Academic makerspaces as a “design journey”: developing a learning model for how women students tap into their “toolbox of design”

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-373
Author(s):  
Megan Tomko ◽  
Wendy Newstetter ◽  
Melissa W. Alemán ◽  
Robert L. Nagel ◽  
Julie Linsey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Women Students ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Culture Of Learning ◽  
Nontraditional Learning ◽  
Multiple Cycles ◽  
Axial Coding ◽  
The University

AbstractAn academic makerspace, home to tools and people dedicated to facilitating and inspiring a making culture, is characterized by openness, creativity, learning, design, and community. This nontraditional learning environment has found an immense increase in popularity and investment in the last decade. Further, makerspaces have been shown to be highly gendered, privileging men's and masculine understandings of making. The spike in popularity warrants deeper analysis, examining the value of these spaces for women and if learning is occurring in these spaces, specifically at higher education institutions. We implemented a phenomenologically based interviewing process to capture the making experiences of 20 women students, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. By eliciting the narratives of women students, we captured how making, designing, and creating evolved through gendered experiences in the university makerspace. Each interview was transcribed and resulted in around 868 pages of single-spaced text transcriptions. The data were analyzed through multiple cycles of open and axial coding for common themes and patterns, where makerspaces create a culture of learning, facilitate students’ design journey, and form a laboratory for creativity. These themes forwarded the creation of a learning model that showcases how design and learning interact in the makerspace. This work demonstrates that women students are engaging learning and inspiration; developing confidence and resilience; and learning how to work with others and collaborate.

scholarly journals Applying STEEPLE to course and curriculum design

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Colin Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Graduate Certificate ◽  
The University

When it comes to course design in Higher Education, everything from learning theory and learning design theory to needs analysis and potential markets should shape our thinking. A group based course design task on the Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCert. HE) at the University of Greenwich (UoG) provided the context within which my colleagues and I were able to bring a key aspect of our professional experience and expertise to course development. Ourbusiness background and an interest in strategic modelling in business led us to adopt the ‘STEEPLE’ model, which is an extension of the ‘PEST’ and ‘PESTLE’ models that preceded it and which is used in strategic decision making in business worldwide.

Cultural pluralism increases difficulties in learning experiences yet advances identity formation for Muslim Arab female students at higher education institutions in Israel

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Husny Arar ◽  
Asmahan Masry-Herzalah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Women Students ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Cultural Pluralism ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Arab Muslim ◽  
The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how learning experiences are shaped for Arab Muslim women students by the different educational approaches (teaching style, relations with lecturers and types of knowledge) and extent of cultural pluralism in three different higher education (HE) campuses in Israel. Design/methodology/approach – To clarify these issues the authors conducted narrative interviews with 12 Arab Muslim women students in the Hebrew University and in two academic colleges. Significant differences were found in the women's experiences between the university and the two academic colleges. Findings – Arab women had difficulty integrating in the university in contrast to a supportive more familiar environment in the colleges. The different environments also had different implications for the women's identity formation. The findings indicate that since Arab women students have specific needs stemming from their different socio-cultural background, they should be assisted in their integration in academic courses with preparatory instruction and guidance. Originality/value – Implications for minority students in different HE campuses are discussed.

scholarly journals An exploration into pedagogic frailty: Transitioning from face-to-face to online

2017 ◽  
pp. 392-403
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Frailty Model ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
The University

Pedagogic frailty and concept mapping can simultaneously encourage personal and organisational change by supporting critical reflection and resilience. These ideas are nascent within higher education institutions and currently, at the University of Surrey, are only developed through face-to-face sessions. This revealed the need for a scalable intervention which engages academics with the discourse on introspective and professional development practices. In response, we have created the design for a blended programme of online foundation for concept mapping leading to face-to-face workshops to explore the pedagogic frailty model. This paper will discuss some significant challenges arising from transitioning self-reflective practices from face-to-face to online spaces. In the process, we will consider ways in which learning design can take the learner context into account.

scholarly journals Incorporating the Hybrid Learning Model into Minority Education at a Historically Black University

10.28945/2970 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Buzzetto-More ◽  
Retta Sweat-Guy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Historically Black ◽  
Hybrid Learning ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
The State ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Classroom Experiences ◽  
University System ◽  
Historically Black University ◽  
The University

