Earning Criteria

• Introduction to Design Thinking: Students will be immersed in hands-on-minds-on activities that will help unlock creative potential. Students will examine how industry leaders apply and document the design process to obtain patents and protect intellectual property. Create and implement full design challenges, working in different materials, tools, machines, and processes, and a final design challenge with an engineering portfolio that assesses the design process, thinking, and application.
• Developing a Maker Mindset: Participants will gain valuable knowledge about the maker movement and its integration into education. Guided by readings, online videos, and instructor facilitation, participants will gain hands-on experience designing and safely fabricating in 2D and 3D with makerspace tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers; and creating new products with electronics, textiles, and coding/Arduino.
• Designing and Facilitating Maker-Centered Learning Environments: Participants will learn how to design and support maker-centered learning experiences — for example, how to set up and supervise a makerspace to ensure safety and maximize student learning including pedagogical practices. They will also develop assessments that best evaluate the gains made through maker-centered learning experiences that are aligned with common standards and rubrics in STEM education.
• Maker Educator Capstone: Working with a faculty mentor, the Maker Educator Capstone is a rich opportunity for participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the program to a specific area of content expertise and/or local learning context. Participants will design a significant maker-centered learning experience and present it to peers, colleagues, instructors, and mentors in a Maker Certificate Showcase.
• The Makerspace Safety and Emergency Lab: