Special Issue on Makerspace Design Cases

Abstract

According to the New Media Consortium (NMC), makerspaces are “informal workshop environments located in community facilities or education institutions where people gather to create prototypes or products in a collaborative, do-it-yourself setting.” The NMC Horizon Reports for K-12 Education and for Higher Education have listed makerspaces as “important developments” for the last 2-3 years (2014-2016). Also referred to as hackerspaces, hack labs, and fab labs, these community-oriented spaces provide tools and resources for innovators to carry out their ideas. Makerspaces have quickly risen to the forefront in educational conversations, and many community organizations, schools, and institutions of higher education have created makerspaces in their facilities and campuses. Additionally, many are on the verge of developing a makerspace for their organization. While lists of equipment and supplies for makerspaces are readily available to those seeking to develop a makerspace, resources documenting the design of a makerspace, the philosophy that informed the design, or the programs implemented within a makerspace are considerably less plentiful. This special issue of makerspace design cases is intended to fill that void.