Collaborative Research: Research: Development and Validation of Learning Through Making Instrument (LMI)

Makerspace是非正式的学习环境，通过迭代实践、协作、设计、构建、原型和管理促进多模式学习。它们在美国的大学校园里激增，最初的创建成本从数千美元到数百万美元不等。虽然新出现的数据表明，MakerSpace可能会在工程学习体验中产生巨大影响，特别是在学习与工程相关的技能方面，但数据也表明，MakerSpace未能满足平等、开放、包容和欢迎所有人的愿望。目前，很难确定标记空间的学习影响，也很难比较不同机构和不同学生群体的不同标记空间结构或标记空间。在定性研究的基础上，确定了在大学制作空间中学习的方式和内容，本项目将创建并验证一种测量学生在制作空间中学习的工具：通过制作调查工具进行学习。通过制作学习工具将为研究人员和教育工作者提供一个工具，以评估制作空间的教育价值，比较不同的环境，试验不同的方法，记录学习影响，并最终促进理解制作空间如何增强工程教育。该工具将帮助教育工作者了解可能与女性、有色人种学生、国际学生和第一代大学生的障碍有关的学习差距，为教育工作者提供至关重要的数据，以设计更具包容性的创业者空间和相关课程，以扩大参与并培育更具包容性的学习社区。将为大学生开发和验证通过制作的学习工具，为在制作空间中学习的定量研究提供跳板，并将促进未来开发适用于K-12学生的类似工具。研究目标是开发一种测量大学制作空间和类似环境中的学习的调查。提案团队之前的工作，通过制作类型学学习将成为通过制作工具学习的发展的部分基础。不同工科学生的仪器开发和验证数据将出现在非常不同的大学，包括圣何塞州立大学、德克萨斯州立大学、德克萨斯农工大学、普渡大学、佐治亚理工学院和詹姆斯·麦迪逊大学。入选学校包括位于美国两个不同地区的两所为西语裔服务的机构；一所位于大西洋中部的综合性大学，只提供普通工程学位；一所专注于研究的大学；以及一所顶尖的黑人和女性工程师毕业学校，该学院也有双学位课程，为HBCU的学生提供入学机会。这些大学还提供了一系列截然不同的创业者空间。将产生一个初始项目库，专家将对项目库进行评估，并将通过探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析寻找可靠性和结构效度的证据。教育和心理测试标准表明，评估的公正性与效度和信度同样重要，公平将被作为本研究的关键部分进行评估。我们试图回答以下研究问题：测量结构规范和实际评估问题在多大程度上是一致的？性别和少数群体之间在多大程度上存在衡量不变性？小组之间的平均分数是否存在显著差异，表明某些小组在MakerSpace中的学习方式有所不同？这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Makerspaces are informal learning environments that facilitate multimodal learning through iterative practice, collaboration, design, building, prototype, and management. They have proliferated America’s college campuses, with initial creation costs in the thousands to millions of dollars. While emerging data demonstrate the tremendous impact makerspaces may create in the engineering learning experience especially for learning engineering-relevant skills, data also demonstrate that makerspaces fail to meet aspirations of being egalitarian, open, inclusive, and welcoming spaces for all. Currently, it is difficult to determine the learning impact of a makerspace and to compare different makerspaces structures or makerspaces at different institutions with different populations of students. Drawing upon qualitative research that identified the modes and contents of learning in university makerspaces, this project will create and validate an instrument that measures student learning in makerspaces: the Learning through Making survey Instrument. The Learning through Making Instrument will provide a tool for researchers and educators to assess the educational value of makerspaces, compare across different environments, experiment with different approaches, document the learning impacts, and ultimately facilitate understanding how makerspaces can enhance engineering education. This instrument will assist educators in understanding learning gaps that may be associated with obstacles for women, students of color, international students, and first-generation college students providing educators with data critical for designing more inclusive makerspaces and associated curriculum that broaden participation and cultivate more inclusive learning communities. The Learning through Making Instrument will be developed and validated for collegiate students providing a springboard for quantitative research on learning in makerspaces and will facilitate future development of similar instruments applicable for K-12 students.The research objective is to develop a survey for measuring learning in university makerspaces and similar environments. The proposal team’s prior work, The Learning through Making Typology will be a partial basis for development of the Learning through Making Instrument. Data for instrument development and validations with diverse engineering students will occur at very different universities, including San Jose State, Texas State, Texas A&M, Purdue University, Georgia Tech, and James Madison University. The selection includes two Hispanic-Serving Institutions in two different regions of the country; a comprehensive, mid-Atlantic, regional, undergraduate-focused university offering only a general engineering degree; research-focused universities; and a top school for graduating Black and women engineers that also has dual-degree programs providing access to students from HBCUs. These universities also provide a contrasting set of makerspaces. An initial pool of items will be generated, experts will evaluate the pool of items, and evidence of reliability along with structural validity will be sought by exploratory factor analysis and then confirmatory factor analysis. Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing indicate that fairness of assessments is just as crucial as validity and reliability, and fairness will be evaluated as a key part of this research. We seek to answer the following Research Questions: To what extent are measurement construct specifications and actual assessment questions aligned? To what extent are there measurement invariances between gender and minority groups? Are there significant differences in the mean scores between groups that indicate certain groups are learning differently in makerspaces?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.