Proponents of hybrid learning proclaim it to be an effective and efficient way of expanding course content that supports in-depth delivery and analysis of knowledge (Young, 2002) and increases students satisfaction (Campos & Harasim, 1999; Dziuban & Moskal, 2001; Rivera, McAlister, & Rice, 2002; Wu & Hiltz, 2004). In the years to come, hybrid learning is poised to cause a paradigm shift in higher education (Allen & Seaman, 2003; Lorenzetti, 2005; Young, 2002). Graham B. Spanier, president of Pennsylvania State University, was quoted in Young (2002) as saying that hybrid learning presents “the single-greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today.” This benefits of online and hybrid learning have been recognized by the State of Maryland. In a move to stimulate the use of alternative delivery methods, the regents of the University System of Maryland instituted a policy in 2005 that all students take on average 12 of their credits through out-of-classroom experiences and other nontraditional means. Included in the regents' definition of out-of-classroom experiences are e-learning, internships, student teaching, and a host of other activities. Diana G. Oblinger, vice president of Educause, was cited in Lorenzetti (2005) as saying that the Maryland system is recognizing that some online learning is an enhancement to students’ higher-education learning experiences even when those students are full-time on-campus residents. She asserted that the Maryland initiative indicates, and will result in, tangible growth in the hybrid learning model. This paper presents the findings of a study that examined student perceptions of hybrid business courses at a historically black university that operates within the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1886, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a historically black, 1890 land grant institution and a member of the thirteen-campus University System of the State of Maryland.

scholarly journals The impact of the language barrier on the success of Hungarian minority women in the higher education system of Serbia

Temida ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Lendák-Kabók
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Barrier ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Novi Sad ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The subject of the paper is to analyze the impact of the language barrier faced by Hungarian minority female professors and students in the higher education sys?tem of Serbia. The aim of this paper is to propose measures which might allow Hungarian minority students to overcome the language barrier more easily and to raise awareness for the need of more Hungarian women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The analysis is based on twenty four semi-structured interviews conducted with minority Hungarian female professors and students, who are working or studying at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. Interviews were conducted with a pre-composed questionnaire between the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. Interviewees were chosen with a snowball sampling method. Results of analysis show that the majority of Hungarian women face a language barrier at the start of their studies, mostly because of their limited knowledge of the majority?s language. These barriers were more pronounced in Hungarian female students than with professor. This phenomenon can be attributed to the time in which they grew up, or to a different social environment of the twentieth century, when bilingualism was completely natural, from which, less segregation of the nations resulted and a better knowledge of the Serbian language. The professors particularly point out that being bilingual is a great advantage and that their knowledge of several languages was a key advantage in their academic careers. With the analysis of the interviews it was determined that the language barrier was mostly pronounced for students of social sciences and humanities (SSH), where language is the primary tool of communication. The language barrier was less important for the students studying in STEM sciences, where students and professors interact through formulas and written exams.

"You Can Take Out of it What You Want"

2010 ◽  
pp. 285-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Holley ◽  
Lyn Greaves ◽  
Claire Bradley ◽  
John Cook
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Objects ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Global Learning ◽  
Higher Education Funding ◽  
Personalised Learning ◽  
Digital World ◽  
The University

This chapter shows how a suite of learning objects were developed by the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Reusable Learning Objects (www.RLO-CETL.ac.uk), one of 74 CETLs being funded by the UK’s Higher Education Funding Council for England. The learning objects were used to support students within a blended learning context. It shows student personalised learning: learning that can be any time (in the 24 hour digital world), any place (the university experienced in the home or workplace), any where (limited only by the students choice and internet access – trains, boats, planes, global learning). It focuses on two case studies at UK Higher Education institutions that demonstrate any time, any place learning. London Metropolitan University (London Met) and Thames Valley University (TVU), have both used and reused learning objects in different contexts. In each case study the background and the resulting blended learning design is outlined, followed by evaluation data illustrating the student experience and how the learning design and the learning objects have encouraged personalised learning. The chapter concludes with the start of the third iteration of use – to facilitate informal learning ‘any where’, through the incorporation of learning objects that can be used on mobile phones.

scholarly journals The Future of the University in an Age of Knowledge

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Duderstadt
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Great Change ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Culture Of Learning ◽  
Knowledge Industry ◽  
The University

We have entered an age of knowledge in which educated people and their ideas, facilitated and augmented by rapidly evolving information technology, have become not only key to our social well-being but are driving great change in all social institutions. Although the primary missions of the university ¾ the creation, preservation, integration, transmission, and application of knowledge ¾ are not changing, the particular realization of each of these roles is changingdramatically. So, too, is the nature of the higher education enterprise as it evolves into a global knowledge industry. We discuss the implications of these shifting paradigms for the university and conclude that higher education must evolve rapidly to create a culture of learning for our society, a culture in which educational opportunities become pervasive through the use of information technology.

Evaluation of the Academic Setting in Spain 1This study was financed by the University of Oviedo.

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Fernández ◽  
Miguel A. Mateo ◽  
José Muñiz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Climate ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Academic Setting ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Evaluation Questionnaire ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
The University

The conditions are investigated in which Spanish university teachers carry out their teaching and research functions. 655 teachers from the University of Oviedo took part in this study by completing the Academic Setting Evaluation Questionnaire (ASEQ). Of the three dimensions assessed in the ASEQ, Satisfaction received the lowest ratings, Social Climate was rated higher, and Relations with students was rated the highest. These results are similar to those found in two studies carried out in the academic years 1986/87 and 1989/90. Their relevance for higher education is twofold because these data can be used as a complement of those obtained by means of students' opinions, and the crossing of both types of data can facilitate decision making in order to improve the quality of the work (teaching and research) of the university institutions.

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