A review of makerspaces for stem degrees and the UR-Maker experience

Resumen

The 21st-century university has to face the challenge of stimulating in the students a 'will to learn' in a world saturated with a vast amount of information and distractions. In this sense, the adaptation of the traditional learning environments is a mandatory step to keep students highly motivated. Additionally, labour markets are demanding professionals with problem-solving capabilities, leadership skills, and adaptation capabilities for changing environments. This situation is boosting universities worldwide to update their traditional teaching methods and physical spaces. Makerspaces, also known as hackerspaces, hack labs, or fab labs, could become a bridge between universities and industry, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers, boosting the inclusion of autonomous and social learning. They are open-access spaces in which tools, machines, and knowledge are shared with the purpose of implementing an idea or project. Their increasing importance in higher education was anticipated by the New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Report of 2015 that estimated a deadline for their widespread adoption worldwide in less than three years. Design, modify, build, or just test are usual activities performed in these places. The idea behind makerspaces has grown one on one with the Do It Yourself (DIY) movement, an open-source philosophy that intends to democratize the technology making it accessible to everyone. From an academic point of view, makerspaces can help in developing competencies such as creativity or innovation. As information regarding the mechanical design, electronics, and software of an open-source machine (RepRap 3D printer, CNC-machine, Arduino-based robot, etc.) is publicly available, students can understand better the technical or mechanisms that define any open-source device. Consequently, hands-on activities as modifications, improvements and innovations can be implemented by the students, reinforcing their creativity and invention capacity. Aware of the importance of these relatively new learning environments, some of the most prestigious universities in the world have created makerspaces within their campuses. This communication evaluates the current status of the makerspaces at the world's top 10 universities in engineering and three of the most well-known Spanish ones. Information was mainly mined from university websites and informative e-mails. More specifically, the categories addressed were scope, accessibility, payment, equipment, and staff. Despite the lack of resources reported in some cases, we discovered exceptionally successful examples such as the 'Makers UPV' with a high number of promoting activities. Lastly, the implementation of a makerspace at the University of La Rioja (UR-Maker) is described including information about its organization, funding sources, and activities. Through their own experience in the UR-Maker, the authors demonstrate that the creation of new makerspaces requires a minimum financial and human effort. We hope that this communication will become a useful guideline for other universities with the intention of exploring the implementation of a makerspace within their campuses.