The MobileMaker: an experiment with a Mobile Makerspace
| Date | 16 November 2015 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-06-2015-0067 |
| Published date | 16 November 2015 |
| Pages | 480-496 |
| Author | Dana Gierdowski,Daniel Reis |
The MobileMaker: an experiment
with a Mobile Makerspace
Dana Gierdowski and Daniel Reis
Elon University, Elon, North Carolina, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to discuss the design, implementation, and pilot of
a Mobile Makerspace at a private, southeastern liberal arts institution that did not have a
campus-wide makerspace. In an effort to give students in a residential hall access to maker
tools and technologies and also meet the needs of a campus-wide writing initiative, a team of
administrators and staff worked to build and design programing for the “MobileMaker,”a pop-up
Mobile Makerspace.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors explain how the equipment was chosen based on a
variety of user skill levels. The technical specifications of the MobileMaker are also detailed, which
includes 3D printing and crafting tools, and a variety of electronics. In addition, they explain how a
mobile cart was modified to house and secure the equipment so it could be stored in an unsecured area.
The team experienced several challenges with the MobileMaker project, including the overall
durability of the mobile cart and the lack of a dedicated staff to manage the equipment.
Findings –The authors conclude that mobility and security were mutually exclusive with the mobile
design that was chosen. Greater mobility was sacrificed to achieve greater security via locked doors
and compartments that added weight to the cart. While the goal of increased student access to maker
tools and technologies was met, the level of access was often limited due to staffing limitations.
Originality/value –An unanticipated outcome of the project was the conversations that were
generatedabout the need and demand for a dedicated makerspaceopen to the entire campus community.
Keywords Writing, Constructionism, Self-directed learning, 3D printing, Makerspace,
Mobile Makerspace
Paper type Case study
Introduction
The makerspace movement has grown in popularity in recent years, makin g its
way in various forms on to higher education campuses. At some institutions, these
spaces are frequently associated with disciplines related to computer science and
engineering (Educause Learning Initiative, 2013), where they are situated within
specific departments and programs. However, other colleges view them as sites of
cross-disciplinary learning (Colegrove, 2013; Dougherty, 2013; Hlubinka et al., 2013),
and as such, physically place them within the larger ecosystem of the university with
dedicated space that is not affiliated with a particular discipline or departmen t.
Hlubinka et al. (2013) noted that despite having roots in technical and vocational
education, makerspaces depart by “metaphorically”and “sometimes literally, tearing
down the walls between silos of classes […] in pursuit of a more interdisciplinary goal”
(p. 5). For example, campus libraries are often chosen as the location for makerspaces,
as they support goals and literacies across disciplines (Colegrove, 2013; Gustafson,
2013; Kayler et al., 2013).
However, as many who work and study on higher education campuses can attest,
space is often scarce and at a premium. This was the case in 2014 at Elon University,
a private liberal arts university in North Carolina. Interest was growing among faculty,
staff, and students, and fruitful conversations were taking place regarding the
importance of creating a makerspace; in addition, some departments owned their own
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 33 No. 4, 2015
pp. 480-496
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/LHT-06-2015-0067
Received 26 June 2015
Revised 14 July 2015
Accepted 15 July 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
480
LHT
33,4
3D printers for student use in their programs and majors. However, at this time there
was no location available for a dedicated makerspace that was open to the wider
campus community. As a result, the members of one of the university’s residential
neighborhood associations applied for an internal grant through Elon’s campus-wide
Writing Excellence Initiative (WEI) to fund a makerspace of their own. This paper
discusses how administrators and staff members from multiple departments across the
university came together to fund, design, and pilot the “MobileMaker,”a pop-up, Mobile
Makerspace[1], in an effort to give students in a residential hall on campus access to
maker tools and technologies. In addition, it outlines the technical specifications of the
equipment, the challenges the team faced with both design and implementation, and
the future plans for the MobileMaker program.
The idea of the “MobileMaker”
Elon University is a private, mid-sized liberal arts university with the goals of
engaging minds, inspiring leaders, and creating global citizens (Elon University
Writing Excellence Initiative, n.d.). In 2013, the university officially launched the
Writing Excellence Initiative (part of the college’s accreditation requirements),
a campus-wide project designed to prepare students to be excellent writers, focussing
on the areas of writing to learn, writing in a discipline, and writing as a citizen.
As a result of this Initiative, competitive funding opportunities were made available to
the campus community for those who proposed projects that integrated and addressed
the goals of the WEI. In the spring of 2014, representatives from an on campus
neighborhood association[2] submitted a grant application requesting funds for
a“mobile”makerspace. The neighborhood association drew on the expertise of the
members of their group who worked in the university’s Teaching and Learning
Technologies (TLT) department for recommendations on what to include in the
proposed MobileMaker, such as equipment and costs. Their proposal included
electronics kits, a 3D printer, and other maker tools to be used by student residents
for creative, technical, scientific, and entrepreneurial writing, composing, and creating.
Residents in this community, comprised of approximately 600 students the majority of
which were Performing Arts and Theater majors, did not have access to a 3D printer
or maker tools on campus. In their grant application, they argued for specific
equipment to outfit a makerspace in their community and noted several direct
connections to the varieties of writing that aligned with the WEI that could be
produced, including texts that facilitated visual communication in both 2D and 3D,
reflective writing through a blog they would create related to their proposed
makerspace, the writing of instructions, policies, procedures, assessments, and reports ,
publicity for the space, and the like. Due to space limitations in their area, as well as
security concerns, they proposed that the equipment be available for checkout on a
mobile cart that could be wheeled out into their common space and used by their
residents as needed. When not in use, the maker cart would be stored in a secure room
to maintain the existing common spaces to avoid overcrowding within the residence
hall. Their proposal noted that all aspects of the maker cart would be led by their
student RAs, including the authoring and enforcing policies, maintenance of the
equipment, managing checkout, and supporting users. Due to the strength of their
proposal and its alignment with the Initiative’s goals, the funds were granted in the
Spring of 2014, and members of TLT and the neighborhood association worked
together to execute it.
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The
MobileMaker
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