Creating a maker course syllabus for the Learning Technologies program : bridging experiences between the UT Campus makerspace and K-12 makerspaces in Austin, Texas

The goal of this report is the development of a new maker course syllabus and course plan for the Learning Technologies program at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). This course will provide hands-on making experiences for graduate students in ‘The Foundry’ (UT Makerspace) and subsequently bridge those experiences to K-12 makerspaces in Austin. This report contains four major sections. First, the report begins with a literature review of makerspaces and learning, making and assessment, and making in both K-12 and higher education, supported by a review of empirical studies and web-based articles. Second, the context for the development of a graduate level maker course is explained through the analysis of The Foundry’s support for graduate students’ making activities and the summary of my visits to K-12 makerspaces in Austin, Texas. Third, existing maker courses from three different universities—Teaching for Creativity and Innovation (University of Wisconsin-Stout), Critical Making (University of California, Berkeley), and Introduction to Design and Making (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)—are analyzed to gather ideas for a new maker course syllabus. Additionally, I analyze current courses offered by the Learning Technologies program to evaluate the justification for a new maker course for graduate students. Finally, the fourth section details the new maker course syllabus I created.