrollments is still a matter of considerable debate. One way to potentially impact college enrollments is to support ECE-focused Making and Makerspaces. Makerspaces attract many with strong interest in ECE-related topics, including embedded systems, robotics, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and electronics manufacturing, and many Makers self-identify as having interests related to electrical and computer engineering (Dougherty, 2016). However, the facilities of most makerspaces both on and off of university campuses focus primarily on mechanical fabrication tools such as laser cutters and 3-D printers. Making is more than the creation of plastic 3-D parts, but rather has the potential to stimulate truly innovative functional solutions to problems that people care about. While Mechanical Engineering has connected strongly with the Maker Movement with advanced manufacturing, ECE programs have to date done little to leverage the strong disciplinary connections with the Maker Movement.This workshop will explore how Making and Makerspaces can be used to attract students to and retain students in ECE, and the resultant changes in student learning that result from exposure to makerspaces. This activity will help advance understanding of the role Makerspaces and Making play in increasing the number and quality of ECE undergraduates. The workshop has transformative potential since it will lay the groundwork for future projects that elucidate the role Making plays in recruiting students into ECE. The plan for the workshop builds on existing meetings to reach the target audiences and enables NSF resources to be focused on under-resourced programs. The team has significant experience with both the Maker Movement and Making in engineering, and close relationships with ECEDHA and ASEE. The broader impacts of this work are significant, as Makerspaces and the Maker movement are a growing phenomenon in communities, libraries, and schools and are contributors to the United States' innovation ecosystem (Deloitte Center for the Edge and Maker Media, 2015). The plan for the workshop engages both established ECE Makerspaces while integrating participants from under-resourced schools to establish a diverse network. "Makerspace in a Box" electronic-focused giveaways will be given to participants coming from HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs. Dissemination activities will be integrated with ongoing branding efforts by ECEDHA which will multiply the impact of the initial workshop. Follow-on workshops at ASEE, Engineering Dean's Council, Maker Faires, and NAMEPA are aimed to disseminate to critical audiences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.