I-Corps l: Leveraging Maker Pathways Research Projects to Scale Steam + Making Outreach Programs

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Making is fast growing topic area to get students and K-12 teachers engaged in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), particularly engineering. In this team's research in the Maker Community, the team has witnessed many examples of Adult and Young Makers being entrepreneurial with what they have built. Educators, parents, and makerspaces are all interested in how to train young people for a technologically complex future. Parents often send their children to summer camps or encourage them to participate in after school activities which can provide technical skills. Makerspaces provide a community and tools to their members. This I-Corps team believes that bridging the gap will provide value to the end-users, customers, and market. A broad range of educators could benefit from curricula, projects, support, marketing, and funding materials for running their Making education goals. This includes K-12 teachers, homeschooling families, science centers, makerspaces, and university educators. This I-Corps team aims to leverage its understanding of adult and young Maker educational pathways to build chain-reaction STEAM Machines(TM) and Making+Tinkering engineering outreach short-courses for STEAM outreach with middle school and high school students. The team intends to facilitate a broad adaptation of STEAM education principles through hands on project-based learning and provide professional development for teachers and science centers. The team imagines a holistic solution that includes curricula, projects, support, marketing and funding solutions, and optional products such as materials and on-site consulting. The team's interest is in being a catalyst for Making becoming an experience by which students are exposed to invention, innovation and entrepreneurship mindsets. This is an opportunity to grow a future workforce who invents, builds and markets innovative and useful solutions.